To think that, unless you know the kitchen they were made in is very clean, homemade edible gifts go straight in the bin

[Bearbehind]

Especially this year

Given we’re sanitising things we touch and are ultra conscious about the spread of germs etc - AIBU to think that if you get edible gifts from someone’s who’s kitchen you either don’t know or don’t think is very clean - you’d just bin it?

I’m not saying you can catch Covid from the food but it’s the principle of not knowing how hygenic stuff is

I’m not a fan of homemade gifts at the best of times - I think a sort of rule should be that unless your homemade items are good enough to sell for actual money, then please don’t do it

No one is going to admit they binned it but I do hope those who would make homemade edible gifts, especially for teachers, this year think twice

If it’s something I like I’d eat it.

I would generally think that the kind of domestic goddesses who make home made Xmas gifts probably have kitchens with a decent standard of cleanliness. And even if the back of their kitchen cupboards weren’t sparkling clean - it doesn’t follow that the homemade goods would contain the kind of bacteria that could cause food poisoning. A feeling that your kitchen is so superior to everyone else’s sounds like the joyless kind of one-upmanship practiced only by people without much going on in their lives.

Bah humbug! What a misery you are

We eat take out made in a different kitchen - whats the difference?

@Bearbehind

Well, it might not be the majority but, based on the poll, just over every 1 in 4 homemade edible gift is heading for the bin

You must be very proud

Unless I have a particularly good reason to doubt the person's hygiene I'm quite happy to eat things I'm given. Some of my coworkers are excellent bakers!

You must be very proud

Why would that make me proud 🤔

It’s not like I’ve influenced those who agree with me - they just share my viewpoint

The reality is homemade food isn’t as universally loved as those who give it seem to think it is

Bear I think this is the only thread I've ever agreed with you!!

Bear I think this is the only thread I've ever agreed with you!!

I’m guessing you’re a NCer but 😂 even if I don’t know who you are!

😂

But for the food nervous, I do think it's really important to remember..... A spotless floor and counter, does NOT equal... Germ free cooking.

I've definitely seen lots of finger double dipping from the sorts who are rigidly shoes off etc, no crumbs anywhere... Plates straight into the dishwasher. Maybe it's a subliminal reaction to their sharing of actual germs who knows but beware...

It's interesting, I wonder if those of us who are more relaxed about "hygiene" are older (I'm 50). I've been on MN a long time and I do think there are a lot more threads about cleaning etc than say 15 years ago. My 21 year old DD is much more concerned about disinfecting things (with stinky Zoflora) than I was at that age.

I'm wondering if the anti-homemade brigade would ever happily eat as guests in other people's houses. Maybe you all demand a tour of the kitchen first.

Our town, pre covid, who run regular coffee mornings and the baking stalls (shop bought on the stalls very frowned upon) sells out almost without fail, so certainly people local to me will not only happily eat homemade cakes etc but will actively seek it out and buy it. Would guess they don't then throw that away.

Teachers at the coffee morning for the school certainly seem to be happy to buy it there too.

No! I have been in a few kitchens from which I wouldn’t knowingly accept food (!) but if I haven’t actually seen where it was made, I just put that out of my mind. Never been made ill by it yet! Life is too short - better to worry about bigger problems.

That might be your reality op. But mine and my friends reality is that homemade food gifts are very welcome and appreciated for the time, thought and effort, the bonus being that they are really tasty. And in this wasteful age of consumerism even more so.

@emilyfrost

Really, the staff at my sons school are always really happy with a home make cake

Fbearsmum Few people are rude enough to say to someone’s face they aren’t going to eat your homemade cake/chocolate/gifts, so of course they’re always going to be “really happy”.

Given that I've been asked to make them for school bake sales I'm pretty secure in the knowledge that the thanks are sincere

This thread is hilarious.

Wow.

I'm a chef trained at Jamie Oliver's with NVQ 2 in food hygiene in catering and my mum's an environmental scientist.

I have worked in a variety of commercial kitchens across the country, catered weddings and given live demonstrations. I have toured almost every type of food preparation environment and met a diverse range of experts in the field.

Trust me, LITERALLY ANY 5 hygiene rated restaurant or takeaway kitchen is 100% more disgusting than your most skankiest aquaintance's!

Also, because chefs are so stressed and pressured, and don't know you from Adam, and are often young greasy idiots with little free time, they have disgusting personal hygiene and even the best trained often send out raw food or skip important preparation steps ,or go to work ill

Please cheer up and appreciate the pleasure of being gifted a delicious treat made with love!

It goes without saying that teachers are not eating homemade gifts given - think of all the stringent hygiene in place now and then think of homemade brownies? No matter how lovely they are they will not be eaten - fact.

@Disabrie22

It goes without saying that teachers are not eating homemade gifts given - think of all the stringent hygiene in place now and then think of homemade brownies? No matter how lovely they are they will not be eaten - fact.

I used to be a teacher. I'd eat anything given to me then, and I still would now. Fact!

Given that I've been asked to make them for school bake sales I'm pretty secure in the knowledge that the thanks are sincere

Fbearsmum Of course you’ve been asked to make them for school bake sales, because schools need all the help they can get financially.

That doesn’t mean they think they’re good, it means they know someone who bakes that they can make money off.

I’m a teacher and I’ve been given homemade fudge or brownies, cookies. I never bin them and I’m always very grateful for them

"I’m not a fan of homemade gifts at the best of times - I think a sort of rule should be that unless your homemade items are good enough to sell for actual money, then please don’t do it"

Well, aren't you delightful? It's because of people like you that knitters invented the term 'knitworthy'. We divide those people we would like to give presents to into two groups - those who are worth knitting something beautiful and time-consuming for, and those who wouldn't know beautiful, skilful and time-consuming work if you knitted a cosh, filled it with lead and hit them around the chops with it.

I always make presents for teachers and TAs. Some years it's just a pair of the earrings I make (and sell, OP, hope that reassures you) inside a Christmas card, sometimes that and some Christmassy sweets like marshmallows or fudge. I used to worry that some teachers would just bin anything homemade automatically but then DS1 reported back that his class teacher Mrs. McX opened the peppermint chocolate bark I made INSTANTLY and spent the lesson sneaking little bits of it.

Yes, it's crossed my mind that some TAs and teachers might be less keen on homemade edibles (even though there is really no evidence base for Covid being spread via food, and to be honest the hard surfaces thing is proving to be not the threat everyone assumed it was) so I probably won't be making the biscuits and fudge I'd normally do. (I'm a good baker.) I'll definitely drop off homemade goodies with local friends though - the ones I know aren't silly about this sort of thing.

@Disabrie22

It goes without saying that teachers are not eating homemade gifts given - think of all the stringent hygiene in place now and then think of homemade brownies? No matter how lovely they are they will not be eaten - fact.

Nonsense.

If course they will be