Making homemade egg nog that's safe (2024)

FAQs

How is homemade eggnog safe? ›

Eggs must be cooked to 160 degrees F to kill bacteria such as Salmonella that may be present. If your eggnog recipe calls for raw eggs, it may not be safe. Adding alcohol inhibits bacterial growth, but it cannot be relied upon to kill bacteria.

Traditionally made with eggs, cream, milk, and sugar, no one would say that eggnog is a healthy drink. Even a small serving can pack significant amounts of calories, fat, saturated fat, and added sugars. And then there's the fact that homemade eggnog made with raw eggs can be a food-poisoning risk.

Once alcohol is diluted, it no longer effectively kills bacteria. You will still need to use pasteurized eggs. Keep in mind that simmering eggnog over heat will remove the alcohol.

Can Eggnog Be Aged? Yes, when the alcohol content is 20% of the egg and sugar mixture, it becomes sterile and can sit in cool storage on a shelf for up to a year.

The more liquor you add, the longer it will keep — non-alcoholic eggnog should be consumed within 1 day; eggnog with 1/2 to 1 cup of liquor will keep for several days; and eggnog with 1 1/2 cups of liquor will keep for several weeks and continue aging and thickening quite nicely.

Eggnog may not be considered a "health food," but the drink does have some nutritional benefits including certain vitamins and protein. Traditional eggnog is also high in sugar and fat, and for that reason, it's best to drink in moderation as a dessert.

“That's because all of these can compound into a difficult-to-digest situation, requiring digestive enzymes like lactase, sucrase and alcohol dehydrogenase to kick into high gear all at the same time. This could lead to gas, diarrhea, cramping or abdominal pain within 30 minutes to a few hours after drinking.”

Alcohol: Wine, champagne or eggnog

Alcohol has a sedative effect on the body. This can be a contributing factor to your sleepiness.

A lot of factors—batch size or the method of cooking, for example—affect the textures and tastes we've discussed here. The obvious solution is to use regular eggs for cooked egg recipes, and use pasteurized eggs for sauces and other recipes and dressings that call for raw or partially cooked eggs.

After 12 months of age, if the eggnog is pasteurized and free of alcohol. While we generally recommend waiting until age 2 to introduce sugar into a toddler's diet, a small taste of pasteurized, alcohol-free eggnog on a special occasion after a child's first birthday is just fine.

What happens if I don't use pasteurized eggs? ›

Consuming raw eggs puts you at risk for contracting salmonellosis, a foodborne illness from Salmonella bacteria that can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.

The idea? Make a batch of eggnog and let it age for at least three weeks in the refrigerator before drinking. The rest period supposedly drives off eggy taste while giving the other flavors a chance to meld. At the same time, the alcohol has a chance to kill any potential pathogens in the mix.

Give it a stir or a good shake before serving to make sure the ingredients haven't separated, and served with some extra spices sprinkled on top. Making it ahead: While you can make the eggnog ahead of time, you can also make just the egg yolk mixture in advance and chill.

Combine dairy, booze, and salt in a second bowl or pitcher and then slowly beat into the egg mixture. Move to a large glass jar (or a couple of smaller ones) and store in the fridge for a minimum of 2 weeks. A month would be better, and 2 better still.

This is why saying “the alcohol 'cooks' the egg” is misleading. Shaking an egg in alcohol and citrus may accomplish a similar molecular result as cracking one into a warm frying pan, but the temperature doesn't rise to levels that would kill harmful bacteria if present.

Pasteurized shell eggs are heated in warm water baths using controlled time and temperature, to destroy any bacteria that might be present, but the process does not cook the eggs. Any process used for eggs in shell pasteurization has to be approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Eggs are washed and sanitized at the processing plant. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1 in every 20,000 eggs are contaminated with Salmonella. Persons infected with Salmonella may experience diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, headache, nausea and vomiting.