I was watching food network, and heard that when making buttercream (with butter, not shortening), that I can whip the sugar right into the egg whites to form soft peaks, and this basically cooks the egg whites. If this is true, I am changing my basic buttercream recipe. I just don't like using the stove for making icing, and I've always used Wilton Meringue power to get around the fresh egg whites.

It's supposed to be if you use the sugar syrup that you've just cooked on the stove; the sugar doesn't cook the eggs, the heat does. But you can use thos pasteurized egg white things if you want, too. They don't whip as well, I'm told, though.

the sugar stabilizes the egg whites, somewhat (not as stable as a swiss or italian meringue), but it will not "cook" them in the sense that they will not be brought to the temperature of pasteurization.

Yeah, only hot sugar "cooks" (really pasteurizes) egg whites. Just regular sugar won't (french meringue)

Maybe it was just too good to be true. I will need to heat up the egg whites and continue my research...

No!

You need to heat the eggs to a certain temperature to kill salmonella...trust me you do NOT want this for yourself, family, friends, or CUSTOMERS!!

Okay, so I read this post and then the very next night I was watching Food Network and Duff TOTALLY said that sugar cooks the eggs, I rewound it to make sure he wasn't saying heated sugar. Hmmm.... I'm not sure I buy it, but he went to culinary school and generally sounds like he knows what he's talking about.

And I did find this from the American Egg Board... again, not sure it really changes my mind on the raw egg situation... I think I'll continue to be paranoid.

Raw Egg Whites Although it is possible for Salmonella to be in both the white and the yolk of the egg, the white does not readily support bacterial growth. Cold soufflés, mousses, and chiffons containing raw beaten whites require refrigeration to maintain their character, and added safety factor. Such dishes might be considered low risk for healthy individuals.

I believe Duff uses an Italian meringue-style buttercream, where hot sugar syrup is poured into whipped egg whites.

From a food safety POV, this is a little iffy when it comes to getting the egg whites hot enough to kill any present bacteria.

I prefer to make a Swiss meringue style, because you heat the sugar and egg whites over a double boiler (whisk the whole time to prevent scrambled eggs). I think it's a more stable meringue-based buttercream, plus I keep an eye on the temperature to make sure it comes up to where the egg whites really are cooked.

The HOT sugar cooks the eggs. If he was making Italian meringue buttercream, he was using hot sugar whether he was specific about its temperature or not.

An instant-read thermometer might be useful if you're going to go for IMBC. The mixture needs to reach 160 degrees when you add the hot sugar to the egg whites.

I've heard Duff say on one of his episodes that the salmonilla is from the outside of the egg. Not the inside of the egg itself. I don't know where is egg degree is from but he seems to know alot about eggs.

Maybe if CCC doesn't answer the food network will, they need to be on top of what their chefs say, even more when people's health are at risk, that way we all will get a clear answer to this matter.

I saw it also, Duff put granulated white sugar (not melted) into the egg whites.

I also went to culinary school, and that by no means makes me an authority on anything, but we were taught that a french meringue (uncooked whites whipped with sugar) should only be used in recipes that will be further cooked. The sugar alone does not COOK the egg whites. And furthermore, french meringue is the LEAST stable of the meringues and is another reason it is not usually used on its own.

what pinkziab said is totally true. buttercream made with a french meringue would break down really quickly, if it would come together at all (never tried it). Some IMBC recipes call for some sugar added to cold whites to stablize them before adding the rest as sugar syrup. Maybe thats what he was doing.

Okay, I knew the folks here at CCC would have good advice on this. I will heat up the egg whites with the sugar when I use raw egg whites - it is always better to play it safe. I truly love Duff and his staff and I totally support them and food network. They are so much fun to watch, I only wish I could be a part of their extended family. I think we got our answer here - continue to heat up the egg whites. Peace and love to everybody. Ann

I've made Duff's buttercream before, and though I can't vouch for its non-salmonella-ness, I've never gotten sick from it. I only make it for my family and close friends though. Also, it seems stable enough to me, though on the soft side. I don't think I'd try to pipe anything too elaborate with it.

Not all eggs are contaminated with salmonella. Chances are, you don't get sick from the egg whites as PP said. But I personally wouldn't take a chance with customers. Not even my family. It really doesnt' take that long to make SMBC and be on the safe side. Besides it is really stable, creamy and yummy. I'm sure if Duff uses raw egg whites in his BC, it is the pasturized kind. At least that' s what our Health Department would require.

You know I'll bet he does... cause you can buy them in a gigantic 30# bucket and not have to crack all those stupid, tiny 1oz things (like I used to do). The industrial stuff is whippable. I go thru about a bucket every 2 weeks and I only do 4 weddings and 6 parties a week on average. I'm sure they go thru lots more. Haven't I seen them using buckets of icing tho? Maybe they were just stored there, but for some reason I am thinking it was pre-bought.

When I saw Duff do it he was cracking eggs.