When you cook do you put your hands in the mixture?

[Dayafterday]

It goes through me when I see chefs with their hands in the food eg mixing mince. I would always use a fork or mixing spoon and only touch the food if I absolutely have to.

I don’t like to see chefs placing the food or moving it around on the plate either.

Probably best I don’t see what happens to my food before it’s served in a restaurant.

Sometimes you have to. I was taught the “rubbing in” method of pastry making back in the dark ages and have stuck with it. I’ve tried mechanical methods but the result has never been as light and short/or flaky.
I have raynaud’s syndrome hands, perfect for pastry 😁

Yes, when required. That's why i take off jewellery and wash my hands thoroughly.

I'm more bothered by the apparent masterchef habit of placing food on a j-cloth. I don't want my food to taste of antibac.

I wear gloves if I have to get my hands in the food.

There's good reason gloves are not allowed in food production settings except for medical circumstances. They cause hands to sweat and then if they get a little hole, which is pretty likely, then far more sweat and bacteria enters the food than would with clean bare hands

How can you make pastry/biscuits/crumble without getting your hands in the mixture?

Anything with fondant icing like fancy cupcakes makes me 🤮 I saw a video where the topper was shaped by digging fingernails into the fondant. Vile.

When I make pastry I wear latex gloves.

I'd rather not touch raw meat with my hands either. Only do so if it's completely unavoidable.

I'm more bothered by the apparent masterchef habit of placing food on a j-cloth. I don't want my food to taste of antibac.

It won’t if you use a clean one. Did you really think they wiped they kitchen down with it first?!

It’s practically impossible to mix raw mince with a spoon.

I wash my hands a lot more than some others I know - I was taught to cook by a parent who worked in catering so have always washed my hands before, during and after handling food. Your hands are the best tools for many, many jobs.

I made faggots last week - hands in the mixture shaping them!!!

I washed my hands before and after.

@Dayafterday

I hate watching all the TV chefs touch all food at all stages of preparation. I use a spoon or fork to mix all sorts of food. To those who ask about pastry, I either make it in a food processor or else I use a pastry blender to mix it.

www.lakeland.co.uk/72399/Stainless-Steel-Pastry-Blender

Its horrible, I agree OP. And when they have hairy forearms too...

I definitely cook with my hands. It's by far the easiest way of working with some foods.

One of the most infuriating bits of Lockdown One and the great supermarket sweep of panic buying was that the antibacterial soap dispenser that lives by my kitchen sink utterly vanished, just when I needed to replace it. I had to use a bar of soap from the cupboard of spare presents for several weeks instead - much messier. Loads of food prep jobs are much better done with bare hands.

I’m not so bothered about food that will be cooked but I am a bit when I see chefs fiddling with the garnish, taking it on and off, rearranging stuff and dribbling a trail of crumbed nuts between their fingertips, their nose 2cm from the plate

This is normal practice, just keep your hands clean

@midnightstar66

I wear gloves if I have to get my hands in the food.

There's good reason gloves are not allowed in food production settings except for medical circumstances. They cause hands to sweat and then if they get a little hole, which is pretty likely, then far more sweat and bacteria enters the food than would with clean bare hands

We're not talking about a production line here, we're talking about knocking up the odd crumble, gloves on, job done, gloves binned. In 48 years of marriage I haven't poisoned anybody yet.

I didn't mention in my original post, but I have psoriasis so always use gloves if I'll be handling food - don't think any of the family would appreciate my skin in their food.

You'd think wouldn't you, with all this manual handling of food, that we'd all be dropping like flies?

but trained chefs, who understand and are highly aware of food hygiene standards, are not grubby pit dwellers who wipe their arses with their hands before prepping food. And I'm assuming that none of us who prepare family meals do either?

Ffs we share the planet with billions of microbes, organisms and other micro beasties most of whom are completely benign. The most effective way to avoid food poisoning is to wash your hands.

It's not hard is it?

I was taught by my mum that the best way to cream butter and sugar was to use your hands. The warmth of your hands softens the butter and enables the sugar to mix smoothly into the mix. The best way to make a sponge cake which was extremely light. She also taught me the importance of good hygiene and thorough handwashing techniques. No one has ever become I'll through eating my Victoria sponge cake.

@Kimye4eva

I'm more bothered by the apparent masterchef habit of placing food on a j-cloth. I don't want my food to taste of antibac.

It won’t if you use a clean one. Did you really think they wiped they kitchen down with it first?!

No, that's not what i mean at all.

I think this is a reason why its important to do messy play with children, and encourage baking and cooking when growing up, so cooking properly isn't something they're phobic of.

Surely there's no difference between clean hands and a clean spoon in terms of hygiene so why does it matter?

As long as you don't have disgusting nails or open sores or similar I don't see the issue.

@Palavah I have no idea what you are talking about. J cloths are certified safe for use with food. Why would they make your food smell of antibac? Or maybe you were joking? No idea.

@UserMcNewName

Surely there's no difference between clean hands and a clean spoon in terms of hygiene so why does it matter?

As long as you don't have disgusting nails or open sores or similar I don't see the issue.

Exactly

I don't particularly like to because I hate getting stuff under my nails, but it's needed in some cases. You can't mix meatballs really well without getting your hands in there, for example!

@PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle that is an absolutely genius idea - why has it never occurred to me before?! I remember being praised for my pastry in home ec because my hands were always cold so it never got too warm, but for creaming I would use my whole hands.