I can't believe I'm not dead yet
So today I went to "school" to get ServSafe Certified. And in 2-3 weeks my certificate might come in the mail. I sorta doubt it. I am not a good crash learner. I don't have very good short term memory. So basically I retained 10% of what they taught us. Probably not enough to get me through the test. 90 questions about Foodborne illnesses, symptoms and causes of diseases I can't pronounce let alone remember details on. You also learn about the importance of food temperatures, storage and handling.
After taking this class I did learn one major thing. The health department should have shut me down a long long time ago. You are supposed to get hot food down to 70 degrees within two hours and then refrigerate it and get it down to 41 degrees in under 4 hours. I leave dinner out till the next morning and then remember to throw it in the fridge. WAY WAY WAY past the safety time. I'm not sure if I have ever cooked a meal that wasn't time temperature abused. Not good.
So, like I said, I can't believe I'm not dead yet. I should have gotten a few major illnesses over the years.
And if you want to talk about preventing cross contamination. Yeah, I have never done anything to prevent cross contamination. I cut up my chicken and then my carrots on the same board with the same knife. I don't clean and sanitize the surface and the knife before switching food. I guess I like mixing up my micro organisms and spreading them as far around as I can.
About the only thing I don't do is smoke over food, prepare foods with my hands with open cuts, nor do I sneeze in the food. But aside from that, what can I say. You take your life in your own hands coming over for dinner at my place.
Or, perhaps for those that have been eating at our house for a while and have remained healthy, it's more of a immune system strengthening program. Our bodies get so exposed to little nasty creatures that we have become SUPER human. Yeah, that's it. I make my guests into super humans.
The good news for the world out there is that I don't actually work in the food industry. I just have to be able to advise people that do. I promise I will preach though I don't necessarily practice.
9 comments:
Should I feel lucky that we had take-out when we were over for dinner?
You are lucky. I used to work in kitchens and therefore have lots of good habits. I wouldn't dream of cutting up a chicken in the same spot as anything else without cleaning up first HOWEVER, the temperature thing has gone out the window. Food will lay around for AGES before it is eaten, put in the fridge, or given to the chickens or dog.
You probably have a lot of built up immunities.
Steve, oh, just wait, one of these days we'll get you started on our super human program. And before you know it, Iron Stomach.
Peggy: I have a feeling my kitchen habits are going to improve. We grilled last night so I didn't have an opportunity to commit any major violations but I have a feeling my brain just won't let me continue with my usual methods.
I've never worried about temperature of the food other than to make sure that pork and chicken are cooked all the way through. And to make sure that red meats are where I like them (medium rare, to medium). Leaving food out overnight before throwing out doesn't bother me either. But I would never put food left out overnight into the fridge.
But, I don't mix my pork, chicken, red meat and veggies. And I wash my hands over and over when I cook.
Great, now you tell me. Good thing we had frozen lasagna the other day. Oi!
I thought that getting a PhD in Microbiology would make me insane about cleanliness, but it did the opposite. I learned that the bacteria are EVERYWHERE and there is no point in trying to avoid them or kill them. However, the bacteria that can infect food and make you sick can really do a number on your toilet so I have to admit I have become slightly more careful in the kitchen. And a friend of mine that has taken food microbiology and public health classes is definitely more careful in the kitchen (she washes her veggies with soap before eating them).
I am not the best at it either. I do bleach when having poultry... But otherwise I figure I am gonna get organisms anywhere at anytime.
So really, you're doing a public service by making immune systems stronger!
I do a little of that stuff, but considering how much I don't do, I guess I'm helping out the immune systems, too. I do use different cutting boards though. Al is always asking, "which one is for veggies?"
Shaun and I met while working in the food industry so all those things are pretty ingrained in us. Although I have to admit to being lazy and leaving food out a smidge more then we should sometimes...
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