To reduce the risk of cross-contamination and foodborne infections, registered dietician-nutritionists have urged Nigerians to desist from boiling unpeeled and unwashed eggs and rice together in the same pot.
The food experts explained that bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli, may be present on eggshells and could contaminate the rice as the egg and rice cook together.
They noted that although boiling can destroy bacteria, because the water goes from a warm stage before reaching boiling point, it provides an opportunity for bacteria to survive and be transferred to the rice.
In exclusive interviews with Healthwise, the nutritionists noted that eggshells can crack during cooking, allowing parts of the egg to spill into the rice and alter its appearance, taste and odour.
While the nutritionists acknowledged that some people combine the foods to save cooking time and reduce gas consumption, they maintained that food safety should take priority because a foodborne infection could result in medical expenses, lost work time and reduced productivity.
The experts’ warning comes on the heels of a recent viral tweet on X, where netizens shared their experiences of food contamination after consuming a meal in which rice and egg were boiled together in the same pot.
Further online findings reveal that many Nigerians engage in these practices to save time, water, cooking utensils, and fuel.
Providing expert insight into the matter, an experienced nutrition and public health practitioner, Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, James Oloyede, said boiling eggs together with rice could expose the rice to Salmonella bacteria that may be present on the eggshell, even after washing.
He explained that although Salmonella could be destroyed at boiling temperature, it could survive for some time while the water was still warm before reaching boiling point.
Oloyede, who is the former Director of Nutrition Services and Health Education at the Osun State Primary Health Care Development Board, said, “Cooking egg and rice together in the same pot has been found to be a risk factor in cross-contamination of certain bacteria, especially Salmonella, that can be found on the shell of the egg even after washing with the rice that is being cooked.”
Oloyede said the risk was heightened because rice begins absorbing water as soon as it is placed in the pot, meaning bacteria present in contaminated water could be absorbed along with it.
“The challenge with rice is that absorption begins to take place the moment you put your rice in the water. When the water begins to warm up, we see the rice grain begin to swell. What makes it swell is the absorption of the water. And if the egg contains Salmonella bacteria, the tendency is that when the rice is absorbing water, then the bacteria can also be absorbed together with the water and can remain throughout the process of the boiling,” he said.
The nutritionist further advised Nigerians to cook eggs and rice separately as the safest way of avoiding cross-contamination.
“So it is important that, in a way to ensure food safety, we do not boil eggs together with rice in the same pot,” he said.
The registered dietician-nutritionist also noted that eggs could crack during cooking, allowing parts of the egg to spill into the rice.
“Apart from that, in most cases, even when you boil an egg in water, you see that at times the shell can crack. You see some of the white parts of the egg coming out from the shell. And if that happens with rice that has been boiled together, definitely some of those white particles will spread on the rice that has been boiled,” he said.
Oloyede said the spilt egg could also alter the taste, appearance and odour of the rice.
He said some people combined the two foods to reduce cooking time or save gas, particularly because of the high cost of cooking gas.
“You know, by boiling the two together, now that the price of gas is very high, we start tying the egg in nylon. If you tie the egg in nylon and put it in the rice that wants to boil, that will ensure that leakage is prevented, either from the eggshell or even when the egg cracks; those things will not spill on the rice,” Oloyede said.
He, however, maintained that cooking the two foods separately remained the safest option.
“But of course, the safest way of cooking egg and rice is to boil them separately. That’s the safest way,” Oloyede said.
He stressed that food safety should take priority over the time or gas saved by cooking the foods together.
He added that Salmonella infection could result in medical expenses, lost work time and reduced productivity, potentially affecting the income of daily paid workers and increasing household expenses.
“And whatever we do, we must think of food safety first, because if there’s a cross-contamination, the cost of treating a food infection from Salmonella, then the time you waste in going to the hospital, then the time you will take off work and productivity, outweigh the cost of gas or the time you are trying to save by cooking both together,” Oloyede said.
Also, a registered dietician-nutritionist, Charles Oguikpe, warned against cooking eggs in the same pot with rice, saying contaminants on eggshells could be transferred to the rice.
“So the reason why we consider boiling eggs in the same pot while cooking rice on a sieve is that some contaminants in eggshells can cause harm to the human body because these contaminants will be dropped off on the rice. Contaminants like Salmonella or E.coli can drop off on the rice. That’s what we call cross-contamination,” Oguikpe said.
He said such cross-contamination could cause stomach cramps, diarrhoea and fever, while severe cases could result in kidney complications.
“So it is something that we really need to avoid. Boiling your eggs at the same time with rice,” Oguikpe warned.
The nutritionist explained that the contaminants could originate from poultry droppings from the chickens that lay the eggs, adding that washing the eggshells might not eliminate the risk.
“These contaminants are from poultry droppings from the chickens that lay these eggs. No matter how you wash it, you might not be very sure 100 per cent that it has gone off,” he said.
He therefore advised people to cook eggs and rice separately.
“So it is advisable that you boil your eggs separately and cook your rice separately. And when the egg has been boiled, the shells are removed. It becomes edible for us to eat,” Oguikpe said.
