MIL’s lack of food hygiene makes me feel sick

[sunflowers365]

I’ve just finished a week at my parent in laws for Christmas. My MIL’s food hygiene, and just general cleanliness, makes me feel sick. For context, I have a 15 month old daughter, which makes this more serious for me. She defrosted chicken on the kitchen counter all night. She left my daughter’s turkey bolognaise out on the hob for 5 hours yesterday before it went into the fridge and she reheated it today. She washed raw chicken in the sink today too. They have no hot water in their kitchen. Their kitchen floor is the dirtiest kitchen floor I’ve ever seen in my life- flecked with dried on food all over. The tiles at the back of the hob are greased over with fat. The fridge is full to bursting. The counter tops are strewn with food such as pickles, jams, dried fruits etc. I can’t even use the downstairs shower because I’m terrified of their shower curtain touching me and can’t bear to step on the bath mat. I bring my own flip
flops to wear in their upstairs bathroom. We are sleeping in their bedroom and it smells so musty. The level of dust and clutter is just foul. I love my parents in law but their house and lack of food hygiene disgusts me. Can’t wait to go home!!

I am with you OP. leaving meat out to defrost isn't safe because the outside of the meat will defrost hours before the inside and this causes the growth of harmful bacteria. Cooked food should go into the refrigerator as soon as possible (especially rice) If it it too hot you can divide it into smaller containers so it cools correctly/safely while in the refrigerator. I would not be okay with anything you described and would not allow my child to eat food that had been left out for hours.

I am not comfortable in dirty houses, and I would not have been okay with a house in the condition that you described nor would I be staying there again.

My house isn’t warm at night, I have my heating off completely overnight and I’ve always defrosted meat overnight on the side in the kitchen.

It's a bench top!!!

And why on earth are people washing meat? Is the meat covered in dirt? I suppose I'd wash it too then, though probs wouldn't buy it. Never known a single soul who washes meat and I'm in my 50's.

Another one that always defrosts meat on the kitchen bunker (always called it that). I would imagine that if you put frozen meat in the fridge water would drip off it. Unless you antibac your fridge every day that could cause problems. As long as you cook meat correctly there shouldn't be any issue.
I also always make sure food is completely cooled before it goes in the fridge. I was told if you put hot food in the fridge it raises the temperature around it and can encourage bacteria growth in other foods. I'm not sure if that's true but it sounds logical.
I haven't given anyone food poisoning yet.

My grandmother's house was the same and also abroad - my mum would just clean the kitchen and bathroom once we arrived. Possibly a bit rude but better than staying in a hotel for relationships and she was so indifferent to dirt, she didn't really notice the difference. We ate out quite a bit and my mum would just check food was piping hot before we ate it at the house.

Where should it be rinsed then? I've only ever known anyone rinse it under the kitchen tap?

We called it the counter when I was growing up in the 60s in Scotland - and it was in the scullery, not the kitchen. I alternate between counter and worktop now. Different names in different areas of the country - all acceptable.

OP, I honestly wouldn’t stay in that house again. I would either go and stay in a hotel or invite them to come to me.

It doesn't need rinsing at all. You cook it and any pathogens are destroyed by the heat.

Rinsing causes a risk of contaminated droplets spraying around the sink area and can affect nearby items such as clean washing up or cloths.

Rinsing is an extra unnecessary stage that adds risk and doesn't remove any.

Not sure where else you rinse raw chicken if it's not a sink ?

But there's the clue, you have your heating off at night, in past times you wouldn't have had any heating to turn off! Your house doesn't go from warm to cold instantly. It's not the law though, I've never washed an item of fruit or salad stuff in my life -- just choice isn't it.

