Pasteurized eggs?

mrbarolo wrote:So, I bought some eggs at Trader Joe's without noticing that they were pasteurized. I hadn't even known such a thing existed. The package copy says you can go ahead and eat them raw; not that I'm so inclined, but it does mean I can go back to making hollandaise, mayonaise, etc. for my near and dear ones without fearing a lawsuit on my hands or a death on my conscience.

Yes. Make anything you want. Totally safe. I've made mayo, ceasar dressing, and used them in refrigerator pies. I believe that most nursing homes, hospitals and general foodservice in the US are now using these eggs (by law), but I could be wrong.

mrbarolo wrote:Does anyone have experience baking and using pasteruized eggs in various ways? The whites are a bit milky looking as mentioned on the box. Do they otherwise behave just like regular eggs? Will they beat into stiff peaks? Will they form an emulsion and hold it like regular eggs?

I have found no difference in performance in these eggs when using them for other purposes.

mrbarolo wrote:And how do they heat them sufficiently to kill the germs without actually cooking the eggs? It seems to me that the official instructions for cooking eggs safely that I have seen require one to overcook them practically to the point of inedibility.

I know that they are pasteurized in a hot water immersion. I think the big difference is time over temperature. The water is not hot enough to cook them, but prolonged exposure to the water will kill the bacteria. I do not have the specifics of the scientific facts beyond this.