04 Cooking: Clean is the New Clean
Evil pathogens are lurking!
Hanging around a restaurant kitchen has definitely changed my idea of what “clean” means. For all the dull stainless steel, lack of natural light, and drab surroundings, you could pretty much lick the prep tables in here—way better than my usual water-only wipe-down with a semi-moldy scrubber. In fact, when I stand in my home kitchen now I’m continually dashing here and there with a soapy sponge, looking for errant food trails on the cupboards. In the restaurant kitchen, we’re continually washing with detergent and sanitizing with a chemical mix (Ph–the acidity/alkalinity–is tested every time to make sure it’s safe to ingest) or super-hot water (180 degrees). Nobody wants to ingest or spread one of the big bad four, the food-borne disease axis of evil: bacteria, parasites, viruses and mold. Ignorance was bliss. Now I think I have botulism after breakfast. Next: What you CAN control: Time and the Danger Zone.