Keeping egg wash...

[msmofet]

That's good info to have but it won't affect me here for two reasons:

1) No running hot water in my kitchen in the Phils

2) We never have egg wash left over....if my hubby makes French toast he keeps soaking bread until the wash is gone.

But seriously, good info, I never knew that. I'll pass that along...thanks!

You don't need running water just ANY hot liquid - hot coffee, hot tea, hot soup, draining water from boiled eggs or pasta ANYTHING HOT!!

 

[joesfolk]

If I could figure out a way to have a hard boiled egg just contain the yolk, I'd be in heaven! lol
I got a double yolker just the other week. First one in three years, but then it's the first carton of eggs I've had to buy in three years. My hens have never given me a double yolker.

I'll send you my yolks if you send me your whites!

 

[FincaPerlitas]

If I beat an egg and dip a fish fillet in it, can I refrigerate the egg and use it safely the next day for another fish fillet?

Absolutely, unequivocably, NO! You are violating numerous food safety guidelines. First, there's the issue of cross-contamination. Secondly, you are dramatically increasing the possibility of food-borne illnesses such as salmonela.

Left-over egg wash should always be discarded.

 

[chopper]

Actually...Left over egg wash should go to the dog!

 

[pacanis]

Sounds like a good trade, joesfolk!

 

[Laury]

Absolutely, unequivocably, NO! You are violating numerous food safety guidelines. First, there's the issue of cross-contamination. Secondly, you are dramatically increasing the possibility of food-borne illnesses such as salmonela.

Left-over egg wash should always be discarded.

Could you elaborate please? If both fillets come from the same package/fish, where does the cross-contamination come in? How does it increase the chance of salmonella? I'm not challenging you, I just want to understand. Of course I'll pour it out if there is danger in using it.

 

[pacanis]

My guess is the cross contamination is between the egg wash and the fish. You are running a protein through the eggwash and saving the wash for future (albeit soon) use. That's just a guess though.
I'm kind of surprised no one mentioned anything yet, but I bet they would have if you were using chicken
That said, I just brushed a loaf of bread and am putting my eggwash into the fridge

 

[Laury]

My guess is the cross contamination is between the egg wash and the fish. You are running a protein through the eggwash and saving the wash for future (albeit soon) use. That's just a guess though.
I'm kind of surprised no one mentioned anything yet, but I bet they would have if you were using chicken
That said, I just brushed a loaf of bread and am putting my eggwash into the fridge

Ain't that the truth! Everybody goes nuts when chicken safety comes up. I know there can be serious consequences for improper handling, but I'd really like to know some of the science behind my particular scenario. Does the original fish put something in the eggwash that makes it dangerous the next day on a second piece of the same fish? FincaPerlitas - looks like we all need a science lesson here! Please help.

 

[sparrowgrass]

If you were doing it in a commercial kitchen, I am sure the health department would fuss. BUT--if, as I assume, you are keeping everything cold, your hands are clean or you are using a fork, you are not leaving the egg out for an hour while you bread a hundred pounds of fish, there are not 15 people running in and out of your kitchen while you are working carrying in dirty plates with the germs of a hundred people on them--I just don't see a problem.

If you went ahead and breaded both pieces of fish, and stuck one in the fridge to cook tomorrow, nobody would worry about it at all.

But, if it worries you at all, toss the egg, and break a new one.

 

[babetoo]

It doesn't take much heat to cook an egg. And BTW thats what my mom did. Well actually she made breaded cutlets and pasta. The pasta water cooked the egg in the drain.

i plugged up my sink twice awhile ago. the first was cheese down the garbage disposal and then hot water. melted the cheese, it was shredded and not much of it either. then another time, believe it or not it was uncooked rice, very hot water, and then i had mushy rice plugging everything up. so i am very careful and use only cold water .

 

[FincaPerlitas]

I'm not a food scientist but I have many years of experience in both commercial and non-commercial food handling and preparation and, as far as I know, I haven't made anyone sick from eating my food.

Here's my take on the matter. Any time you're working with raw food, particularly meats, poultry, eggs or seafood a little red warning light should come on in your head telling you to use extreme caution in food handling. In this instance, you're dealing with two different high-risk raw foods: eggs and fish. Additionally, while you're working with them, they are unrefrigerated which creates an additional risk factor.

The moment you dip the first piece of fish into the egg wash, you have introduced the risk of cross-contamination. Any contamination (bacteria or parasite) will continue to live and multiply when you re-refrigerate the egg wash, although growth is slowed at temteratures below 40F. When you use the egg wash the next day you have a potential cocktail of contaminated product. It doesn't matter that you are using it with more fish from the same package. You've already introduced the possible cross-contamination into the wash the first time you used it and have provided conditions to multiply the risk. We aren't talking about spoilage, so odor isn't any guide at all to safety.

When in doubt, throw it out! In this case, it should be discarded (or fed to the dog) immediately after use.

Egg wash used and reused for brushing on baked goods is a different, less-risky matter. However, I still wouldn't store it for re-use.

My guideline for raw eggs is that once the shell has been cracked, use it immediately and throw out any unused portion. Similarly, If I find an egg with a cracked shell when I open the carton, I throw it out.

Maybe I'm overly cautious, but you should be too. My position is supported by best practices and guidelines in both commercial and non-commercial food handling procedures.

 

[Laury]

Well, I'm convinced. I won't be using leftover egg wash after all. I'll just try to find more ways to use it up the first day. Without cross contamination, of course. Thanks to everyone who weighed in here. I learned something new and hope you did too.

 

[taxlady]

a BIG thank you, mofet! no more eggs down the sink drain for me.

You could always throw it down the toilet. No risk of hot water or hot liquids there and the drains are bigger.

But, if you compost, that would be a better place to toss it.

 

[Laury]

My raw eggs go down the garbage disposal which I flush with cold water and it's never been a problem. The only time(s) I have ever clogged the pipes was with potato peelings down the disposal. Never again!

 

[TyPiece]

Im also inclined to agree with Finca as well. Especially in the case of fish and eggs together. Now in my operation I use liquid eggs which have been pasteurized and had citric acid added to belay the dangers of raw eggs. That is a different story.

Heres something interesting I've discovered.....when mass producing and freezing pot pies to be cooked later I egg wash before freezing. The effect of the egg wash during the cook from frozen state is the same as if I would have brushed them right before baking. (Plus it's pretty hard to egg wash frozen pie crust)