How often do you wash your hands when cooking?

[cantdrv55]

I watched cooking contest where the chefs don’t wash their hands but they do wipe them. I wash my hands after cracking egss. They did not. Am I just paranoid about food poisoning?

[911 Rod]

Too often. Not for food poisoning, but because I don't like getting things greasy when I touch them.
I do the same when working on the cars.

[masraum]

Cooking show != cooking at home or even in a restaurant

When I cook, I wash my hands a fair amount depending upon what I'm dealing with. If I end up dealing with raw meat, then I wash my hands after. I don't want to have "raw meat hands" or "raw egg hands" and then handle half of the stuff in the kitchen. I actually have started using nitrile gloves when having to do a lot of manipulation of raw meat (mixing spices into hamburger, etc...) and that's nice. Do all of the stuff, and then trash the gloves and still have clean hands.

If it was a cooking contest, where time is of the essence, and all of the stuff is going to be cleaned and/or replaced after every show, then I probably wouldn't worry about it the same.

[Zeke]

They could be using eggs that have been cleaned more at the kitchen than how they are shipped. I know chefs don't crack eggs on a bowl rim, they fracture them on the counter. But if you are concerned about salmonella, then you have to cook the eggs to 165º because that is inside the egg as well.

All food preparers should wash their hands but they don't seem to have time. It's far from a perfect world in a kitchen. Where they get the 3 or 5 second rule is beyond me. The floor is the floor.

I too wash my hands whenever I touch raw food because they are inevitably greasy or oily. Raw meat is a whole 'nother thing. Fortunately for me being veggie there is no raw meat here.

But it doesn't begin or end with meat by any means. Handle cheese with your hands and you're accelerating the mold process. That goes with a lot of things so washing your hands is never not necessary.

[cabmandone]

Like I'm OCD

[Scott Douglas]

My degree in Biology has me washing them every chance I get. And twice in a row sometimes, 'cause you know, that's why they said to rinse things twice in quantitative chemistry.

Something about Avogadro's number or something like that...

[oldE]

I wash frequently when I'm in the kitchen. Possibly from training 47 years ago at "the arches", where I was an assistant manager for two years. I also hate having a pile of dirty dishes when I'm done cooking, so it's 'clean as I go'.
Haven't poisoned anyone yet!
Oh, Milt. I read part of a study a decade or so ago in which they tested the "5 second rule " and found it was valid. The less time in contact with a smooth surface, the less bacterial transfer. However carpeted surfaces, according to their research give an almost instantaneous transfer.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by oldE

I wash frequently when I'm in the kitchen. Possibly from training 47 years ago at "the arches", where I was an assistant manager for two years. I also hate having a pile of dirty dishes when I'm done cooking, so it's 'clean as I go'.
Haven't poisoned anyone yet!
Oh, Milt. I read part of a study a decade or so ago in which they tested the "5 second rule " and found it was valid. The less time in contact with a smooth surface, the less bacterial transfer. However carpeted surfaces, according to their research give an almost instantaneous transfer.

The mythbusters also did some mythbuster style testing. Items that are more "damp" (whether water, oil, whatever) seem to transfer stuff much faster than dry items.

[Dixie]

The trick is to use one hand clean, and one hand dirty. The catch is, it takes a bit of planning. Like, you can't open that spice container with just one hand.

Related, I think men wash their hands way more than women when cooking, while women wash their hands more in general.

[flatbutt]

I wash every time I change to a new ingredient. Especially chicken. Yeah fresh veggies too.

" rinse things twice in quantitative chemistry."

Boy howdy! When we switched from packed GC columns to capillary columns we had to rework our sample prep protocols.

[Baz]

Depends on what I am cooking......

How many wash their hands when they get home from *somewhere else*?

It's the very first thing I do when I come through the door.

I've never had covid and largely attribute this to my affinity for cleanliness and hygiene.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Close to never, just use a towel or two. I live by the what doesn't kill you makes you stronger philosophy.

[Alan A]

After I touch raw or cooked meat.
Whenever they get something on them during prep - tomato or fruit juice comes immediately to mind.
Before I plate.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by Alan A

After I touch raw or cooked meat.
Whenever they get something on them during prep - tomato or fruit juice comes immediately to mind.
Before I plate.

Same for me

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by Baz

Depends on what I am cooking......

How many wash their hands when they get home from *somewhere else*?

It's the very first thing I do when I come through the door.

I've never had covid and largely attribute this to my affinity for cleanliness and hygiene.

That would be me! First thing I do, I walk in the house, and wash my hands. Then the running water, makes me want to take a leak. Then I wash my hands a second time.

I keep baby wipes, and hand sanitizer in the truck. But then I touch a lot of gross things and pick up trash all day at work. People are slobs.

When it comes to working on the car and getting dirty hands, I can eat pizza, sandwiches, etc. with no problem.

I don’t cook much, but I wash my hands frequently, when I do. I don’t like the feeling a certain foods on my hands ie hamburger, etc.

[jyl]

After greasy work or chicken or slimy stuff, after getting coated with flour or whatever, after sneezing if I snoze wrong. So like maybe 3x per dinner prep.

[peppy]

A lot.. I have a sink of water that has soap and bleach in it to wipe down cutting boards, knives and counters while I am cooking.

[Bill Douglas]

I'm one of those strange people who wash their hands about 50 times a day so when I'm cooking I sure do.

Handling fresh chicken. Sounds odd, but I actually put on disposable latex gloves so I don't need to hot soapy water wash my hands.

[Pazuzu]

When you say "washing hands" do you mean hot water, soap, and 30 seconds of continuous agitation each time?

If not, then you're not really washing anything.

It takes heat, soap, and at least 20-25 seconds for the lipid layer that protects bacteria and such to dissolve in hot water and soap, anything less than that and you're just giving that bacteria a nice massage.

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by Pazuzu

When you say "washing hands"

For me it's a splash of water then wiping my hands dry on my trousers.