How often do you wash your hands when cooking?

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

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

That's what I do when I eat cake without a fork. Minus the splash of water.

[wdfifteen]

I think you're being a little too concerned. I always wash my hands after handling raw meat and at other times when the mood strikes me. Not after cracking eggs, though, I figure my hands get clean at the same time I wash the egg.

[KFC911]

I have never washed my hands...

Just ask Mike

[faverymi]

I cooked with gloves for many scientific reasons

I rinse gloves in between procedures specially when in contact with raw proteins and when they become clearly soiled with oil, grease, flours.....

And no... I don't wear masks in public and all the non sense. Ha....

Science.......

[vash]

LOTS of time. I got to great lengths to find hand soap that doesnt taint the food with cucumber lavender essential oils.

I cook for the old people around me. I would hate to make them sick. so I wash frequently. at BBQ, I have a big bucket with some hot water with a splash of bleach. dunk and wipe. I freak out when I see a cooking person rub their face or nostrils and go right back to the task at hand.

I stop and wash.

afterwards..lotion. lots of it.

[gacook]

As someone else said, depends on what I'm cooking. If I handle raw meats, yes. Aside from that...before I start cooking and that's about it.

Never heard of washing eggs...that is new to me.

Also, I'm in the camp of too much anti-bacterial soap (and hand sanitizer) actually makes you weaker. I have a ridiculous immune system that I attribute to living in the 80s...drinking out of hoses, eating lunch with greasy/soiled hands as a roofer (and as a soldier), and generally putting my body through rigorous feats to keep me alive over the years in the wild.

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by gacook

Never heard of washing eggs...that is new to me.

Isn’t that why we refrigerate our eggs, because they are washed? I think it was Europe*, they don’t wash the eggs and don’t refrigerate them. The stuff on the outside of the shell, keeps it fresh.

* maybe it was another area?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

Isn’t that why we refrigerate our eggs, because they are washed? I think it was Europe*, they don’t wash the eggs and don’t refrigerate them. The stuff on the outside of the shell, keeps it fresh.

* maybe it was another area?

Nope, that's exactly right but it's not just Europe that doesn't wash eggs. Brazil doesn't wash eggs either. Actually, I think most countries don't require it.

When chickens lay eggs, they are coated with what folks call bloom which I assume is some sort of mucus-like coating. The coating protects the eggs from bacteria. The US govt and a few others (like Japan) require eggs to be washed before they can be sold.

We spent two weeks on a boat on the Amazon in Brazil and during the entire trip they had at least a gross maybe two of eggs sitting on a counter where the temp ranged from 75° - 90°.

The govt requires eggs to be washed which removes the protective coating and means that bacterias can get through the porous shells of eggs which means that they have to be refrigerated to protect them from pathogens.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Washing your hands is like cleaning a wok with soap.

Never wash your hands. It kills the flavor. Wipe them down, but never wash them.

Don't coddle the immune system!