Is It Safe to Eat Raw Flour?

Is It Safe to Eat Raw Flour?

Is it safe to snack on some cookie dough or batter?

We all know you wouldn’t just snack on a bag of flour like you would with chips. But who hasn’t been tempted to eat a little cookie dough when baking cookies? Or to lick the spatula when making brownies? Cookie dough or brownie batter is full of raw flour. So, is it safe to snack on raw flour when you’re baking?

Safe

Let’s just get it out there: no, it is not safe to eat raw flour. During production, the grains used to make flour can be exposed to bacteria. This means you risk getting sick if you eat raw flour. Flour contaminated with E.coli or salmonella can cause food poisoning, which is particularly dangerous for children and people over sixty-five.

Alternatives

If you really can’t resist eating cookie dough and batter, there are safer alternatives. You can make heat-treated flour at home. By cooking the flour before using it, you kill any bacteria that might be present. This way, you can safely eat cookie dough without getting sick. Simply spread some flour on a sheet pan and bake it for seven minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This also applies to packaged mixes you buy at the grocery store, like boxed brownie or cookie mixes.

Now you can enjoy that cookie dough worry-free!