Hollandaise sauce, one of the five mother sauces of the French cuisine is a rich and creamy delicacy. A chef worth his salt must know to prepare this sauce made of melted butter, egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, water, vinegar and cayenne pepper. But raw eggs and pregnancy don’t go together. The raw eggs added toward the end of the cooking process are only partially cooked and therefore pose a threat of salmonella poisoning for an expecting mother as well as her baby. It can cause digestive distress and in rare instances uterine cramping.
However, Hollandaise sauce made from a powder is safe to consume during pregnancy as the eggs in the powder have been properly pasteurised. Or you can opt for Mock Hollandaise Sauce which is an egg-free version of this creamy treat.
But the real question is can an expecting mother get Salmonella by consuming Hollandaise Sauce? Yes there is a small possibility.
According to the American Egg Board’s website 1 in 20,000 eggs can be contaminated with salmonella. Also the classic recipe may have called for the addition of raw eggs, but most chefs these days prefer to use pasteurised eggs in recipes to prevent the risk of food borne illnesses.
So, if you love eggs benedict or like to dip asparagus in this creamy goodness, there is no reason why you can’t enjoy it just because you are an expecting mother. Just make sure it’s made from pasteurised eggs.
https://www.fda.gov/food/people-risk-foodborne-illness/dairy-and-eggs-food-safety-moms-be
