do chain restaurants really use raw eggs??

hanson4

someday I'll make a post that isn't about food...

Anyway, I know you can't have "real" caesar salad w/ raw eggs, but do chain restaurants (like, un-hypothetically, texas roadhouse) actually use raw eggs?  I know an upscale restaurant might, but for liability reasons, it would surprise me if a chain did..  I've never worked in a restaurant so I don't know...

I realize I can just ask the waiter but I was curious.

Jenn.J.

Probably not. They purchase dressings by the gallon from the same manufacturers you see in the grocery store. I've only seen real eggs used in nice restaurants - I love it!

Michelle110

If those restaurants do use raw eggs in their Caesar salads, then I probably just got lucky and didn't get sick from them. I never even thought to ask, although maybe I should have. Whenever I go to a steak house (and we were on vacation for a few days and went to two this week), I always get a Caesar salad. Oh, and I always get my steak medium rare, despite the pregnancy books saying that I should eat well done. IMO, well done steak is ruined.

HerHighness

Most chains do NOT. Ive worked at many restaurants and managed a few and only one (and it was a 5 star) made their own caesar dressing,

but watch out for anything called aioli on a sandwich because that probably has raw eggs

DiscusCoach

Believe it or not you can purchase pasturized raw eggs. I know that sounds counter-intuitive but it is possible. I don't know how they do that.

They are looking at a law in CA to require even the eggs you cook for breakfast at restaurants to be pasturized. I am not a fan of stupid laws so I don't support this. Just another way to charge us for something.

 Most restaurants don't use raw egg. Now I am curious if ours do. I'll check with our chef and get back to you. (I don't do anchovies so it isn't an issue for me.)

 

hbkises

Michelle110:

If those restaurants do use raw eggs in their Caesar salads, then I probably just got lucky and didn't get sick from them. I never even thought to ask, although maybe I should have. Whenever I go to a steak house (and we were on vacation for a few days and went to two this week), I always get a Caesar salad. Oh, and I always get my steak medium rare, despite the pregnancy books saying that I should eat well done. IMO, well done steak is ruined.

Amen to that...hm...so hungry for steak right now...

hanson4

DiscusCoach:

Believe it or not you can purchase pasturized raw eggs. I know that sounds counter-intuitive but it is possible. I don't know how they do that.

Now that makes some sense.. I was wondering less as a pregnant person and more as a lawyer.. I just find it hard to believe that a national restaurant would risk serving raw eggs, but I never really thought about it before.

 

annibes

I asked at Red Robin once and also at Applebees, both have raw egg in their Caesar dressing. I did not happen to ask at Texas Roadhouse because I was at the "I don't give a crap, I want caesar salad!" point... I ate it, enjoyed it, and did not get sick.?

annibes

Then again, I did not ask if the egg was pasteurized. They probably just read the label on the jug of dressing. If it says "one minute egg" or anything similar I'm sure they just default to "yes, it has raw egg in it."

manda_mullins

The eggs are ALWAYS pasteurized.?

NeverKnew

While I know no one's losing sleep over this question anymore, I just. can't. help... myself.....

The restaurant's most likely buying pasteurized eggs, yes, the pp's are right.  But not in the shell.  Although those are available, it's way too expensive to the restaurant industry.

Restaurants typically use whole eggs that have been shelled (cracked), had the white and yolk lightly blended, pasteurized, frozen, then sold in a carton (like a milk carton). 

:::runs back to GP:::

CrazyChef

First of all, aioli is wildly disgusting... one of the few things I make that I myself won't eat.  And it does have raw eggs, pp is right, but as the others said, restaurants make it a habit like crack to use pasteurized eggs only.

 

Annndd, chain restaurants, as a rule, will not be making any sort of dressings in house, you can bet your arse they are using gallon tubs of dressing (for the sake of restaurant to restaurant consistency) and they will always be using pasteurized.

I myself make my own casear for my restaurant, but as it only takes like a minute over a double boiler to properly cook an egg, I always err on the side of caution (even tho my eggs are pasteurized) and give them a quick cook before putting them in anything.  Besides my disgusting aioli.