Cooking eggs until both the white and yolk are firm is one of the simplest ways to reduce Salmonella risk.

If you prefer runny eggs, food-safety practices become even more important.

Buy eggs from reputable sources, keep them refrigerated, avoid cracked or dirty eggs, and prevent contact between raw egg and ready-to-eat foods.

Don't leave cooked eggs sitting at room temperature for long periods.

And remember that appearance is not a perfect test of food safety. An egg can look clean and smell normal while still containing harmful bacteria.

For people at higher risk of severe infection, fully cooked eggs are the safer choice.

3. Cooking Eggs Until They Are Burned or Heavily Overheated

There is another issue that has nothing to do with Salmonella: excessive heat.

When foods are cooked at very high temperatures, chemical changes can occur. Eggs contain protein and fat, and prolonged, intense heating can cause oxidation and produce undesirable compounds.

However, this does not mean that a normal fried egg is toxic.

The dramatic claim that “fried eggs cause cancer” is an oversimplification.

The bigger dietary concern is often what accompanies the eggs.

For example, an egg cooked in a small amount of oil and served with vegetables is very different from a breakfast consisting of heavily fried eggs, bacon, sausage, refined carbohydrates, and large amounts of salt.

If you regularly cook eggs, avoid deliberately burning them or allowing the oil to smoke excessively.

Moderate cooking temperatures are usually sufficient.

You can scramble, poach, boil, bake, or lightly fry eggs without turning them into a health hazard.

4. Cooking Eggs in Large Amounts of Processed Meat and Salt

This is one of the most overlooked points.

Eggs are often blamed for unhealthy breakfasts when the bigger problem may be the foods surrounding them.

Consider a breakfast containing:

Eggs + bacon + sausage + processed cheese + salty bread + sugary drink.