Prep/cooking question

[JAS_OH1]

I use one spoon for tasting. I drip some sauce off the stirring spoon onto that spoon so it never goes in the pot.

That's incredibly smart! But often I've got multiple pots going so maybe that's why I use so many spoons? That and it could be hours in-between tasting for some things (like tomato-based pasta sauces). Still a great idea though.

 

[billmarsano]

I would clean or use another knife it it were relevant, which it rarely is to me. I almost never have use for a paring knife and do almost everything with my Zwilling Pro 8". Strip the white out og Bell pepper? Dig eye out of spud? Got a long thumbnail for that.

 

[JAS_OH1]

I would clean or use another knife it it were relevant, which it rarely is to me. I almost never have use for a paring knife and do almost everything with my Zwilling Pro 8". Strip the white out og Bell pepper? Dig eye out of spud? Got a long thumbnail for that.

I don't want to risk breaking a nail. Also, in the past 50 years I have found a piece of fingernail in my food on more than one occasion (at a restaurant). Well twice. But it was 2x too much.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I keep my fingernails very short and never use them to clean or manipulate food. As JAS_OH1 said, if you find them in your food, someone's going to be in trouble.
Knives, teaspoons and even melon ballers will do the work for me.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

I keep my nails short too. I really dislike the feeling of food under my nails.
I use the heel of a knife to remove spud eye and the like.

 

[JAS_OH1]

I keep my nails short too. I really dislike the feeling of food under my nails.
I use the heel of a knife to remove spud eye and the like.

People who eat your food don't want it under your nails, either

 

[karadekoolaid]

There are some really vile and disgusting videos going around about street food in India. Yeah, I get it, although if the dishes are prepared at home, they're divine. When I'm cooking at home, it seems like I'm washing my hands every 2 minutes.
If I were at a restaurant (and I don't care whether it were a Burger joint or Michelin starred) I'd expect total and absolute hygiene to be observed; any foreign objects in the food and I'd complain like crazy.
And that brings to mind another thing: latex gloves. Unacceptable, unnecessary and quite the opposite of hygienic on many occasions. Just because they're wearing gloves, then ok, pick up the bacon, the lettuce, the tomato, the burger and the cheese. They're also inhibitive because there's no doubt that you lose some of your sense of touch with an extra layer.
Much better use some tongs and wash your hands at every opportunity

 

[JAS_OH1]

There are some really vile and disgusting videos going around about street food in India. Yeah, I get it, although if the dishes are prepared at home, they're divine. When I'm cooking at home, it seems like I'm washing my hands every 2 minutes.
If I were at a restaurant (and I don't care whether it were a Burger joint or Michelin starred) I'd expect total and absolute hygiene to be observed; any foreign objects in the food and I'd complain like crazy.
And that brings to mind another thing: latex gloves. Unacceptable, unnecessary and quite the opposite of hygienic on many occasions. Just because they're wearing gloves, then ok, pick up the bacon, the lettuce, the tomato, the burger and the cheese. They're also inhibitive because there's no doubt that you lose some of your sense of touch with an extra layer.
Much better use some tongs and wash your hands at every opportunity

I do use gloves at times but I'm very careful. I particularly like to use them for meat and fish.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

People who eat your food don't want it under your nails, either

Of course not!

But many people mix things by hand. Kneading dough or cutting/rubbing in butter or thoroughly coating items with oil and spices or plating up delicate items are good examples of things best done by hand.

I generally use a dedicated pair of tight fitting food gloves for jobs I don’t like because I don’t like the feeling but I don’t expect others to do that.

