Martha Stewart appeared as a guest on the Today Show this morning, and taught viewers how to make home-made ice cream.  Martha’s recipe calls for 8 eggs to be made into a custard before being added to the ice cream maker.  Because custard is cooked, eggs in this recipe should reach a proper temperature to kill foodborne pathogens like Salmonella and Campylobacter that may be present in the eggs in a raw state. 

Other home-made ice cream recipes still call for raw eggs.  Luckily, consumers using these recipes don’t have to sacrifice taste for safety.  Pasteurized eggs can be found at various retail outlets across the country.  Although they are not widely distributed, they may be in the future.

In the meantime, follow a recipe like Martha’s – cook your eggs before you eat them!