DangerMaus Cooks

safe food handling in the home....

California got whacked in this article, but I suspect it applies pretty much everywhere....

http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...cooks-food-safety-flubs-caught-on-camera?lite

snippets:

.....researchers, which recorded multiple violations of basic kitchen rules that could result in dangerous foodborne illnesses.

“What this tells us is that people aren’t perfect,” said Christine Bruhn, a UC Davis food safety scientist who investigates consumer food handling practices. “Sometimes, even those who know better because of habit or inattention can make an error.”


what this study tells me:
home cooks have proven "dangerous food borne illnesses" are not quite so common as the "thou shalt cinderize all food, just to be safe" types maintain.

how's this one fit into your kitchen:
"When it came to lettuce, less than half of the participants washed each leaf under running water with gentle rubbing, as recommended."

“What this tells us is that people aren’t perfect,” said Christine Bruhn, a UC Davis food safety scientist who investigates consumer food handling practices.

Duh

If I were working in a restaurant my habits would be different than they are at home. My bad....

what this study tells me:
home cooks have proven "dangerous food borne illnesses" are not quite so common as the "thou shalt cinderize all food, just to be safe" types maintain.

Click to expand...

LOL - Love it! I always thought this was true. I rode the train for a while with the Executive Chef for Deutsche Bank in NYC who likes his pork rare.

ChowderMan said:

how's this one fit into your kitchen:
"When it came to lettuce, less than half of the participants washed each leaf under running water with gentle rubbing, as recommended."

Click to expand...

Guilty! I do rinse it off, but I don't rub each individual leaf.

i'm not an individual lettuce-leaf rinser. i take my meat mooing, tho buy quality cuts. i smell my seafood before i'll accept it. raw seafood is my friend. i let eggs get warm b-4 poaching. salted butter stays in a butter bell. i cut mold from cheese. veggies get rinsed. mushrooms get wiped as they ain't generally from sterile soil. i use my mind. the 5-second rule won't apply here, as tinklepaws 1 & 2 like to get litter all 'bout my floors, & my boots & shoes bring in residual germs from stuff that is on the side of bridges (i saw a dope bag & a syringe on the bridge the other day)- um, no thanx, they can keep the hep to themselves- & tromp thru sorta hidden tunnels that reek of pee & get littered w/ gross items. i lysol surfaces frequently.

in a restaurant setting, i'm very cautious. gotta be.

Thank god for studies like that, because certainly humans would have never survived with all the dangers inherent with preparing food. .. . oh wait. .

+1 Uncle Ralph

I sure don't mean to poo-poo the idea that cleanliness and sanitation is not important.

this study supports the facts; it does not support reality.

in your home kitchen, when preparing coleslaw, potato salad, mixed salad greens, fruit salads, etc etc etc - how many pounds/tons/gallons/litres do you make? and do you keep it on a iffy salad bar refrigeration unit for days on end?

at home people prepare a meal, serve the meal, eat the meal, clean up from the meal and stick any leftovers in the fridge within "_______" minutes.

bacteria takes time to grow - in optimal temp/humidity, not a lot of time.
in the fridge, lots more time.

humans can ingest bacteria without dying as they chew. a little bacteria, not so big a problem; a lot of bacteria in a heap - that's apt to make for problems.

so what is - for example - the track record on salmonella?
massive outbreaks traced back to a product or a facility - any home kitchens involved?

spouts
pre-prepped greens in the cute plastic bag
- washed in industrial size bath tubs - when contaminated, thousands of pounds get contaminated.

melons - when irrigated with sewage, yeah - that's not good.
(sewage - it's not a joke - that's essentially what happened with the cantaloupe a while back)
'
then there's this fixation on chicken.
the bad news: depending on the reporting entity you wish to "trust" - somewhere between 20%and 80% of all chickens in the supermarkets are contaminated with salmonella.
folks, we're dead.

see the FDA info.
in about 10% of salmonella cases the source cannot be identified/proven/suspected
(Jim, it's sick and I don't know why!)

80% of cases involved "an egg product" - now,,, this is problematic because I couldn't find a definition of "an egg product"
raw eggs - easy.
mayo?
chicken salad with mayo - it that an egg product or was the chicken at fault?
potato salad with mayo - was it the egg or the potato or cross contamination from the chicken the cook handled last week?

so that leaves 10% for us home cooks to spread around by cross contaminating our pickles, mashed potatoes, green beans, etc.....

I agree, and as a Chef of 1 years, I respect taht when a patron decides to patronize my establishment, it is my responsibility to ensure their saftey, a quality dining experience, a memorable meal, and a stellar dining experience.

That being said: humans need interaction with certain bacteria/molds/fungi/the whole nine. . .it's what keeps us healthy, and resistant to certain things.

The reason so many things(virus wise) become resistant, is because we are a nation of KILL KILL KILL, so, of course, things are going to become resistant.

Food is food. At the end of the day, you know when it gets near your nose if it is "good" or not. That's why your nose is strategically located right above your mouth.

I'm not trying to justify poor food handling, or bad handling practices, I am just saying that it's "studies" like this that only re-enforce the obvious, and scare away xxx-a-phobes from ever venturing out, or cooking at home.

Refrigeration, and cooling are relatively recent inventions in the world of food preservation(unless you are an Inuit), it's the reason things go bad that inspired the whole Spice road, and the trade industry, and the time honored traditions of Charcuterie/preservation/salum/jerky/, SO many things that today have become almost a boutique selling point.


With produce, if it is down stream of a pig farm, then shit yes, I am going to take more precautionary measures, and I think THAT is where the danger really is. Non cooked ready to eat foods, and sure, that needs to be taken into account. . .BUT, it's also common sense. Hell, so much acid has been bred out of tomatoes now, that they are considered hazardous, as the pH balance is such, that it supports the lag/log phase. . .but that is a whole other discussion on the pussification of society, and why certain foods don't TASTE like they did 20 years ago. . .

home is 1 place.

industrial, another.