Tamago (Eggs)

[andiesenji]

The simple thing to do is pasteurize your own eggs. I do all of mine as soon as I bring them home from the store.

Go to this site scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see my method.

Shirley Corriher mentions a method in Cookwise that says you can simply run hot tap water over the egg (eggs must be at room temp) however not every home has hot water that goes as high as 140 degrees and that is the important detail.

One thing that I have noted. After the eggs have been pasteurized, the air pocket often seen on older eggs does not form or is not as large.

My hard-boiled eggs are perfectly shaped, no flat spot at the large end of the egg.

I can't explain it but that is what I have found.

[torakris]

I have to admit that in Japan I have never given a thought to what kind of eggs to use for raw uses. I have used everything from the expensive brand name ones to the cheapo ones I find at my local drug store. Some of the more expensive ones are more flavorful but unless you are eating the egg straight with out anything else I don't think it is worth the money.

In the US, however, I am very cautious about using raw eggs and take the time to search out some good ones. Now one of my sisters raises her own chickens, so I will have a very fresh supply when I go home this summer.

[SuzySushi]

I don't use any raw eggs where I am (Hawaii) because of the high prevalence of salmonella. I might try andiesenji's pasteurization method if I ever need a lot of raw eggs for a mousse, etc.

(I've never been a fan of raw eggs in sukiyaki, over rice for breakfast, etc., anyway. If I eat a dozen eggs a year as "just eggs," that's a lot!)

[smallworld]

I've been wondering the safety of raw eggs myself lately.

For example, I'm never sure if the expiry date on eggs applies to both raw and cooked eggs.

A local chicken butchers (yes, a shop that just sells chicken!) gets their chickens and eggs from the same free-range farm. Because they package everything themselves there are no labels with expiry dates. Last time I bought eggs there I asked the butcher when the expiry date was, and he said "Raw, they're good until May XX". Which would seem to imply that they can be kept longer if I planned to cook them.

He also seemed a little surprised that I asked, so I guess most Japanese housewives are supposed to know how long eggs last.

The expiry date itself surprised me. I had assumed that eggs should only be consumed raw within a few days of purchase, but the date he told me was two or three weeks later!

So expiry dates aside, why do people in Japan eat raw eggs without fear? Is salmonella less prevelant here than North America, perhaps due to different farming practices? Or is the risk of salmonella poisoning just not as well publicized?

[Hiroyuki]

The thing is, most Japanese think nothing of eating raw eggs.

The risks are always there, but the Japanese tend to underestimate or ignore the risks because raw eggs are so tempting.

In Japan, the best before date of eggs is usually set at two weeks after the eggs are produced. I myself avoid eating eggs raw that have passed that date.

According to webpage (Japanese only),

the best before date is considered at 57 days in the winter (December. to March) at an average temperature of 10 C (50 F), 16 days in the summer (July to September) at an average temperature of 28 C (82.4 F), and 25 days in other seasons at an average temperature of 23 C (73.4 F).

[SuzySushi]

So expiry dates aside, why do people in Japan eat raw eggs without fear? Is salmonella less prevelant here than North America, perhaps due to different farming practices? Or is the risk of salmonella poisoning just not as well publicized?

←

I don't know anything about the prevalence of salmonella poisoning in Japan, but I do know that 10+ years ago, one of my Japanese friends got very, very ill from salmonella poisoning, which she attributed to eating raw eggs.

[chocomoo]

slice into rounds

Origamicrane, this is driving me nuts! You have to explain...either you have some pretty unusual tamago-dofu slicing technology, or you're talking about something else...surely?

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In HK, i've seen the tamago tofu that comes in cylinder like thing, therefore they can slice it. I think.

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Yep, that's the way it comes in the Chinese supermarkets here in Vancouver too. In Chinese restaurants, I've had it pan-fried in a vegetable (carrots, celery, snow ear fungus, cloud ear fungus) stir-fry, & also pan-fried, topped with shredded dried scallops & ground pork in a light soy sauce. It's delicious pan-fried - my favourite way to have tamago tofu

[torakris]

I have gotten sick from eggs (they were undercooked but not raw) 3 times in my life, twice in Hawaii, once in Ohio and never in Japan where I have been consuming raw eggs for 15 years....