Best you never watch The Two Fat Ladies, it’ll make your stomach churn

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

There are some really vile and disgusting videos going around about street food in India. Yeah, I get it, although if the dishes are prepared at home, they're divine. When I'm cooking at home, it seems like I'm washing my hands every 2 minutes.
If I were at a restaurant (and I don't care whether it were a Burger joint or Michelin starred) I'd expect total and absolute hygiene to be observed; any foreign objects in the food and I'd complain like crazy.
And that brings to mind another thing: latex gloves. Unacceptable, unnecessary and quite the opposite of hygienic on many occasions. Just because they're wearing gloves, then ok, pick up the bacon, the lettuce, the tomato, the burger and the cheese. They're also inhibitive because there's no doubt that you lose some of your sense of touch with an extra layer.
Much better use some tongs and wash your hands at every opportunity

With you 100% on this one.
Gloves are a fantastic way to spread bacteria. There are plenty of studies showing hygiene practices go down when the wearer has them on.

Because they are ‘protected’ and gloves unlike hands are not washed as hands would be they go from one thing to another carrying the germs and merrily spreading them along the way, it’s not a conscious decision it just happens.

It’s one of the reasons hospitals dramatically changed their policies and gloves are strictly worn for one episode of patient contact and only if really necessary. Short nails and an effective hand washing technique is safer.

But I do use gloves, particularly when chopping chilli’s or rubbing in spices, they are tight fitting and I thoroughly wash and disinfect them whilst wearing them when I’ve finished.
Disposable latex gloves I very rarely use as I don’t like the environmental impact.

 

[JAS_OH1]

With you 100% on this one.
Gloves are a fantastic way to spread bacteria. There are plenty of studies showing hygiene practices go down when the wearer has them on.

Because they are ‘protected’ and gloves unlike hands are not washed as hands would be they go from one thing to another carrying the germs and merrily spreading them along the way, it’s not a conscious decision it just happens.

It’s one of the reasons hospitals dramatically changed their policies and gloves are strictly worn for one episode of patient contact and only if really necessary. Short nails and an effective hand washing technique is safer.

But I do use gloves, particularly when chopping chilli’s or rubbing in spices, they are tight fitting and I thoroughly wash and disinfect them whilst wearing them when I’ve finished.
Disposable latex gloves I very rarely use as I don’t like the environmental impact.

Yeah, glove violations are one of the things I have to note when I am conducting food evaluations. There is a QR here called Chipotle that has a very strict policy of handwashing/glove-changing every 5 minutes, for example. But the environmental impact like you said is awful, despite the fact that they have a lot of other "green" policies (no antibiotics or hormones in the food, mostly biodegradable food containers, etc.).

 

[karadekoolaid]

It's a two-edged sword, isn't it? People associate wearing gloves with medical procedures and therefore assume that gloves equals germ-free. Cooks might think the same and cross-contaminate food items - for exactly the same reason.
I use gloves for processing chiles. Absolutely essential if you don't want to end up with Hunan Hand or rub your eyes and then wail in pain for 5 minutes! Sometimes it's only one glove I use.

 

[JAS_OH1]

It's a two-edged sword, isn't it? People associate wearing gloves with medical procedures and therefore assume that gloves equals germ-free. Cooks might think the same and cross-contaminate food items - for exactly the same reason.
I use gloves for processing chiles. Absolutely essential if you don't want to end up with Hunan Hand or rub your eyes and then wail in pain for 5 minutes! Sometimes it's only one glove I use.

I'm the same, I often just use one glove. I try to prep all veges before everything else when cooking, gloves or not, and I have separate sil pats that I use for meat that go into the dishwasher.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

It's a two-edged sword, isn't it? People associate wearing gloves with medical procedures and therefore assume that gloves equals germ-free. Cooks might think the same and cross-contaminate food items - for exactly the same reason.
I use gloves for processing chiles. Absolutely essential if you don't want to end up with Hunan Hand or rub your eyes and then wail in pain for 5 minutes! Sometimes it's only one glove I use.

Gloves for medical procedures an aseptic techniques are essential but thats a world away from shoving a pair on for every bit of contact.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Gloves for medical procedures an aseptic techniques are essential but thats a world away from shoving a pair on for every bit of contact.

There are lots of times gloves are a hindrance in the kitchen, like when making meatballs. A lot of the mixture tends to stick to the gloves.