Answering Your Questions: Are the Eggs Safe to Eat?

Question: "I tried your recipe for Greek rice pudding and I believe I followed it correctly but I have one question. After you add the egg yolks and sugar do you return it to the heat? I wasn't sure if the eggs would be cooked if the pot had been sitting for 10 minutes off the burner. I didn't add it to the heat again and it tasted fine but I was a little nervous about eating eggs that might not be cooked fully."

Answer: In this recipe, after adding the egg yolks and sugar, the rice pudding should not be returned to the heat.

Questions about food safety are always important. In my kitchen, I used to aim for a temperature in the cooled rice mixture around 150F to 175F; however, with concerns about bacteria in recent years, food safety experts recommend that egg yolks used in custard-type preparations like this one should be cooked at around 160F.

The temperature of the rice mixture after 10 minutes off the heat (covered) should be fine; however, if this is a concern and you want to make sure the temperature is high enough to cook the egg yolks (160F) but not to cook them separately (over 175F), use a food thermometer to test. If it isn't hot enough, return to the heat for a few minutes and test again. If it's too hot, allow to cool longer (covered).

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