Am I normal or OCD about raw meat/chicken?

zaq

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 2:21 pm

amother Babyblue wrote:

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...

You don't need to. Washing in soap and very hot water is fine. Soap doesn't kill microbes but makes them slippery so that a sluice of hot water can carry them away.

amother

Wheat

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 2:39 pm

amother Firebrick 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.

That may be true, but I happen to agree with slateblue in that it was a poor example to use because many people (including myself) religiously scrub all raw produce anyway.

amother

Midnight

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 3:05 pm

Now I'm doubting myself. I have a kid who constantly has stomach issues.
Am I doing something wrong in the kitchen? Is this the only cause for diarrhoea / stomach upset?

zaq

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 3:32 pm

amother Midnight wrote:

Now I'm doubting myself. I have a kid who constantly has stomach issues.
Am I doing something wrong in the kitchen? Is this the only cause for diarrhoea / stomach upset?

Of course not, though kitchen practices are a good place to start.

https://www.pennmedicine.org/f.....ning.

This article doesn't mention it, but stress is a frequent cause of all sorts of gut problems. If only one member of the family is having problems, they're ongoing, and your food handling is reasonably hygienic, I.e. you keep cold foods cold, hot foods hot, wash hands with soap and water before handling food and after relieving yourself or handling dirty diapers, wash food prep surfaces and dishes in hot water and soap, and so on, it's probably not your food prep that's doing it unless said child has some condition that makes him unusually sensitive to foodborne microbes.

amother

Yarrow

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 3:39 pm

amother Midnight wrote:

Now I'm doubting myself. I have a kid who constantly has stomach issues.
Am I doing something wrong in the kitchen? Is this the only cause for diarrhoea / stomach upset?

Of course not.
Off the top of my head:

Food sensitivity
High acidity levels
Helicobacter
Worms
IBS

and I am sure there are many more. Go to a decent gastro for a workup if you're worried.

For context: my mother is OCD with these things. She would use a different spatula to turn each piece in case in between it was contaminated and each spatula was labeled raw or cooked. Even when they were clean she never used one designated for raw for cooked food. A few of my siblings had sensitive stomachs.
I promised myself never to drive everyone so crazy. I do like OP. I use 2 spatulas, one for the raw or not fully cooked and one for taking things out of the pan. Only one of my kids has stomach issues and we know what the problem is.

amother

Firebrick

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 3:40 pm

amother Wheat wrote:

That may be true, but I happen to agree with slateblue in that it was a poor example to use because many people (including myself) religiously scrub all raw produce anyway.

I think it was a poor example too, I was just trying to ruin orange’s fun so she couldn’t lord “neutropenia” over anyone again.

Bnei Berak 10

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 4:10 pm

amother Orange wrote:

I think the norms today are pretty neurotic.

Norms if what? Handling chicken?
Personally I'm not extreme on chicken or meat.
On the other hand I think there's a huge lack of washing hands with SOAP and water. It's so basic and still adults and kids don't do it.

amother

Thistle

Thu, Apr 20 2023, 5:09 pm

That's why I'd rather buy grilled cutlets than clean my own raw chicken. Although I wash down the faucets & counters & knife & sink etc w soap, I am a bit afraid... And so much prefer my soup chicken pre-netted so I don't have to deal with it as much.

But now that I think about it, do I often get sick after eating at one of my kids? Could very well be...

And I keep washing my hands when I put my fish in baking pan, apply spices, flip with plastic fork & apply spices again etc.

I don't fry much so never thought about washing or switching utensil, but I can totally see doing that.

I definitely feel you OP. Can't say I don't have a drop of OCD, but I think better safe than sorry.