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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

chopping veg on a board used for raw chicken

78 replies

HighwayDragon · 03/01/2015 18:22

I've just chopped up some chicken, thrown it in the pan, remembered the onion so went to use the same board and knife. DP practically squealed about cross contamination, and us all being ill, I put the raw onion straight into the pan with the raw chicken! He wanted me to get a clean board and knife to then put it with raw meat anyway making more washing up for me.

He's an idiot right?

OP posts:

limitedperiodonly · 03/01/2015 21:03

Fish eyes go white when you cook them like Wargs in Game of Thrones.

You do watch GoT, don't you?

PlumpingUpPartridge · 03/01/2015 22:30

Creepy slitty-eyed fuckers

limited

Sistedtwister · 03/01/2015 22:43

HACCP principles would say little risk ( food safety speak) due to critical controls ( cooking) I'm a food safety person in a former life.

It's also the reaso I never dry dishes. You wash them in hot water and detergent then wipe them with a Luke warm damp towel eeewwwww
. Much better to let them air dry.

TheHermitCrab · 03/01/2015 23:47

Did someone just say it was a lazy habit? is it hell, just normal and sensible.

An idiot would chop veg on a board just after chopping raw chicken, then eat the raw veg.

It's all being cooked in the same pan, it's all touching each other and cooking together anyway.

Your OH is being daft and paranoid.

I have 5 different plastic chopping boards in a set that all have little pictures on for what should be chopped on them... I ignore them and pick the colour I'm in the mood for :/ lol

Only time I'm ever funny about chopping boards is when they are wooden.

Goldmandra · 04/01/2015 00:03

There are really good reasons for using colour coded chopping boards in kitchens where several people are working. In those environments it would be very easy for someone to cut raw chicken on a board and then for someone else to assume it was clean and prepare a fruit salad on it.

When you're working alone in a domestic kitchen the chances of that happening are vanishingly small.

I have only ever advocated using them in a domestic kitchen once and that was when working with young people with learning disabilities whose ability to process information meant it was safer to have strong, consistent rules than to really on their memory and ability to risk assess each individual situation.

The OP's DH would be far better being concerned about hand washing and fridge temperature if he's particularly worried about food poisoning.

adiposegirl · 04/01/2015 00:07

How now HighwayDragon, what was you thinking? (lol!)

You should have told your partner to cook his own meal is he was so concerned.

chariotsofire · 04/01/2015 00:14

Can I ask for my own peace of mind... What happens re a wooden spoon that you are using to stir raw meat? Does it become hygienic at some point?

Vegetarian hoping not to poison guests asking!

TheHermitCrab · 04/01/2015 00:17

boil the spoon in a hazmat suite!!

Honestly never thought about it. Everything in my kitchen is plastic and metal. Just get a metal spoon :)

Permanentlyexhausted · 04/01/2015 00:27

Absolutely no risk in the situation the OP describes. I'm not sure your DH is an idiot but he is certainly over-cautious. If that is because he doesn't quite grasp the mechanics of food hygeine (i.e. he follows the rules without really understanding the process behind them) then he poses a much higher risk than the OP actions do.

I have a coded board that has one side for raw meat and the other side for veg. Now that really is ridiculous, isn't it? I mean, I guess you're supposed to wash it in between but it is almost suggesting that you can just flip the board over and start chopping your salad with the raw-meaty side face down on your worktop! (I don't, obviously!)

FunkyBoldRibena · 04/01/2015 08:58

If you are cooking, why are you also doing the washing up? Surely if you cook you let the other adult do the pots after?

And yes, they are going into the same pot so no worries.

londonrach · 04/01/2015 09:03

Just realised i use different boards despite the chicken and veg being cooked together. Dont think i could ever as its hard wired into you re raw chicken. Im with your dh although theres no risk.

crapcrapcrapcrap · 04/01/2015 09:10

I think this thread illustrates the problem with teaching food hygiene rules and not teaching the science behind it.

The practical approach to minimise contamination is to fill the sunk with hot soapy water before you start prepping the meal. Chop meat, start cooking, then hands, utensils and board all get a wash down before moving on to next phase. But in principle I'd still happily eat the OP's meal because she's followed good principles of hygiene.

