You Can Never Be Too Careful

Please don't remind me of Howard Hughes, who really had a fetish about touching anything that may have been dirty. I wash my hands a lot, but not like that. Right now there's paint on my hands, that I haven't been able to get off, from the arts and crafts my granddaughters did.

I used to be the cook in the local day care center, and I had all sorts of rules about keeping food covered, and I refused to grind fish in the food processor. People thought I was a bit fanatic, but nobody ever got food-borne illnesses or food poisoning during "my watch."

I'm constantly washing my hands with soap when dealing with raw meat, poultry and fish. Also I try to wash off after touching uncooked egg shells, and I don't serve any recipe with raw eggs. So I was very curious about a yahoo article about dangerous foods.

Eggs: While most eggs aren't going to make anyone sick, experts estimate that more than 2 million germy eggs (as in Salmonella infected) get into circulation each year, sickening 660,000 people each year and killing as many as 300. Um, maybe we should think twice about eating that cookie dough (or, judging by our conversation on Vitamin G, perhaps you'd rather take your chances?). How to buy cleaner eggs? Make sure the carton says they're pasteurized and never buy a dozen that contains any obvious cracks or leaks.
Peaches: They're pretty, but that's just skin-deep. Health experts warn that peach skins are doused in pesticides before they make it to grocery store to prevent blemishes. On average, a peach can contain as many as nine different pesticides, according to the USDA. This is one fruit you might want to buy organic (which may have blemishes, but won't have pesticides). (Here's How Peaches Can Help You Build Muscle.)
Pre-packaged salad mixes: Surprise! "Triple washed" doesn't mean germ-free say experts. Pathogens may still be lurking so be sure to wash your greens before tossing in your salad bowl. (Don't make these salad mistakes!)
Melons: Get ready to be grossed out. According to the article, "when the FDA sampled domestically grown cantaloupe, it found that 3.5 percent of the melons carried Salmonella and Shigella, the latter a bacteria normally passed person-to-person. Among imported cantaloupe, 7 percent tested positive for both bugs." Ewww. Your best bet: Scrub your melons with a little mild dish soap and warm water before slicing. (Stay healthy with these delicious winter fruits!)
Scallions: Blamed for several recent outbreaks of Hepatitis A, and other bugs like the parasite Cryptosporidium, Shigella and Salmonella, scallions present a food safety problem because of the way they grow (in the dirt) and lack of proper washing. While you can't control what happens in restaurant kitchens, you can give them a super-duper washing at home before cooking with.
Other dirty foods in the article include chicken, ground beef and turkey, raw oysters, and cold cuts. Click here to read 5 more.

Yes, I felt sick after reading it, too. When we made aliyah (moved to Israel) there was a cholera epidemic, so for years I rinsed all fruits and vegetables in soupy water. There was always a special bowl by the sink for that purpose. As I write this, I picture that blue bowl. I still rinse everything eaten raw in water, but not soapy water. And the leaves, like lettuce and cabbage which sometimes have bugs, get soaked in salt water and then I check and check and rinse again.

And I haven't mentioned the Bamba scare. That's related to the peanut article I want to write.