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

@BarryWhiteIsMyBrother exactly. and icing prepared on a raw chicken juice covered counter isn’t low risk.
Or cookies put out to cool cocered by the tea towel previously used to wipe clean the sink the chicken was washed in. etc.
Or using the spatula the dog has lovingly licked clean after a quick rinse.

But the point is that the relative risk of someone preparing their cake icing directly on a salmonella laden kitchen counter rather than in a bowl like a normal person IS tiny relative to other Food poisoning risks you may encounter, for example eating out. The Food Standard Agency guidance recognizes this by specifically allowing for cakes and jams to be prepared and sold by those without food hygiene certificates at community events.

I get your point @SatishTheCat - for me the reason to bin home-made food items unless I know the person well and I'm happy with their level of kitchen hygiene, is not just the risk of falling ill. It's the 'yuk factor' too. I.e. I might not be sick but there might be dog/cat hair in the dough. Or a small child could have been playing on the floor then touched the kitchen worktop or handles that the person making that food item touched. I totally get I may not get sick from these gifts. But the yuk factor is what stops me. Same as with the other thread here on MS about sharing bath water - you'd probably not catch anything but I find it yukky.

This kind of attitude is tragic. I feel so sorry for people hampered by this hyper hygiene obsession.

And if you think commercially produced food is safer then 🤦‍♀️

Ive done work in this area and people haven’t a fucking clue.

[quote ohnothisagain]@BarryWhiteIsMyBrother exactly. and icing prepared on a raw chicken juice covered counter isn’t low risk.
Or cookies put out to cool cocered by the tea towel previously used to wipe clean the sink the chicken was washed in. etc.
Or using the spatula the dog has lovingly licked clean after a quick rinse.[/quote]
People who are interested enough to make their own cakes rather than buy them from Greggs are likely to have at least a very basic understanding of food hygiene.

Wasting my breath trying to rationalise with the ewwww.... germs and dirty people though.

@TheKeatingFive

This kind of attitude is tragic. I feel so sorry for people hampered by this hyper hygiene obsession.

And if you think commercially produced food is safer then 🤦‍♀️

Ive done work in this area and people haven’t a fucking clue.

I do agree. I went through a spell of getting gastro bugs and the question I’d always be asked is “have you eaten out recently?”, never “have you eaten a cake from a school fair?”. Plus - surely you need to extend that care beyond food? How do you use public transport? Touch a door in a public building? People will have been to the loo, not washed their hands and touched the handle. Sleep in a hotel bed....have they washed the sheets properly? As for swimming pools, I need say no more.

Wasting my breath trying to rationalise with the ewwww.... germs and dirty people though.

Sometimes all you can do is leave people to their self limiting lives

I would rather take a chance* and expose my immune system to a few germs on homemade food than only eat stuff that has been in kitchens where surfaces are sprayed with detox or bleach many times daily.

Glad I'm not your friend 🙄

their own cakes rather than buy them from Greggs are likely to have at least a very basic understanding of food hygiene.
sorry, no. kitchen hygiene and cooking ability don’t correlate the slightest bit

Very late to this party, but it was my birthday on Sunday. I was very gloomy about having a milestone birthday with no way of really celebrating it. One friend delivered my homemade ice cream, one friend made me a curry with all sorts of “sides”. Both were delicious and extremely thoughtful; it didn’t cross my mind for one minute not to eat them. I have eaten at both these ladies houses quite happily in the past with no ill effect.

Do people who don’t accept home made food never eat on other people’s houses then? That’s even more tragic.

HokeyWokey Sun 08-Nov-20 19:10:16
You sound like a right paranoid misery guts, OP.
I doubt anyone would want to give you a gift, home made or otherwise.

My thoughts exactly.. I suppose OP, you are one of those people who is on the phone to the police the moment your neighbours venture outside & stand within two metres of anyone?

