Greasy hands

[mengwong]

Advice, please. When you’re cheffing about in your kitchen doing cheffy things, and you get your hands dirty / greasy with oil / raw meat juices / etc, what do you do? Do you pause to wash with soap? Or just towel off and keep trucking?

 

[ethompson]

Can’t stand working with dirty hands. I won’t wash in the middle of a task, but I’ll definitely do a full station cleanup and hand wash between tasks at home if I’m switching from protein to produce or just finished something messy.

 

[ian]

Nah, the more grease on your hands, the more flavor will go into your food! I usually keep a raw chicken in the fridge that I gently squeeze from time to time — my salads have never been better.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Nah, the more grease on your hands, the more flavor will go into your food! I usually keep a raw chicken in the fridge that I gently squeeze from time to time — my salads have never been better.

That cold meat is hard on your hands buddy and the juices don't release well. Just leave it on the counter and then you can stuff your hand in the cavity as you work.

You're welcome.

 

[Greasylake]

I wash my hands because if they're all greasy it makes me not want to touch my handles and transfer all the smells. Nothing worse than pulling out one of your knives and realizing it now smells like fish

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

OP, I keep one of these full of dish soap on the sink. Work great for quick hand washing.

https://www.simplehuman.com/products/battery-sensor-pump-8-fl-oz

 

[Jovidah]

Wipe on bathrobe?

 

[McMan]

https://news.bftv.ucdavis.edu/food-...ners-are-probably-dirtiest-items-your-kitchen

 

[mengwong]

Thanks all. I was worried that constantly washing my hands was too OCD. I’m glad to know other people do it too. I thought maybe real chefs just wipe bacteria off onto the cloth they hang manfully around their necks all the time.

I’m also glad to know what that whole raw chicken in the fridge is supposed to be for.

And I’m reassured that I’m not the only one who sniffs his knives.

 

[M1k3]

At work, I wear gloves (but not in place of washing my hands ever because that's just gross) when I'm dealing with messy stuff. At home I'll wash them, no gloves.

 

[ian]

More seriously, I wash my hands with soap immediately after doing anything that gets them in the least bit greasy/contaminated.

 

[KnightKnightForever]

In my own personal observations of myself and in professional kitchens, wiping on the apron is first, followed by using a towel and continuing to work. Most people, when working with raw meat, use one time use burger gloves... Or regular gloves, then wash after. In general, if your hands are too greasy that a quick wipe won't take care of it, a wash with soap that will remove the grease is required - slippery hands and sharp knives don't mix

 

[Nemo]

You are preparing food for people.

It's basic food hygiene.

 

[KnightKnightForever]

You are preparing food for people.

It's basic food hygiene.

Unfortunately, what we consider basic is not so simple industry-wide

 

[Dan-]

I like to use a thermoplastic glove on my left hand when cutting up meat. Sure it’s not necessary but it’s easier than washing my hands 18 times.

 

[ian]

How does wearing a glove prevent you from washing 18 times? Doesn’t 1 glove prevent you from washing 1 time?

 

[Dan-]

And that, kids, is how I met your mother.

It concerns me that you wondered why it’d save 18 washes vs one, instead of two (before and after). Anyway, I found I get distracted and end up stopping and starting, and the glove helps keep me on task. Plus before we cut waaaaaay back on meat, I’d cut up a case of stuff to freeze. Lastly, would it have helped had I said eleventy or fifty-leven?

 

[KnightKnightForever]

They have these one-use mitts called burger mitts which are more common in chains. But basically, it's a thin plastic glove that you slip over your sanitary glove and use it to handle meat once, and then throw in the trash. Helps avoid cross contamination, as long as you know how to grab one without contaminating the box or touching other mitts

 

[ian]

It concerns me that you wondered why it’d save 18 washes vs one, instead of two (before and after). Anyway, I found I get distracted and end up stopping and starting, and the glove helps keep me on task. Plus before we cut waaaaaay back on meat, I’d cut up a case of stuff to freeze. Lastly, would it have helped had I said eleventy or fifty-leven?

In most situations I find it saves me one, since my hands are already clean when I start, or if they’re not I’d want to wash them after taking the glove off anyway. But the point is not 18 vs 11 vs 50, I just commented since if it actually saved multiple hand washes then I’d use gloves more! Anyway, it’s good they help you focus — that totally makes it worthwhile to use them.

 

[Choppin]

At home I always keep a small microfiber towel and a small spray bottle with alcohol on my countertop (for routine sink / countertop cleaning). Before working with anything greasy, I'll saturate the cloth with alcohol and then wipe my hands whenever they feel too gross. Of course I'll wash my hands (and the cloth) when I'm done, but that helps me refresh mid-task. Plus, the small cloth is easier to clean than a cotton / linen towel.

 

[Jovidah]

Thanks all. I was worried that constantly washing my hands was too OCD. I’m glad to know other people do it too. I thought maybe real chefs just wipe bacteria off onto the cloth they hang manfully around their necks all the time.

I’m also glad to know what that whole raw chicken in the fridge is supposed to be for.

And I’m reassured that I’m not the only one who sniffs his knives.

Nah, nothing wrong with washing your hands a lot. Better once too often than once not-enough.
When I worked in a hospital kitchen I probably washed my hands like 50 times a day. Some of it stuck.... so now I still wash my hands more than most normal people, but essentially it's good practise.

Just make sure you don't contaminate your sink, soap bottle, etc. Was never a huge fan of just wiping on a towel (though I can understand why it's done in a professional kitchen); hard to shake the thought that it eventually just becomes a cross-contamination cloth.

Another thought that crossed my mind - though I'm guilty of overdoing it on the sanitary side as well - is that if you're so worried about contamination from your meat that you're essentially treating it like radioactive waste, maybe it's time to buy better meat.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Thanks all. I was worried that constantly washing my hands was too OCD. I’m glad to know other people do it too. I thought maybe real chefs just wipe bacteria off onto the cloth they hang manfully around their necks all the time.

I’m also glad to know what that whole raw chicken in the fridge is supposed to be for.

And I’m reassured that I’m not the only one who sniffs his knives.

Our Hotel paid for us to take a multi class food safety coarse. I studied for the 50 question multiple choice test. Chef told me I was only one in kitchen to get perfect score.
One other girl from front of the house got perfect score. I studied coarse materials because it had been decades since had been in school & didn't want to flunk it.

I wash my hands for first two years of COVID never had any cold symptoms. It wasn't until vaccine & boosters that let my guard down & got mild COVID. Clean kitchen as I go habit from working Hotel kitchens. Used to make sushi rolls & nigiri sushi at work. Now only buy fresh made sushi. Janice bought sushi from Costco it was terrible it was at least day old hard rice. Don't trust those bento boxes that stay out at near room temps for whole day. She bought a bento the chicken was so salty couldn't eat it. At least meat was preserved in salt.

 

[chefwp]

Thanks all. I was worried that constantly washing my hands was too OCD.

Haha, my siblings make fun of how often I wash my hands and say I'm OCD. They are only playing though and know it's because I'm mildly allergic to both cats and dogs but I'll always pet and play with them and do so often. I just habitually wash afterwards lest I do something foolish and touch my face which would activate my symptoms.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

I wash all the time. Sometimes a fill a small bucket with sudsy hot water and dunk and scrub thru out the process.