Am I normal or OCD about raw meat/chicken?

zaq

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 11:17 am

amother Babyblue wrote:

but if normal people never get sick then there's no need to be "better"? as I said upthread. I'm like op but do wonder if I'm crazy.
I feel bad for the poster who kept getting sick from her mother's food. that's so sad Sad

Normal people do get sick, and they don't necessarily know why. Some people's immune systems are more robust than others. What a healthy 30-year-old can eat with impunity might kill her 85-year-old grandmother or her cousin who's on chemo.

You know, many people jaywalk and don't get hit by cars. In fact, MOST people jaywalk and don't get hit by cars. Does that mean jaywalking is safe or advisable? Does that make those who don't jaywalk crazy?

Life is full of risks, and each individual decides what level of risk is tolerable for her. Some are willing to risk eating fugu fish (the infamous Japanese fish containing a toxin in certain organs that must be removed by specially trained preparers. Unless prepared perfectly, the fish is toxic and eating it can be fatal); most are not. Some are willing to risk eating cooked fish that was handled with a utensil bearing traces of raw fish, and some are not.

amother

Slateblue

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 11:22 am

There is a new study out with data that shows a lot of UTIs actually have been caused by improper handling of raw meat/chicken (a specific strain of e. coli), not just personal hygiene as had always been assumed. This came as a surprise to the researchers, too. It was reported in the New York times a couple of weeks ago.

amother

Jasmine

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 11:30 am

I'm the most ocd when it comes to raw chicken. I will use plastic forks to flip chicken. Plastic knife to cut chicken cutlets, which is why I'll just buy thinly sliced to save me the hassle. I won't use a bowl to mix chicken marinade and contaminate the bowl. I prep everything b4 starting with chicken. And at the store when I buy chicken, I don't touch the packaging. I do it directly with a produce bag so my hands don't get dirty from the packaging. I once saw inside of the meat dept at the grocery and I won't touch the packaging again. How do you think the workers seal the chicken packages up? With the same gloves they used to cut the chicken with TMI

westchestermom

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 11:31 am

My father took food safety courses for his job and I follow those guidelines. Our extended family thinks I'm crazy, and my in-laws used to travel to another country each year and have diarrhea for a week each time from drinking the water there so they are much less picky. If my mother in law handles raw meat in my kitchen I don't go to bed until I can disinfect everything and throw away the sponge. She will wash a bowl of raw meat, rinse the sponge and use it for my kids cups if I don't toss it first. I bleach each surface that touched raw meat or put it in the dishwasher which gets boiling hot.

amother

Orange

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 11:42 am

amother Slateblue wrote:

Except e coli isn't the cause of infections, it's a weak microbiome. If you have a robust microbiome and normal immune system your body can handle a few copies of e coli. As always, the focus is on the germ rather than the terrain Rolling Eyes

When my child was Neutropenic we had to wash all fruits and vegetables with soap before cutting. Should that be am across the board recommendations as well?

amother

Cognac

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 11:57 am

I use one utensil for the raw and one for the cooked. But like in the case of frying shnitzels, I'll put the raw shnitzel in the pan with one fork, and use another fork for taking out the cooked ones. I'll used the cooked fork when flipping as that side is already cooked.

amother

Slateblue

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 12:01 pm

amother Orange wrote:

When my child was Neutropenic we had to wash all fruits and vegetables with soap before cutting. Should that be am across the board recommendations as well?

Probably! Definitely to get rid of the pesticides used on them.

I am not a scientist or doctor, so I just gave a very brief summary of the article as a total layman, point is, there is data to show that cross contamination from meat/chicken can be the culprit for some UTIs If you want to read the whole scientific explanation, you can google the NYT article.

amother

Orange

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 12:03 pm

amother Slateblue wrote:

No it wasn't to get rid of pesticides, it was to get rid of bacteria. Do you know what Neutropenic means?

ra_mom

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 12:05 pm

When I mix meatballs again that were previously raw I don't use a separate wooden spoon because the spoon gets submerged in the bubbling sauce and anything raw on that spoon cooks immediately.

When I add raw chicken to the pan to sear with a fork, I flip it using the same fork on the 2nd raw side. But when both sides are ready I use a separate fork because the one used for the 2 raw sides is contaminated.

Last edited by ra_mom on Thu, Apr 20 2023, 12:13 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Pearl

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 12:07 pm

amother DarkMagenta wrote:

Ummm you all know that you can literally eat raw fish and meat right? I never do any of that even with chicken and bH we’re all fine

Wow you should Google that
While it can be okay at times it is a real health risk
Like if you don’t buckle your seatbelt or other safety routine then usually that is ok too

That’s like something kids say as in I didn’t buckle up and nothing happened I am ok or I smoke and I am ok…

amother

Slateblue

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 12:08 pm

amother Orange wrote:

No it wasn't to get rid of pesticides, it was to get rid of bacteria. Do you know what Neutropenic means?

That may be the reason why you were recommended to do so, but you asked if it should be recommended across the board. I do think so, because of the pesticides.
As an aside, I'm not sure why the snippy tone of superiority? I don't think my post really called for it. I was just giving some information that op will probably find helpful, given her question. I wasn't telling anyone off, so not sure why you feel the need to do so to me.

amother

Babyblue

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 1:08 pm

how do you clean stuff afterwards? used to use the dishwasher but then I think I heard that's not a good idea either. I'm not bleaching my bowls, utensils every time I cook raw chicken...

Queen Of Hearts

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 1:09 pm

amother Jasmine wrote:

I cringe when I see women just toss packages of chicken or meat into their shopping carts without a plastic bag.
Like, there can be particles of raw meat on the packaging...
And I do not allow the packaging to come in direct contact of any surfaces.

heidi

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 1:16 pm

amother Jasmine wrote:

Now THAT is OCD

amother

Firebrick

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 1:26 pm

amother Slateblue wrote:

Don’t know why she was being so rude, but neutropenic means her child was lacking in a specific type of white blood cell that is the body’s first line of defense against infections. She was essentially saying her child was immunocompromised and was (I think) trying to make the point that it would not be recommended to was fruit and veg with soap and water as an across the board recommendation because most people don’t need it.