@corythatwas

I rarely eat anything homemade by other people. They could have sneezed over it or stuck their finger up their bum and then stirred the cake with it. Yuk. No thanks

I would have thought that kind of behaviour would be far more likely to emanate from a disgruntled employee in a food factory.

Yes this! People working long hours on making food for people they've never met are surely more likely to do something dodgy than your friends and neighbours who are usually doing baking for fun.

@TheKeatingFive

Do people who don’t accept home made food never eat on other people’s houses then? That’s even more tragic.

I'd rather eat at a friend's house, from a sanitation situation than in a restaurant. I know about inspections, but I also know about angry kitchen help and wait staff!

Wow. Some people really are too precious for real life aren't they?! The only homemade food I've ever had to turn my nose up was from an utter clean freak. I opened the wrapping and got a waft of cleaning products. But my husband ate it. . But then I was amused by a woman visiting the local bakery, she demanded to know why pastries were on display unwrapped. really weird as that's fairly standard and not exactly a recent development, even in a lot of supermarkets. Germs. Everywhere. Yes. Yes they are.

You guys wouldn't want to eat at my house. The dog prewashes the plates as they're going in the dishwasher. Admittedly I wouldn't let her do this if we were washing by hand, but it's a long and hot wash followed by being steam dried.

We're still alive.

Im definitely of the school of thought that believes a few germs are good for your immunity, and rarely catch colds etc.

I'm knitting gifts for people this christmas, or I was, until you lot made me realise that I'm a horrible terrible person for foisting unwanted gifts that took time to make, rather than getting myself into debt to buy yet more shite. Oh well.

I'm knitting gifts for people this christmas, or I was, until you lot made me realise that I'm a horrible terrible person for foisting unwanted gifts that took time to make

Ignore the ungrateful, fussy, paranoid posters, caz. I'm sure you have a much better idea of what your family and friends will appreciate than a load of MNers do! I'm knitting a lovely pair of socks for my MIL for Christmas. She actually asked me to ! I'm quite a slow knitter, so I doubt I'll be able to knit anyone else anything for Christmas!

God these people should visit some kitchens in hotels/restaurants/pubs. I would far rather eat something made by someone I know, who likes me and is eating food prepared in the same kitchen!

I worked in various pubs/restaurants/hotels in my youth and saw some absolute horrors! None of them were ever in trouble with environmental health either.

Caz it would be of huge pleasure to me to have a hand knitted gift.

And I suspect that your friends are much like you.

@cazisalittlenuts

I'm knitting gifts for people this christmas, or I was, until you lot made me realise that I'm a horrible terrible person for foisting unwanted gifts that took time to make, rather than getting myself into debt to buy yet more shite. Oh well.

I think handmade gifts are lovely and am in the throes of doing some myself

Don't let what is a small sample size put you off. You know your family and friend.

@lazylinguist

I'm knitting gifts for people this christmas, or I was, until you lot made me realise that I'm a horrible terrible person for foisting unwanted gifts that took time to make

Ignore the ungrateful, fussy, paranoid posters, caz. I'm sure you have a much better idea of what your family and friends will appreciate than a load of MNers do! I'm knitting a lovely pair of socks for my MIL for Christmas. She actually asked me to ! I'm quite a slow knitter, so I doubt I'll be able to knit anyone else anything for Christmas!

I love knitting socks! Proper knitted socks are so cozy. I made some for my dad, who after having a heart attack now suffers from cold feet and was always saying he couldn't find proper woollen socks.

You are being neurotic OP. I grew up with people making things for us including a very eccentric colleague of my Mum's who lived in a ramshackle house and made boxes of sweets every Xmas. We were always so excited to get them, no doubt hand shaped and packed.. and were never ill. The Zoflora cleaning generation have produced kids with higher rates of allergies haven't they? There are many negative consequences to the hygiene mania.

@TheKeatingFive

This kind of attitude is tragic. I feel so sorry for people hampered by this hyper hygiene obsession.

And if you think commercially produced food is safer then 🤦‍♀️

Ive done work in this area and people haven’t a fucking clue.

This