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.

I only use my hands if I'm making something like meatballs but I wash my hands thoroughly and use my knuckles more although I do have short clean nails. This is one the things that puts me off from eating office sweets and treats colleagues have made at home. I hear people use the toilets and leave the toilets without washing their hands and those fake nails just bleugh so all I can imagine is those toilet finger nails have made those cup cakes and the dog hairs on their cardigan makes me think that the dog probably licked the cupcakes too. I'm disturbed I know...

I wear gloves too. I have long nails and can't stand the thought of mince or something underneath. It's probably better for the environment to just use utensils but I'm dyspraxic and this is just easier for me.

I don't mind with food that's going to be cooked but I am a bit squeamish about people touching food as it's being plated up.

I touch salad items when preparing them. How else would you cut up a cucumber, shred lettuce, grate carrot or slice a tomato?

TBH some of the replies on this thread are so silly.

I really hope those that sre squeamish around food are actively making plans not to pass this on to their kids. Maybe getting others to cook with them and being carefil what you say around them.

I can chop a vegetable or salad! I will eat anything, not fussy at all!

It’s the raw meat mixture and hands all in one bowl that puts me off and I would prefer to use a utensil to mix it.

I made scones yesterday and got my hands in and it was ok but I do have long nails so if I cooked a lot I would need short nails as it is a bit gross picking food out of your nails even after washing your hands.

For me, it's the meat thing, I just don't like touching raw meat. No idea whether my DC feel the same. DS1 cooks at Uni.

The nails thing does bother me a bit. Unless you scrub with a nail brush they won't be clean and eww to rings etc.

There’s an interesting study that shows that people who make sourdough bread or kimchi make it taste different depending on the germs on their hands. Because it’s fermented it affects the taste.

www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/11/12/665655220/sourdough-hands-how-bakers-and-bread-are-a-microbial-match?t=1614503844715

But how would you make burgers, or meatballs, or bread etc?

Some things have to be touched because the warmth of the hands helps with the coming together.

I have to wear gloves for meat because I have eczema, it stings otherwise.

@Palavah

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 don't understand this. J cloths don't have anything antibacterial on them. Given the antibac mad world we live in, they probably do exist in some form, but they'll be using the normal ones surely?

I'll happily touch any food other than meat. Probably because I'm vegetarian and I find it repulsive, but also the thought of chicken for example being contaminated with salmonella, then touching taps to wash my hands. It's probably some food safety advert from years ago replaying in my head

I will happily muck out horses and groom the dog then eat a sandwich but if I'm making anything that involves getting my hands in, I wear gloves

Of course! Rolling up your sleeves and getting your (spotlessly clean) hands right in there is one of the joys of cooking. Kneading dough is wonderfully therapeutic.

How do you roll the pastry when you have mixed it in the mixer?

I always keep a box of vinyl gloves in the kitchen for anything messy like mixing dough or mince. So much easier!