It's Christmas time and lots of folks are making cookies. Are one of those that likes to munch on a little raw cookie dough?

My dear friend Patty Dee likes to eat raw cookie dough. Don't be like Patty. It can kill ya. Well, it may not kill ya, but it could make you very sick.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raw dough of any kind can contain bacteria that can cause disease.

Flour doesn’t look like a raw food, but typically it is. This means it hasn’t been treated to kill germs such as E. coli which causes food poisoning. Harmful germs can contaminate grain while it’s still in the field or at other steps during flour production. Processing steps like grinding grain and bleaching flour do not kill germs like E. coli.

Bacteria are killed only when food made with flour is cooked. This is why you should never taste or eat raw dough or batter.

And don't get me started about eating raw eggs. Eating raw eggs can make you sick too. You wouldn' lick a chicken would ya. Even if you would, raw eggs and chicken can contain Salmonella. That's another germ that causes food born illness.

So remember, don't be like Patty. Cook your dough.


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