To use a washed-up raw meat knife

[CuppaDog]

DP and I had a big dispute regarding a hygiene issue. As these happen regularly, I'd love to get a sense check from this esteemed audience.

I cut DD (10)'s bread roll with a kitchen knife. That knife was used to cut raw chicken on the day before and subsequently washed up and has been dry overnight.

The strongly expressed demand was that I immediately throw away the bread roll, and that this is "common sense".

YABU - Using a raw meat knife for directly eaten food is never acceptable, even if it has been washed up
YANBU - It's fine to use a raw meat knife as long as it has been washed up

I agree! Any knife that can cut up raw chicken is unsuitable as a bread knife!

But OP’s DP is still massively over the top.

My partner has a proper phobia of raw chicken and this wouldn’t even bother him! You are definitely not being unreasonable!

OK, maybe I'm missing a major point but . . . I cut up some raw chicken with a knife. Board and knife are washed thoroughly. Next day, that knife can't be used for bread, veg, etc, because of possible contamination but you could use it to cut up more meat. If it was a contaminated knife, couldn't it just contaminate the next meat it cut up?

You’d be cooking the meat so if anything did transfer then it wouldn’t matter.

Ah @TheFatCatsWhiskers1 got it! The cooking of the "new" raw meat cut by the "contaminated" knife would killl anything introduced. Thank you!

Well I've read some truly bonkers things on Mumsnet over the years but I think this is possibly the most ridiculous thing I've ever read.

Kind of... I mean, obviously there are knives that are better suited to some jobs than others but I've never heard of anyone being strict about a "meat knife" that can't be used for anything else even after washing, even when working in restaurants. I've only ever known a couple of people who had different chopping boards for different things domestically (standard in restaurants, for good reason). So what's remarkable to me is that she has a partner who basically has the same attitude to these things - who thinks that there's such a thing as a "meat knife" and so on - when so few people do. Did they meet on peoplewhoareveryparticularaboutkitchenutensils.com ?

I'm from a Chinese family and we just use one cleaver to cut everything from raw meat to veg. I do wash in between using soap but I don't even think my parents would have bothered...everything got fried anyway.

Lol!

When I bring an argument like this, the response is along the lines of "you can't stop everything, but you need to minimise risks"

Exactly!!😀

YABU if you’re putting proper cooking knives in the dishwasher. It wrecks the handles.

Tell him you can't feed your child because you've touched raw meat, and it's down to him to sort out

If the knife had been run under a cold tap then wiped down your jeans, then fair enough. Otherwise what's the problem?

And that woman is? Know her do you?

I'm food hygiene obsessed, but a washed knife is a clean knife. I don't cut anything but veggies on the wooden chopping board as you can't really get those 100% clean, but metal, er yeah it washes clean. If the knife was just run under hot water and put on the side to dry, then that's not clean.

I use a bread knife for chopping all kinds.. or whatever one I pull out the draw first .
All washed in hot soapy water dried put away for next time .
Saying that I wouldn't use my chopping board I chop onions herbs etc on for anything else other than that .
A knife whichever one is closest 😂

I get the feeling your husband has an irrational food disorder

Well even with your career it doesn't mean you have perfect hygiene habits ! I think it should be washed in hot soapy water or in the dishwasher

Don't know how a dishwasher came into play, but only over my dead body!

Only ever hand washing for knives, only wooden cutting boards (ideally end grain), never scrape with the sharp side of the blade. Never use the vegetable knife (12 degrees bevel angle of cutting edge, brittle but hard - 62+ HRC - high carbon steel sandwiched in softer steel) with meat that has bones (use 21 degree stainless steel knife for that), etc.

Meh! Life is way too short for shit like this. Might as well not wash the knife, if there is no trust in washing something.

If washing it up doesn't get it clean then when would the knife ever be safe to use again!?

Tell him to get ivermectin himself! YANBU

Over himself I meant 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣

Best he keeps his hands off you so OP, as then he will only be allowed to touch you and nothing else for the rest of his life.

I don’t think the “meat knife” rule is cultural. In my experience the far east is far more “one cleaver to do everything”