Health Risk
Royal icing is traditionally prepared with fresh egg whites. Although highly unlikely, there is a very small chance of salmonella poisoning from improperly stored and handled eggs. Particularly in the US where this concern is taken more seriously by public health officials, meringue powder or ready-to-use, pasteurized, refrigerated egg whites (wet eggs) can be used with similar results.
Of increasing concern in the western world is a rise in nut allergies. As royal icing is often used together with marzipan to decorate cakes, it is becoming increasingly common for these to be substituted with fondant.
Read more about this topic: Royal Icing
Famous quotes containing the words health and/or risk:
“Medication alone is not to be relied on. In one half the cases medicine is not needed, or is worse than useless. Obedience to spiritual and physical laws—hygeine [sic] of the body, and hygeine of the spirit—is the surest warrant for health and happiness.”
—Harriot K. Hunt (1805–1875)
“Kemmerick: He’s dead. He’s dead.
Katczinsky: Why did you risk your life bringing him in?
Kemmerick: But it’s Behm. My friend.
Katczinsky: It’s a corpse, no matter who it is.”
—Maxwell Anderson (1888–1959)