National: A Guide To Salmonella-Free Peanut Products

So by now, you have, of course, heard about the salmonella panic sweeping the nation regarding peanut products. So far, the outbreak has been responsible for making 480 people sick and caused six deaths. The source has been found: a Peanut Corp. of America plant in Blakely, Ga.

The good news? You can still eat peanut butter. The creamy (or chunky) peanut butter in the jar is not the problem, so go ahead and polish off the last of that Jif. The guilty processing plant sells peanut butter only to institutions and food manufacturers, so it’s only the foods made with peanut butter — like cookies and ice cream — that you have to worry about. If you’re wondering whether the package of peanut butter cookies in your cabinet might be a problem, check the FDA’s very handy recall search function.

So now, peanut butter cookies are in the trash, but the craving that urged you to buy them in the first place is still there. Well, you can either get in the kitchen and bake with your salmonella-free jar of the good stuff (try this recipe for some basic peanut butter cookies) or find the nearest bakery. Specialty’s Cafe & Bakery downtown has some of the best peanut butter-chocolate cookies we’ve ever had. They also have straight PB treats. Velo Rouge Cafe understands the beauty of peanut butter and Nutella, which you can get spread on bagels and things like that.

FDA: 125-plus products recalled in peanut outbreak [AP]
Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak [FDA]
Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe [Joy of Baking]
Specialty’s Cafe & Bakery [MenuPages]
Specialty’s Cafe & Bakery [Official Site]
Velo Rouge Cafe [MenuPages]
Velo Rouge Cafe [Official Site]

Photo: lazylikewally/flickr

National: A Guide To Salmonella-Free Peanut Products