The holiday season is in full swing and that means families might be baking up some delicious cookies in the coming weeks. The Centers for Disease Control has issued a warning, telling people to "say no to raw dough!"
"When you prepare homemade cookie dough, cake mixes, or even bread, you may be tempted to taste a bite before it is fully cooked. But steer clear of this temptation—eating or tasting unbaked products that are intended to be cooked, such as dough or batter, can make you sick," the CDC said.
According to the CDC, flour hasn't been treated to kill germs like E. coli, and then raw eggs used to make raw dough or batter can contain salmonella that can make you sick.
The CDC offers these tips when you are baking and cooking with flour and other raw ingredients.
- Do not taste or eat any raw dough or batter
- Do not let children play with or eat raw dough
- Bake or cook raw dough and batter before eating
- Follow the recipe or package directions for cooking or baking at the proper temperature and for specific time
- Do not make milkshakes with products that contain raw flour, such as cake mix
- Do not use raw, homemade dough in ice cream
- Cookie dough ice cream sold in stores contains dough that has been treated to kill harmful bacteria
- Follow label directions to refrigerate products containing raw dough or eggs until they are cooked
- Clean up thoroughly after handling flour, eggs or raw dough
- Washing your hands with running water and soap
- Wash bowls, utensils, countertops and other surfaces with warm, soapy water.
