# Is Key Lime Pie Safe to Eat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307 "2013-10-03T22:56:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/1 "2013-10-03T22:56:20Z")
I was all set to make one…but paused when I realized that the pie is made with raw egg yolks-it is not baked. Instead, the yolks are set by the acid in the lime juice. Now, I realize that many people eat raw eggs without getting sick-but most eggs contain salmonella bacteria. So is this dessert safe? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/2 "2013-10-03T23:12:50Z")
I’m pretty sure the salmonella associated with eggs is on the shell (from the hen basically pooping it out). If you wash that and/or are careful extracting the yolk, contamination shouldn’t be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/3 "2013-10-03T23:14:41Z")
Umm, just ummmm. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/4 "2013-10-03T23:17:02Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > most eggs contain salmonella bacteria. Not in the US or the UK. The UK vaccinates against it, so it’s very rare. In the US, the usual number I see is about 1 egg in 10,000, from a CDC study a while back. So if you’re going to avoid Key Lime Pie, do it for a rational reason, such as it’s made of disgusting green goo. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/5 "2013-10-03T23:47:04Z")
Sure it’s safe, unless you’re a lime. Or a key. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/6 "2013-10-03T23:49:01Z")
Not all key lime pie recipes use raw eggs and some are indeed baked. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/7 "2013-10-03T23:50:58Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > Not all key lime pie recipes use raw eggs and some are indeed baked. I don’t remember where I got the recipe, but the kind I once made was really just lemon meringue pie with limes instead of lemons. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/8 "2013-10-03T23:53:35Z")
Who cares? It’s delicious. Bacon’s going to kill me eventually, but I’ll love every second of it. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/9 "2013-10-03T23:59:53Z")
Mmmmm… uncooked Bacon Lime Pie. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/10 "2013-10-04T00:00:31Z")
Bacon kills my wallet. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/11 "2013-10-04T03:02:55Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > it’s made of disgusting green goo. A proper key lime pie is yellow, not green. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/12 "2013-10-04T03:26:36Z")
> [@want2befree](#): > > Umm, just ummmm. You left the “y” off the beginning of “umm” and “ummmm”. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/13 "2013-10-04T03:55:55Z")
I’ve tried both methods of making key lime pie (not baking and baking), and I must say that the pie must be baked. Just letting the thing sit in the cooler overnight, hoping the lime juice will bake the eggs - that doesn’t work. There’s no firmness. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/14 "2013-10-04T04:07:01Z")
What if Dexter brought it? ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/15 "2013-10-04T04:20:20Z")
Key Lime Pie is probably my favorite of all time, so I don’t care if it kills me. Millions of people before me have eaten it and as far as I know, most of them survived, so I’ll take my chances to enjoy that tangy, sweet, crumbly, creamy delight at least one more time. Or three. Or a thousand. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/16 "2013-10-04T04:20:22Z")
It’s not safe. If you eat it, you will die. I’ll take your piece and save you from a horrible death. You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/17 "2013-10-04T04:53:41Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > A proper key lime pie is yellow, not green. I respectfully disagree. Visit the Florida Keys and every restaurant will serve its own recipe of Key Lime Pie. Some green, some yellow. Some with a graham cracker crust, some with a pie crust. They are all delicious, at least the ones I tried IMHO. All kinds of awesome. Leave the region and the dish becomes a little iffy. Might be safer to go with yellow in other states. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/18 "2013-10-04T05:42:38Z")
I Googled “Key Lime Pie” and looked at the first ten recipes that came up. They all called for baking the filling (i.e. no raw eggs). ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/19 "2013-10-04T12:32:09Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > I respectfully disagree. Visit the Florida Keys and every restaurant will serve its own recipe of Key Lime Pie. Some green, some yellow. There is no reason for the pie to be green unless someone’s adding food coloring. The recipe really has nothing to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/20 "2013-10-04T13:27:56Z")
Nothing to add, except that I’ve eaten a few thousand pieces in my lifetime. All baked, I’d bet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307.md?page=2)