Probably the wrong forum for this but, to me it doesn't look like Chef Duff (and crew) refrigerate their cakes once they're done being decorated. I see shelves and shelves of cakes in the store. How on earth do they do this since their cakes are iced with a buttercream containing raw egg whites????? I know refrigeration doesn't kill salmonella, but it does slow it down. Any thoughts?

The eggs are cooked I believe.

Well let me reinstate what I said. Doesn't SMBC contain eggs and still be ok to be left on the counter?

I know they're heated, but cooked I don't know. Regardless, would you leave scrambled eggs on the counter??

I'm sure that the place is kept pretty cold. I went to the Nashville, TN cake contest and Michelle Bommarito was there. She said they keep it super, super cold.

When they make their frosting they are definitely cooking those eggs to 160 or more. And SMBC (which I'm pretty sure he uses a French Buttercream) but anyway, it can be left out for 1-2 days (for a customer) 3 days if it's for your own consumption.

I have definitely seen some cakes in their fridge before though. So maybe they only refrigerate the ones that have a filling that has to be kept refrigerated.

I saw duff give a lesson in making smbc on food network I think during a challenge and he does not even heat his egg whites. He said that the sugar cooks the egg whites while beating. I wouldnt take that chance.

ahhhhhum

I dont know which kind but I was a bit grossed out that he added them without heating.

I believe the sugar is hot enough for the eggs to be properly cooked.

The last show of Duff's I saw they were shoving a cake into the walk in frig. They had to re-do the sides because the door frame of the frig took all the icing off. So I guess that would mean he does use a frig. The cake they were shoving in the frig was the cake for the 100th show or something of Broadway musical Hairspray.

I know some are refrigerated, but there are still tons and tons throughout the shop. I just can seem to wrap my brain around it being ok not to refrigerate an egg product. My brother in law is a microbiologist and he won't even let his family eat butter that's been left covered on the counter. Am I just paranoid??

Well said Indydebi......I agree

For SMBC, I follow either Martha's or Nick Maglieri's recipes. Both call for heating the egg whites with sugar. Nick's said 130 degrees, but one of Martha's said 160 degrees, so I go to 160 with all my SMBC now. If you stir contstantly they do not coagulate or "cook".

The American Egg Board link has all the temps:

http://www.incredibleegg.org/egg_facts_handling4.html

160 looks like it does the trick...

RylanTy.............no ways, your cake was stunning the large version as well.
As someone said, "its only a cake" and there will always be flaws, no matter what!

We discussed this a few months ago in another thread. Duff calls his recipe "French Buttercream". But it's not. French buttercream uses yolks, not whites as Duff does. Italian buttercream heats the sugar and then pours it into beaten whites. Swiss buttercream heats the sugar and eggs together before beating them. Duff doesn't heat anything. You can get in-shell eggs that are pasteurized. We don't know what Duff uses. But he doesn't specify that in his published recipe that the public would use.

Official FDA stance...no raw eggs, ever, at all. Though the chance of contamination from egg whites (whites aren't conducive to bacteria like yolks are) is minute in healthy adults

Professionals weigh that risk and make their choices. I'd say half the people I know don't worry about it. The other half either don't use them or include disclaimers in their menu. It's kind of like the medium hamburger scare of a few years back. You get a few cases of something and suddenly no one will serve you anything but a well done burger. Over time, thinks loosen up and restaurants start asking again how you want it cooked. There is a risk. But it's so small, you weigh it.

For myself, with so many other choices out there, I see no reason to even deal with it. If I want a meringue buttercream, I use powdered egg whites.

Before people had fridges butter was already around. It was kept in dishes in a room where no AC existed. The butter will get soft, but it will be good out of the fridge withouth causing illness even overnight. Even for cooking is required that the butter be at room temperature. So..a cake done with butter in it can be left outside over night no problem. The risk is that it will get softer.
Edna

I very seldom refrigerate the butter I use for my family. I HATE trying to butter a piece of toast with rock hard butter. It's really fine even when it's melted down into a semi-puddle, although I do stick it in the fridge for a while when that happens.

You can soften your butter really quickly and easily in the microwave by heating it 11 - 12 seconds at 50% power. Works like a charm. Since I usually forget to set out the butter when I'm baking, it's a time saver for me.