Cookaholics Bulletin Board

The absolute sickest I've ever been is from a tuna sandwich I had while shooting a film in Jakarta. Yes, it was my own fault for eating said sandwich after it had been sitting out in a 90+ degree room for God knows how long.

Amy

All,

Having eaten in Nepal, India, China, Kenya, Israel and Japan, I've eaten many things which the USDA tells you will kill you. On the other hand, I've also had bacterial dystentery, salmonella, worms, giardia and jaundice. So taking risks is, after all, taking risks. Sometimes it does kill you. Sometimes you wish you could die (for about a week).

I tend to actually be pretty safe at home, partly because it's not much effort for someone who doesn't cook meat. The main exception is bottled stuff which the FDA thinks I should keep in the fridge. Yeah, the milk and the salad dressing goes in the fridge. But, vegetable oil? Herbal vinegar? Soy sauce? The only thinks I'm in danger of there is rancidity, and I think I can detect that.

Oh, also, if I'm buying organic produce (usually), and it's not something which grows in the mud, and it's not dirty, I don't wash it. Such as herbs. I usually wash tomatoes and peppers through, because usually a bunch of other people in the store have handled them.

I remember growing up none of the condiments/oils, etc. were kept in the fridge - now it seems everything is labeled "refrigerate after opening". I keep most of it in the cupboard, and we survive.

I give most fruits and vegis only a quick rinse unless they are sandy or gritty. I'm sure that quick rinse under cold water really doesn't do any good at all.

The meat itself would have had to have been between 40 and 140F for longer than 4 hours to be technically troublesome. I wouldn't even worry. People have been eating meat that's sat at room temp. for ages, and few of them had problems. Once Science came around to make it all better we got kind of paranoid about germs and such.
And eggs-if they were so easily contaminated, how would we ever get chicks?

Here in France the French don't refrigerate their eggs. All sold on the shelf at room temp.

If I have concerns about anything I let the dog lick it and then wait a few more hours to see what happens to him. If he's OK I just go on ahead.

Four dogs later this works like a charm.

...lou

Lou -

I play all the time. Used to scare the daylights out of hubby but he's good now. The only thing I play a bit safer is poultry, I try not to leave that out to thaw, but will throw in a sink of cold water and leave it there for a couple of hours.

I seem to remember that they don't wash the protective cuticle layer off of eggs in Europe, like they do in the U.S.

Jes,
I don't wipe that sh*t off mine either.

hehe I remember my grandma getting mad at me if I didn't wipe the sh*t off the eggs.