Why the black, serial killer gloves?

[CoolFineDoneWicked]

I don't do any social media really, but I do like to browse Pinterest. I keep seeing recipe videos with people wearing these black latex gloves - what is that about? It's like watching a mortuary scene in a police procedural, or a drama about a psychotic killer with germophobia, except they're cutting up pastry instead of body parts.

More American influencer nonsense. And more unnecessary rubbish into landfill. Why they can’t just wash their hands is beyond me.

It's so off-putting though, why do it at all? I mean, it's a video - I don't care if they were just cleaning out the litter tray, I won't be eating this thing.

Americans always comment on UK cake makers’ media saying how disgusting it is that they aren’t wearing gloves. The Brits retort that hands are washable and gloves are nasty (and environmentally unfriendly). It’s an ongoing argument!

i despise them. I think they’re the anthesis of hygienic. Horrid slimy sweaty hands sliding around in latex whilst preparing food. Revolting. Just use clean hands and wash them frequently.

But it's a video! Who cares? Are they wearing gloves when they cook at home, too? My hands get messy as hell when I cook so much as toast, so I'm constantly washing them. Do they change their gloves every few minutes?

Yeah, they're ghastly. I scroll away from those videos, just as I scroll away from the plastic nail tappers and the ones with horrendous vocal fry. There's much nicer things to watch.

Yes! I find them so off-putting I never watch those videos - they make it look like they're handling something really disgusting.

I don’t know, but they give me the ick too. I am an academic who has done sexual health and behavioural research with people who engage in lots of, let’s say, less than vanilla endeavours. 😂 They are what people wear when fisting sometimes if they want to keep their hands clean (can I say fisting on MN?! 😬). So I just can’t cope seeing someone wear them to devour a bucket of wings. 🤣

@mindutopia 🤢 That will never leave my mind’s imaginary photo album

(I think they’re atrocious, environmentally irresponsible things anyway, should be banned.)

UK hygiene regulations condemn the use of gloves for that reason. Without gloves, you can feel if you’ve touched something and you wash your hands. With gloves on you can’t tell, so you’re potentially contaminating everything you touch. I can often wash my hands twenty times while cooking. I doubt they change gloves 20 times.

@mindutopia I learn so much from Mumsnet . Thanks for that ☺️.

Wearing them to eat wings is more disgusting than wearing them for fisting. Fisting seems to be an appropriate use for them.

I’m clearly in the minority here but I always have a couple of boxes of gloves (admittedly pink, not black) in the kitchen and bathroom. So much more pleasant being able to peel them off after doing messy jobs, particularly while also trying to supervise young DC.

And you wear them when you're cooking? That's so weird.

It’s actually pretty common, as the videos you’re seeing likely demonstrate. Just off the top of my head, I can remember seeing a number of friends and family members wearing them or at least seeing a box in their kitchen.

Some of the reasons why I wear them in the kitchen:

• I hate the texture/feeling of raw chicken
• Don’t want hands smelling of garlic, fish or other smelly foods
• Don’t want stained hands from beetroot etc
• Protects my manicure and stops hands cracking from having to wash them too often, especially in the winter

I wear gloves (the normal cream coloured ones) when handling chicken - it turns my stomach touching it with my hands. The black gloves don’t really bother me but people wearing rings and mixing any kind of dough is massive no for me.

Maybe it’s more that the black gloves are a bit much for some people?

I swear by the clear vinyl gloves especially in the winter. I’ll slather my hands with moisturiser when I get home in the evening and then put disposable gloves over them to let it sink in and ensure I can still do cooking and housework. Usually keep them on for an hour or two, so the gloves usually get worn while preparing evening dinner etc.

I was in an Asian restaurant recently and two people were wearing them to eat!

I understand wearing them while cleaning... if they are doing a lot of it, the chemicals could be causing skin reactions.

However er I thought food preparation gloves needed to be blue?

In professional kitchens, plasters are blue so they are immediately visible if they somehow end up in the food. Some may take the same approach with gloves and (eg) hair nets. However, what you use/wear in your own home is entirely up to you!