Down With Sunnyside Up

We recently saw this notice posted in the dining room of an upscale Tel Aviv hotel:

"In accordance with Starwood Hotel guidelines, we recommend that if you order your eggs "sunnyside up", they should be flipped over in order to fully cook both sides."

Wow! Food safety advice at the breakfast buffet. I'm impressed.

I've been trying to get people to cook their eggs for years. And not just because I've experienced salmonella poisoning. It's a genuine safety hazard. Wherever you live. The FDA spells it out clearly, as does the Israeli Ministry of Health.

Raw eggs may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria. Salmonella poisoning is miserable and can be deadly for anyone with a weak immune system, like infants, pregnant women and the elderly.

And all it takes to destroy salmonella is thorough cooking.

So next time you're cooking eggs, or considering a recipe that calls for raw eggs, think about Starwood Hotel's advice to its guests.