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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think cooking in this way would kill all bacteria?

30 replies

polkadotdinosaur · 10/06/2024 19:00

Settle a debate. I’m making mashed potato. Dropped a bit of potato in the sink. Sink hasn’t been cleaned for a while. If said bit of potato goes in a pan full of boiling hot water, any germs would be removed right? Been told it would’ve been better to bin it rather than throwing it in…

YABU - nope could still have germs
YANBU - absolutely! boiling water means no more germs

OP posts:
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mumgodloveher · 11/06/2024 06:07

I'm guessing the person who was disgusted still ate the raw chicken after it had been cooked. What's the difference?!

Irishmama100 · 10/06/2024 22:05

A potato grows in soil, that soil is full of worms and cow shite, they are harvested and stored in barns. Rats mice could be running over them and then someone is worried about the spud touching a sink. A rinse under water and boiled and all bacteria is dead!

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 10/06/2024 19:57

Sahara123 · 10/06/2024 19:23

To be honest the thought of germs wouldn’t even have entered my mind . I’dve just picked up the potato and just carried on ..

Me too.
I can’t believe the fuss some people make about such things. And IMO the obsession some MNers seem to have over germs and ‘hygiene’ (I use quotes advisedly) is bordering on a MH issue.

brentwoods · 10/06/2024 19:51

Somebody has some sort of anxiety related to food and germs and is complaining that you dropped the potato into boiling water instead of binning it? You're fine. It was a clean (unused) sink and its a potato -- not an old sponge. The boiling water would kill any (non-existent) bacteria that would cause any stomach upset even if there were something there for it to pick up.

StarbucksQueen1 · 10/06/2024 19:32

For the sake of a tiny bit of potato why bother?! If it was a whole piece of meat or something expensive I’d rinse it and eat it still but why with the potato?! My sink gets the dogs bowl, utensils I’ve used for raw meat etc so I’d rather just bin anything dropped in!!

dudsville · 10/06/2024 19:29

I want to be breezy about this, but I live with dogs. Sink gets washed often, throughout the day here. For me though i also have weirdly fond memories of my grandmother's kitchen, and her sink, and watching her clean it at the end of a tidy up after a meal. For some reason i found that comforting and I now do the same!

RubySloth · 10/06/2024 19:27

Perfectly fine, water boils at 100c .. no bacteria can live pass that.

Chicken is cooked to 75c to ensure all bacteria is killed.

Original poster
polkadotdinosaur · 10/06/2024 19:24

Viewfrommyhouse · 10/06/2024 19:23

How can you not clean your sink for 4 days? Particularly after having raw chicken in there? Gross.

Show quote history

I wiped it with an antibac wipe after the chicken. Two days since we’ve eaten at a friends and been out for tea. This is day 4

OP posts:
Sahara123 · 10/06/2024 19:23

To be honest the thought of germs wouldn’t even have entered my mind . I’dve just picked up the potato and just carried on ..

Viewfrommyhouse · 10/06/2024 19:23

polkadotdinosaur · 10/06/2024 19:11

4 days

Show quote history

How can you not clean your sink for 4 days? Particularly after having raw chicken in there? Gross.

MigGirl · 10/06/2024 19:19

Well considering all we had to do during covid was let everything stand for 48 hours to make sure there was no cross contamination, I believe most of the time dry services don't keep bacteria or virus alive on them for long. Although have said that never do a swab test on your keyboard for bacteria. https://blog.mattbierner.com/keyboard-bacterial-culture/
They are worse then most tolite seats as they don't get cleaned and you have your hands all over them.

But that aside, boiling anything in boiling water for 10 minutes will kill any bacteria so its not a problem and your all food wasters if you throw if away before it's been cooked for dropping it in the sink or on the floor.

Keyboard Bacterial Culture

In which an ordinary keyboard is pressed against a large agar plate, and the resulting bacterial culture is examined

https://blog.mattbierner.com/keyboard-bacterial-culture

RandomButtons · 10/06/2024 19:16

You can boil chicken and kill the germs - boiling chicken as long as a potato requires would kill any bacteria for sure.

I think whoever is worried about this is veering on unhealthy obsession with germs. Potatoes are grown in horse manure…

PinotDragon · 10/06/2024 19:15

polkadotdinosaur · 10/06/2024 19:11

4 days

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Seriously though clean your sink. 4 days is a while.

ItsFuckingBoringFeedingEveryoneUntilYouDie · 10/06/2024 19:14

Meh, I often just put all my potatoes in the sink to peel them, as they come covered in soil.

PinotDragon · 10/06/2024 19:14

CaptainMyCaptain · 10/06/2024 19:13

It would just rinse off. Potatoes come out of the ground - soil and horse manure (if they're organic).

Show quote history

Good point; I didn't actually think about rinsing lol.

CaptainMyCaptain · 10/06/2024 19:13

PinotDragon · 10/06/2024 19:03

I mean it depends what you'd been doing in the sink before hand, I highly doubt it would kill anyone but I'd still bin the bit of spud. The boiliny water might kill bacteria but won't kill any taste contaminants; I don't want fairy liquid in my mash.

It would just rinse off. Potatoes come out of the ground - soil and horse manure (if they're organic).

SeatonCarew · 10/06/2024 19:13

The ick can put you off food.

Original poster
polkadotdinosaur · 10/06/2024 19:12

KeyboardMash · 10/06/2024 19:10

Boiling it will absolutely kill anything on the potato.

I thought so too!

OP posts:
Original poster
polkadotdinosaur · 10/06/2024 19:11

Viewfrommyhouse · 10/06/2024 19:10

'Sink hasn't been cleaned for a while'

How long is 'a while'?

4 days

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 10/06/2024 19:11

Why wouldn't you just rinse the bit of potato before putting it in the pan?

KeyboardMash · 10/06/2024 19:11

Sprinkles211 · 10/06/2024 19:09

Might be fine bacteria wise but totally minging to drop it in a dirty sink and put it in to cook may aswell drop it in the toilet

This makes no sense. If it's fine bacteria-wise, how is it minging? What is minging, if not bacteria?!

PinotDragon · 10/06/2024 19:10

Sprinkles211 · 10/06/2024 19:09

Might be fine bacteria wise but totally minging to drop it in a dirty sink and put it in to cook may aswell drop it in the toilet

That's a bit far, OP didn't say she used the sink as a toilet....I'm not saying it's the most hygienic of practices but come on.

KeyboardMash · 10/06/2024 19:10

Boiling it will absolutely kill anything on the potato.

Viewfrommyhouse · 10/06/2024 19:10

'Sink hasn't been cleaned for a while'

How long is 'a while'?

Sprinkles211 · 10/06/2024 19:09

Might be fine bacteria wise but totally minging to drop it in a dirty sink and put it in to cook may aswell drop it in the toilet

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