opinion on meringue pie?

[patooti]

Hi there,
Friends of mine want to come over with a lemon meringue pie today. They say the meringue will get 10 min in the oven and be well browned. I'm a little paranoid but did some reading and it sounds okay.

Another thing, they have cats. I don't. I know that toxoplasmosis is a real worry but how paranoid should I be about eating the food they make. I've eaten there before many times but they do have one of these houses where the cats get up on the counters and such. I feel like I would be really offensive to say, could you please make sure your cats don't walk on the pie... and I mean obviously they won't walk on the pie but I just kind of... I don't know... the food paranoia is really really getting to me. I'm feeling really mental about it.

 

[Porcelain]

I, personally, wouldn't eat a meringue unless you're certain they use pasteurized eggs. It's just whipped eggs and sugar and simply the browning (essentially, it's just supposed to be dried out- so not a lot of killing bacteria via heat going on) wouldn't kill off anything bad. The cat thing, I think, is a judgement call as to how clean they are.

 

[MissFortune]

i would be okay with the merengue, personally. if it's hot enough to get browned, i would think it's hot enough to kill germs. it's a personal call i suppose. as for the cats, as long as you stay out of the litterbox, you should be fine, as toxoplasmosis is fairly uncommon and the parasite spreads only by ingestion of infected meat or the feces of an infected cat. i have cats, and the only precaution i was given was not to change the litterbox myself. many, many pregnant women own cats and are perfectly safe -- i really doubt any feces got into your friend's pie.

 

[mamawananotha]

Ooh, I would eat the meringue, too. Maybe I love a good lemon pie too much. You could always just eat the lemon filling.

Don't worry about the cats. We have cats. They are everywhere. I don't scoop their litter, but they sleep on our beds and walk on our pillows. It is a lovely thought, huh?

 

[elle1981]

Honey. relax a bit. you are being waaaaaay to paranoid about the whole food thing and the cats. meringue thats been cooked is fine.

As for the cats....again dont worry. unless they are going to mix their poo in with the lemon filling...you will be just fine.

Relax re food and enjoy it.

 

[chattyB]

TBH - it wouldn't have even crossed my mind about the pie! Nom nom nom

 

[2016]

With the meringue the sugar actually starts to "cook" the egg white and I would still eat it - though I would eat runny egg yolk as long as the eggs were red lion stamped.

I would panic about the cats unless you know they really let them get out of hand and the pie arrives half-licked!

 

[sarah_dale]

I would eat the meringue but not from anywhere with animals. I too am a hygiene freak! In fact I only eat at home now lol x

 

[mummof1]

Not sure about the pie but I think like some ladies said as long as its heated up. Cats I wouldn't worry about , I have three and they walk around everywhere, as much as I kick them off the tables and counters I still find them up there when I'm not in the room. I still clean the litter, I wear gloves and a mask but my doctor said I am probably immune to the thing they carry anyway since I have had cats my whole life.
As long as your friends don't let their cats poop on the counter, you will be okay!

 

[caggimedicine]

The chance of you getting salmonella from an egg are SO unlikely.
Less than 0.3% of eggs contain salmonella, and even if you ate one of those eggs does not mean you will contract salmonella!

As for the toxoplasmosis... as I understand it, you can only catch toxoplasmosis through direct contact with cat poo! I think refusing to eat the food your friend has made is a slight over-reaction to say the least!

 

[patooti]

Thank you guys! Update I ate the pie. When they came with it my friend said they cooked it extra time it got 15 min in oven and was well browned also all parts were cooked separate crust filling etc and obviously no cats are going to get in it post cooking. I just find it so nerve wracking bet I will feel a bit better after first doc appointment.