[mascarpone]

Thanks, everyone for the excellent feedback on this issue.

When I think about it, I never really check the expiration date of eggs when I buy them at my local grocery in New York. I just assume that the eggs that are stocked are good quality. Only a couple of years ago, I decided to purchase eggs that were laid by chickens that were raised on a natural diet, without chemicals, and the like. I really have very little knowledge as to the length of time from when the eggs in my local market are laid to when they are purchased. Nor do I know how they are stored during this interim period (from being laid to being purchased).

Only after I met my girlfriend and traveled to her uncle's home in Utsinomiya City and had an omlette for breakfast made from very fresh eggs (perhps laid that morning) did I begin looking for fresh eggs in New York. Nevertheless, my girlfriend refuses to eat raw eggs in the US even if they are the fresh variety from Knollcrest. And as soon as she arrives in Japan, the first thing she eats is Natto with raw egg yolk.

Perhaps it is fair to assume that, on the whole, considerably greater attention is devoted to monitoring the freshness of eggs in Japan than in the US as Japanese quisine frequently demands a fresh product for Sukiyaki, as well as other standard dishes, where the consumption of raw eggs in the US is, on the whole, not a common dietary practise.

Edited June 11, 2005 by mascarpone (log)

[SuzySushi]

the consumption of raw eggs in the US is, on the whole, not a common dietary practise.

←

Well, it used to be, before all the salmonella scares! Not so much raw eggs broken over foods and eaten raw (except for steak tartare, which is another no-no these days!) but raw eggs used in eggnogs (as a child, I sometimes drank egg blended with milk and fruit for a quick breakfast), mousses, pie fillings, and other uncooked desserts.

[helenjp]

I must look out for the tube tamago-dofu - the Japanese product is so fragile that you have to be very careful when turning it out of the container - I think it would break up if you stir-fried it.

[SethG]

Isn't salmonella in chickens almost unheard of in Japan? I recall reading that chicken carpaccio/sushi is served in Japan.

Here in NYC, I confess I usually disregard the risks associated with raw eggs unless I'm making something for children or the elderly. I've thought about only going organic, but those eggs tend to sit on the shelf a lot longer than the standard-issue eggs. (You can tell by the code on the side of the carton that indicates what day of the year the carton was packed.) I'm not sure at any rate what makes a henhouse more or less likely to produce eggs infected with salmonella in the first place, or whether "organic" labeling is likely to indicate a lesser risk.

Isn't the incidence of salmonella in eggs much lower today than it was when they first realized it was possible? Weren't "steps" taken?

[torakris]

from a Japanese website, these are the preventions that will help avoid salmonella:

①１０℃以下で保存する。（＊２０℃以上で菌は増殖します）

②卵を割った状態で保存しない。食べる直前、調理する直前

　　に割る。（空気中の雑菌がつきます）

③調理したら室温で放置しない。なるべく２時間以内に食べる。

④冷たい料理は１０℃以下で保存する。

⑤洗ってから使用する。

⑥ヒビ割れのあるものは加熱調理する。

⑦賞味期限後は加熱調理する。

1. Store the eggs at under 10 degrees ©

2.Do not store them after breaking them, break them open just before eating or cooking.

3.Cooked egg dishes should not be left at room temperature, eat within 2 hours.

4.Cold egg dishes should be kept at below 10 degees ©

5. Wash the eggs before using.

6. Cook any eggs that are cracked (do not eat raw).

7. Cook any eggs that are past their expiration date (do not eat raw).

from here

http://www.e-tamago.net/topic.htm

[mascarpone]

Thanks, torakris, for this helpful information.

One question comes to mind when reading the list, and please excuse me if the question seems unbelievably stupid: are the eggs washed (rinsed) in the shell, or after being cracked open? How are they washed?

I guess my ignorance may stem from my lack of experience of handling raw eggs.

