Use a clean spoon for tasting when you’re cooking, not fingers

Flickr photo by nrkbeta 

This week, I watched Martha Stewart and a guest make three kinds of pasta on her TV program.

Martha used her fingers to taste the food. Then she licked her fingers. Later, she added spices and garnishes using her hands. Yuck.

I wonder if Martha thinks these germ-spreading techniques make cooking look fun and easy. Or, is she copying the Julia Child style? If you drop a whole chicken on the floor, just pick it up and continue cooking.

Anyway, I haven’t been so grossed out since I watched my aunts make gravy for holiday meals. They’d stir it with a spoon, taste it, and then stir the gravy with the same spoon.

In the food preparation classes I took in college, it was clear. Use a clean spoon every time you taste food you’re cooking.

Bacteria are tiny microscopic organisms. They can cause illness if the food isn’t properly stored or isn’t heated up enough, or if hands aren’t washed before cooking, according to the University of Arkansas’ Cooperative Extension Service.

Every year, about seven million Americans suffer from food poisoning. The symptoms include stomach cramps, diarrhea, headaches, fever, vomiting, or chills.

In addition to using a clean spoon for tasting every time you dip into the food you’re cooking to avoid spreading your germs to the food, Cooperative Extension recommends:

• Thawing frozen foods in the microwave or overnight in the refrigerator.

• Wiping and dusting the dirt from the tops of cans, boxes, and bottles before you open them.

See the fact sheet “Play It Safe” for other food safety tips.