I feel for you. My in laws were like this. They were also in a country that is always warm, but left food out for hours. Everything was both chaotic and filthy.
On top of this my husband was on immunosuppressants, so at really high risk of falling extremely ill from the way they ran their household. They seemed oblivious to the risk they were exposing him to.
We both lived with them for two years, then we returned regularly to visit them after we left.
For me, the only way to deal with it (which was no doubt easier to establish because I lived there too at first) was to thoroughly clean kitchens and bathrooms myself when we went. They weren't insulted, cleaning thoroughly so wasn't on their radar that they thought I just had some weird fixation. So first day was cleaning the kitchen, second day the bathroom.
Incidentally, my sister in law, who lived in the same country but quite far away, did it too when she visited with her two young children.

All these people saying you're being over the top. I got food poisoning twice from my MILs cooking and lack of hygiene until I rebelled and cleaned and cooked there myself. It actually took me a couple of years to fully recover from the second bout of food poisoning because I lost so much weight. In laws ate the same stuff and were fine as their bodies were used to it.
And for the poster saying that they grew up without refrigeration and were fine. Well, my father grew up with no refrigerator in a country much warmer than the UK and one of his siblings died at age 4 from food poisoning, so I personally would never take it lightly.

Presuming that you'll be visiting again fairly regularly, maybe worth acquiring your own reputation as a "clean freak"? It's not much fun spending the first couple of days of every visit cleaning, but sometimes it's the best option.

Oh don't be so dramatic,a good soak and wash and they'll be good as new !

Next time take your own bath mat and buy them a new shower curtain and a microwave. You need to take control of the food. If you see food out put it in the fridge.

Clean when you get there. It's the only way. But then I'm the person who took cleaning products into hospital with me when I had my 2nd baby, because the first time the bathroom was so (IMO) grim.

What's wrong with not having a microwave? I've never had one!

Are you writing about my Mum and late Dad?

They lived across the country from me and my DB and DS. Consequently we each only went a few times/year.

Quite often , in our weekly phonecall, my Mum would tell me that they’d had upset stomachs all week.

As we were vegetarian we’d usually take the makings of our meals but in the fridge were old saved dishes, fresh meat potentially dripping into old saved food.

When they couldn’t drive they discovered online shopping. More or less the same order every week - whether they eaten last weeks or not.

Our visits became weekly. One of the jobs we did was quietly sort the fridge. Chucking out the mould, suspect, rotting in the bags, sour food.

Turned out my DB and DS did the same on their visits too.

The house was stuck in a late 60s/70s timewarp. Carpet tiles were a thing back then - but not everyone has them in the kitchen. (And with a dog)

In terms of mild food poisoning things have improved. They moved back nearer us. My Mum can’t cook for herself now nor order online. The fridge is clean, no weekold leftovers, lino in the kitchen.

Hmm… I’ve had similar issues than the OP with clothes being dirty from crawling around on a dirty carpet. The clothes never got cleaned again.

We call it "the top" which is short for countertops. "Where do you want this?", "Over there, on the top please, next to the chicken that's defrosting".

Why are you rinsing raw chicken at all? It's way more likely to give you food poisoning than if you don't wash it at all, as others on this thread have linked to and mentioned.

DONT WASH RAW MEAT. EVER.

Rinsing per se doesn't cause food poisoning. And if you buy chicken that has been chlorine washed ifnyou live overseas you'd want to rinse because it smells of chlorine. Rinsing and not practicing good hygiene afterwards is the issue.

Anyway I think the OP is a bit ott either way

I am no proud domestic goddess but this would make me get the ick. The person asking why a shower curtain bothers her? Our was always cleaned. I don't eat meat but even I know you don't wash chicken, leave stuff out for hours (not when you have a fridge anyway).

You only have yourself to blame you knew all this and still went for a week.
What did you go for to look so you can write a review for MN.

Ohh yes it is! Any perishable food left out of refrigeration for more than 60 minutes, begins to grow heat resistant bacteria. Yes, this includes frozen food you leave out to defrost! Meat must be defrosted in the fridge

It appears to have changed to 2 hours since I was at culinary college but the principle is the same

But if we were all THAT careful, nobody would ever eat from a buffet, or a children's party...and what about packed lunches? They're not kept in a fridge and as far as I know nobody has died.