United States
Hong KongEggs and Pooled Eggs
Eggs cooked to order for immediate service reach 63°C (145°F); eggs cooked and held for service reach 68°C (155°F).
- Pooled eggs spread contamination from one egg across the whole batch, so pasteurized eggs are used where risk is higher.
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Eggs appear in three different places on this exam - cooking temperatures, receiving temperatures and highly susceptible populations - with a different number in each. That is why they generate errors.
The three numbers
| Situation | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Cooked to order, served immediately | 63°C (145°F) for 15 seconds |
| Cooked and held for service | 68°C (155°F) for 17 seconds |
| Shell eggs in storage or receiving | 7°C (45°F) ambient air |
The 45°F is the one that leaks into wrong answers elsewhere. It applies to shell eggs and to ambient air, not to ready-to-eat food and not to internal temperature. Read the situation.
Why held eggs need a higher temperature
Time. An egg cooked to order goes to a customer within a minute or two; an egg on a buffet may sit for an hour.
The higher number buys a wider margin against whatever survived, because there is a long window afterwards in which it could grow.
Pooling
Cracking many eggs into one container to make scrambled eggs or a batter. It is standard practice and it is a specific risk.
One contaminated egg in a hundred contaminates the whole batch, and then holds it at a comfortable temperature while the cook works through the service. The risk is not additive; it is multiplied across every portion.
Pooled eggs are cooked promptly, held at 5°C (41°F) if not used immediately, and the container is washed and sanitized between batches rather than topped up. Topping up is the practice the rule is aimed at.
When pooled eggs may be used
The FDA Food Code's general cooking rule treats raw eggs that are not prepared to a consumer's order for immediate service differently from one order of eggs. Eggs broken for a consumer's order and served immediately may be cooked to at least 145°F for 15 seconds. Other raw egg preparations fall under the 155°F for 17-second standard or an allowed temperature-time equivalent. Local codes can differ because the Food Code is a model, so follow the jurisdiction's adopted text.
For an establishment serving a highly susceptible population, the model code requires pasteurized eggs or egg products for recipes that combine more than one egg, subject to a narrow exception when the eggs are combined immediately before cooking for one consumer's serving, cooked to the immediate-service standard, and served at once. This is why a batch of pooled raw eggs for later service is not interchangeable with cracking eggs to order.
| Preparation | Model Food Code treatment | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs cracked for one customer's order and immediate service | At least 145°F for 15 seconds under the stated method. | The order-and-immediate-service conditions matter. |
| Raw eggs prepared in advance or pooled for later service | Cook to at least 155°F for 17 seconds or an allowed equivalent under the adopted code. | Do not use the immediate-service exception for a held batch. |
| More than one egg combined in a recipe for a highly susceptible population | Use pasteurized eggs or egg products, except for the narrow one-serving/immediate-cooking exception. | A vulnerable population changes the safeguard. |
Pasteurized eggs
Required where the eggs will be raw or undercooked, and in recipes for a highly susceptible population that combine eggs from more than one shell egg.
They are also the sensible answer for anything served raw anywhere: hollandaise, aioli, tiramisu, Caesar dressing, meringue. A restaurant using shell eggs in a raw preparation needs a consumer advisory; one using pasteurized eggs does not. Use them.
Storage
Shell eggs at 7°C (45°F) ambient air, in their original cases, away from strong odors because shells are porous. Not washed on site - commercial eggs are washed and coated, and re-washing removes the coating.
Cracked or dirty eggs are rejected. Once cracked into a container, egg becomes a TCS food and follows the ordinary cold-holding rule at 41°F.
Common questions
What temperature do eggs need to be cooked to?
63°C (145°F) for 15 seconds when cooked to order and served immediately, or 68°C (155°F) for 17 seconds when cooked and held for service such as on a buffet.
What are pooled eggs?
Many eggs cracked into one container for scrambling or batter. One contaminated egg contaminates the whole batch, so the risk is multiplied across every portion rather than added.
When are pasteurized eggs required?
Where eggs will be raw or undercooked, and in recipes for highly susceptible populations combining more than one shell egg. They are also the practical answer for hollandaise, aioli, tiramisu and Caesar dressing anywhere.
What temperature are shell eggs stored at?
7°C (45°F) ambient air, in original cases and away from strong odors because shells are porous. That figure applies to shell eggs specifically, not to other cold-held food.
Should you wash eggs before use?
No. Commercial eggs are already washed and coated, and re-washing removes the protective coating. Cracked or dirty eggs are rejected instead.