[Hiroyuki]

Perhaps it is fair to assume that, on the whole, considerably greater attention is devoted to monitoring the freshness of eggs in Japan than in the US as Japanese quisine frequently demands a fresh product for Sukiyaki, as well as other standard dishes, where the consumption of raw eggs in the US is, on the whole, not a common dietary practise.

←

I think you are right.

An excerpt from a document issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan

http://www1.mhlw.go.jp/houdou/1007/h0722-1.html

(2)我が国においては、生卵を喫食する食習慣があることから、これを前提とした衛生対策が必要であること。

(2) In this country, we have the habit of eating raw eggs and therefore require sanitary measures that take this fact into account.

[Hiroyuki]

Thanks, torakris, for this helpful information.

One question comes to mind when reading the list, and please excuse me if  the question seems unbelievably stupid: are the eggs washed (rinsed) in the shell, or after being cracked open? How are they washed?

I guess my ignorance may stem from my lack of experience of handling raw eggs.

←

In the shell.

I rince an egg under running water when I feel I have to.

[Hiroyuki]

As you can see, each of the eggs in the container (in Japan, eggs usually come in a pack of ten) has a sticker on it, which indicates its best before date. And, the sheet of paper on the right warns against eating eggs raw once they have passed their before date.

Not all eggs in Japan have such a sticker on them. For many brands, the best before date is indicated on the pack only.

[origamicrane]

hehehe! sorry for taking so long to post

Yeah the egg tofu comes in little plastic tubes about 1 inch diameter and about 5inches long. I think we can get 3 tubes for £1 in London.

anyway here you go a little portion of a very popular preparation of tamago tofu in hk.

It basically a hot sweet and sour made from a base of sweet thai chilli sauce then cooked with minced chicken, diced onions, red pepper, garlic, scallion and the tofu is just fried until the edges are lightly browned.

enjoy

I'll take a photo of the tamago tofu in its tube when i next buy some.

I got a feeling that the tamago tofu in japan is probably a different texture to the type I am using as some of what you guys are saying it seems that your tamago tofu is very soft tofu. Whereas the type I am using is quite firm you can easily dice it.

Edited June 12, 2005 by origamicrane (log)

[torakris]

you could not do that with Japanese style tamago tofu...

the Japanese stuff looks like this and it is even more fragile than it appears.

[torakris]

since we are showing off our eggs!

mine have the date stamped on them, I bought these on the 9th so it seems like they are good to eat raw for at least 2 weeks.

I have to admit that until Hiroyuki mentioned the little piece of paper included in the eggs I never paid attention to it, I had never read it before. I would open up the pack of eggs and then toss it in the trash....

[origamicrane]

arrr.... we are probably talking about two different types of tofu then.

The one I use is called "egg tofu" I think it is actually a steamed mixure of blended egg whites and tofu.

I take a snap of the packets next time i buy some.

[lambretta76]

A little off-topic, but as good as any thread to ask this...

What accounts for the brilliant orange coloring of the yolks in Japanese eggs? I've tried googling this but have perhaps used the wrong seacrh parameters. Anyways, I was shocked at how all of the yolks looked much more vibrant than their North American counterparts.

Does it deal with the diet of particular hens, the particular strain of chickens, or what?

And a third, even more off topic question. I had a black egg that I had assumed was going to be a "thousand year old egg" - however, it turned out to just be an onsen egg and, besides it's slightly sulphuric/mineral flavor, was really undistinguishable from a regular egg. DO the Japanese have a similar dish to thousand year eggs?

[Pan]

Kris, I'm intrigued by the seeming dates stamped on those eggs. What does 05.06.23 mean? And what about IF3?

Edited June 13, 2005 by Pan (log)

[lambretta76]

I can tell you that 05.06.23 means June 23, 2005 - the expiration date. The other part, no idea...

[origamicrane]

you could not do that with Japanese style tamago tofu...

the Japanese stuff looks like this and it is even more fragile than it appears.

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actually reading that recipe kinda reminds me of chinese steamed omlette.

Its just a few eggs whisked with part water, seasoned with salt and pepper then drop in some rehydrated dried shrimps, or minced pork or bits of cod

then steamed until its set, then a splash of soya sauce to finish.