raw cookie dough

I have not read Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings' new book, but I have read the excerpt on pages 96-97 where Mr. Jennings argues that it is probably safe to eat raw cookie dough, despite the FDA's warning that doing so is potentially hazardous to one's health.

Here are his statistics: The FDA estimates that about 1 in every 20,000 American eggs is contaminated with salmonella. About a million Americans get salmonella every year, and 20,000 get a bad enough case to send them to the hospital. About 400 die, and a quarter of those are kids. But the egg kind of salmonella accounts for only 18 percent of all cases-- raw poultry meat is much more dangerous than raw egg. Lightning kills about as many people a year as egg-borne salmonella.

Mr. Jennings also argues that the 2009 Nestle cookie dough epidemic was caused by flour contaminated with e. coli, not egg contaminated with salmonella. (Although pointing out that eggs are not the only risky ingredient in raw cookie dough does not exactly help Mr. Jennings' case.)

I happen to disagree with Mr. Jennings. Sure, the probability is extraordinarily low that the raw egg in your cookie dough is the 1 egg in 20,000 contaminated with salmonella. But waiting 10 minutes for the cookies to bake is no big deal. And enduring 5 days of diarrhea is a big deal. So why risk it???

Quote: reno

So why risk it???

Because delicious

When you make it at home, mayonnaise and mousse contain raw egg yolks. I've done both. Yet store-bought mayo lasts open on my fridge shelf for months, and I trust it. Home-made....not so much. I was a little grossed-out when I made the mousse, so I guess I trust store-bought raw egg brand stuffs. They must do something extra we don't do at home. I don't eat raw cookie dough. Nasty.

I'm with Mr. Jennings on this one. Raw eggs are fine. My favorite breakfast is a raw egg cracked over a bowl of hot rice (tamago kake gohan). I'd rather be required to eat a raw egg everyday than drive my car anywhere.

Most of these diseases passed through to us is because the producers don't care what happens to those who eat them. They could actually raise these animals in sanitary conditions, but they choose to pass the responsibility on to us. They live and die and slaughtered covered in their own feces, just to save money. It isn't because the animals are naturally dangerous as much as they choose methods which lead to more risk. All the statistics are meaningless until you wind up the one to die, I agree.