Random food hygiene question

[Om83]

It occurred to me earlier whilst cooking a chicken stir fry for dinner that the spatula I was using to turn the raw chicken would still have raw chicken ‘juices’ on it after the chicken and veg was cooked….

obviously I’ve not killed anyone yet with food poisoning but got me thinking (and now can’t stop thinking!) should I use 1 spatula for turning meat when raw and then use a clean one once the outside is done?!

am I over thinking this?!🙄

I think you're overthinking it. If you're cooking everything (like the chicken and vegetables) thoroughly in the same pan, changing utensils isn’t necessary, as long as the spatula gets "cooked" along with the food. Because heat kills bacteria (the same way it does on the actual chicken).
When you use the same spatula to stir raw chicken and then continue cooking that chicken and veg thoroughly, especially if it's all sizzling in the same hot pan, any bacteria (like Salmonella) that may have been on the spatula will be killed by the heat of the pan during the cooking process.

I have had the same thought if I'm honest. If I have a boiling pan of something going (e.g. while cooking pasta) I just put the spatula inside it and give it a swirl, so the hot water kills any dangerous bacteria. Otherwise, once the meat has browned, I give it a quick wash just the once to put my mind at ease.
I admittedly over-worry about this sort of stuff though, and I'm not in any way suggesting this is necessary!

the juices on your spatula are so thin, and minor, that they take almost NO cooking so just the act of stirring your food will cook anything relevant.

I keep anything that has touched the raw meat completely separate from the cooking or cooked stuff. I use two spoon rests on the counter, one for the raw utensil and one for the cooking one.

Thanks all!! Glad I’m not the only one thinking about this but yes realise it might be a bit OTT!! Will prob just pop in a boiling pan as suggested if I think it needs it.

my daughter was recently diagnosed with coeliac disease so whilst not the same thing at all has heightened my awareness of any contamination of anything with anything!!