The wooden spoon thing has always bugged me because I can't bear leaving the spoon bubbling away in the pot (as it would take up the flavour) so these days I swap it over once the meat is all browned. Probably complete overkill!

londonrach · 04/01/2015 09:12

Dh about one year ago mentioned the wooden spoon thing and we now change mid cook to a new spoon.

Trills · 04/01/2015 10:45

I think this thread illustrates the problem with teaching food hygiene rules and not teaching the science behind it.

Yes, otherwise you just get "ooh, raw chicken is scary".

limitedperiodonly · 04/01/2015 11:31

Yes, otherwise you just get "ooh, raw chicken is scary".

Whenever I read on here: 'I never trust chicken' I get this image of a chicken at a computer pecking out: 'Greetings! My uncle, the vice president of this Glorious Nation, is also a senior official at the Bank of Dodgyville, and he has a lucrative and risk-free proposal for you and your life savings...'

FryOneFatManic · 04/01/2015 11:40

I have one single chopping board. For everything.

No one ever gets food poisoning from me.

But then I habitually chop all veg first, then cooked meat, then raw meat, then clean the board thoroughly. I like having everything chopped before I start cooking.

Trills · 04/01/2015 11:42

I habitually chop all veg first, then cooked meat, then raw meat, then clean the board thoroughly.

I often do that, especially if the recipe starting with cooking onions (they always take longer than you think so you can chop everything else while they are softening).

Nothing worse than watching someone cook really inefficiently, when they don't put the kettle on until after they realise that they need hot water, or chop the thing that they need last first.

bakingaddict · 04/01/2015 11:50

Regarding the wooden spoon once the meat has started to cook I would give it a rinse in hot soapy water before using it to stir nearly cooked stuff or as I have 3 wooden spoons just get another clean one out

MewlingQuim · 04/01/2015 11:54

It's really refreshing to read a MN thread demonstrating sensible hygiene knowledge.

The usual MN response seems to be 'OMG! THE GERMS! THE GERMS! EVERYONE WILL DIE!!!!'

You have restored this microbiologist's faith, thank you.

EdwiniasRevenge · 04/01/2015 11:58

I always prep my veg first and finish with meat on the board because its good practice not to use the same board for veg after meat - especially as my veg aren't always going to be cooked in the same pot or for as long as the meat.

By sticking to good practice of not re-using a board that has been used for meat I kniw there is no (minimal) risk and I don't have to think how long my veg will cook.

Having said that - in practice - there is nothing wrong with the OPs scenario and I would have no concerns about risk. I just think it is good habit to avoid the scenario so I know where I'm at.

Chiggers · 04/01/2015 11:59

There was an article I came across (peer reviewed and a recently finished study, but can't remember the website it was posted on) stated that onions should be chopped up just before cooking due to it being a magnet for viruses and bacteria, once cut open. It also stated that improperly reheated onions are a major source of food poisoning, alongside the usual culprits of rice, chicken, pork etc etc.

I'll try and find the study and link it.

ephemeralfairy · 04/01/2015 12:13

Just to chuck this in...I read a journal study that found that wooden chopping boards are actually safer than plastic, because wood has natural batericidal properties. Also, bacteria gets trapped in the knife grooves in plastic and is very hard to get rid of.
Anyway I think the OP is being reasonable; my rule is if things are getting boiled or fried at a high enough temp to cook them through then that is enough to kill any nasties.

Chiggers · 04/01/2015 12:42

Just did a search and it seems that onions causing food poisoning is a load of bull. That said, I can't find the article I was looking for so I guess I either read it incorrectly or it was a peer reviewed study indicating that this is a myth.

TBH, I'd never heard of onions causing food poisoning, so I quickly scanned through the article. My mistake.

ZingTheGreat · 04/01/2015 12:50

limited

@ never trust chicken

My image is chickens in sunglasses to hide their shifty looks!

eyes like that^^

limitedperiodonly · 04/01/2015 12:52

It's a common myth chiggers but might be dying out.

My mum insisted that onions 'turned' food. I never knew what that meant but it wasn't worth arguing with her. In later life she used to add them whole to stews for flavour but used to fish them out at the end.

I'd add finely chopped onions to shepherd's pie but she'd ignore that because she liked it and you couldn't see them once it had finished cooking. She also ate fried onions when we had sausages and mash but we didn't mention it.

There's an explanation for it but I can't remember it now. It's not true, but I can see how it seemed to make sense. It would help if I could remember what it was

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