# 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:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**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 5, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/41 "2013-10-05T13:20:06Z")
> [@ruh-roh](#): > > to quote a phrase… > > “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” > Friedrich Nietzsche > > pie, bacon, alcohol… all in moderation, just parts of my ongoing strengthening workout. Those half-gallon bottles of liquor make great weights. They even have handles. > [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > …\…It was a brave man that first licked his mother’s spatula… Hawkeye Pierce: “An Edible Complex is when a guy like his mom’s cooking better than eating out.” ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/42 "2013-10-05T14:01:30Z")
I have used this [Frozen Key Lime Pie](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/frozen-key-lime-pie-recipe3/index.html) recipe for years and no one has died as a direct result of the pie. I did notice that the Food Network has added a raw eggs disclaimer at the bottom of that link. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/43 "2013-10-05T14:41:14Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > I have used this [Frozen Key Lime Pie](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/frozen-key-lime-pie-recipe3/index.html) recipe for years and no one has died as a direct result of the pie. I did notice that the Food Network has added a raw eggs disclaimer at the bottom of that link. When I tried the frozen recipe I found on the web it developed ice crystals. No nice silky smooth custard. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/44 "2013-10-05T15:01:01Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > When I tried the frozen recipe I found on the web it developed ice crystals. No nice silky smooth custard. ☹ I never had a problem with ice crystal development so can’t help you there. Did you try the same recipe I linked to, or another version? Been using that Barefoot Contessa one for a long time but haven’t tried different versions. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/45 "2013-10-05T15:56:02Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > 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? Would the lime juice kill anything dangerous in the pie? I’m thinking of ceviche, which is essentially raw fish in lime (or other citrus) juice. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/46 "2013-10-05T23:21:51Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Exactly. If it wasn’t meant to reinforce our immune system it would never have been invented. > > It was a brave man that first licked his mother’s spatula… Not nearly as brave as the first man to eat that thing that came out of a chicken’s butt, though. :eek: RIP to the guy who then tried that with a cow.:smack: ---
**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 6, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/47 "2013-10-06T01:00:18Z")
From what I’ve seen in studies, you have a higher chance of getting salmonella from cross-contamination in you kitchen than from the eggs themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/48 "2013-10-06T04:27:25Z")
And, ya know, you can buy [pasteurized eggs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasteurized_eggs). ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307/49 "2013-10-06T04:31:13Z")
Also, check out [ceviche](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceviche). Seafood cooked with lime juice instead of heat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-key-lime-pie-safe-to-eat/670307.md?page=2)