Is it a problem that the same flipper that touched raw blood touches the finished meat? [duplicate]

I noticed that when I was cooking stir fry, I used the same flipper throughout. This means when I put the meat in, the flipper came in contact with the uncooked meat and got some blood on it. Is this a problem considering it touches vegetables that go in much later? Should a different flipper be used half way through the cooking process?

food-safety raw-meat

Best Answer

Depends on how paranoid you are.

Technically: Yes, you should be using a different utensil once the meat is cooked. Any contact with raw meat carries a contamination risk, and you can't guarantee the utensil will be heated enough to "cook" it.

If you want to be as safe as possible, reverse the cooking order you're using - stir-fry the veggies first, set them off to the side, then cook the meat, then mix the veggies in again and use a fresh utensil to finish (or wash the current one.) This ensures that the veggies and second utensil only have contact with cooked meat.

Personally? I don't worry about it beyond the obvious - I make sure I rinse the utensil off somewhere in there with some hot (and usually soapy) water, immerse it in the cooking liquid for a bit if applicable, etc. It's not the safest way of going about things, but it strikes a good balance (for me) between risk and convenience. YMMV, obviously.

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Quick Answer about "Is it a problem that the same flipper that touched raw blood touches the finished meat? [duplicate]"

Technically: Yes, you should be using a different utensil once the meat is cooked. Any contact with raw meat carries a contamination risk, and you can't guarantee the utensil will be heated enough to "cook" it.

Can you use the same tongs for raw and cooked meat?

It is absolutely NOT safe to use the same utensils on raw meat and poultry as on cooked. Either wash them thoroughly in warm soapy water in between, or do what I do: use two tongs: one to handle raw food and one for cooked. Also, don't use tongs on raw meat and then on vegetables.

Can you use the same spatula for raw and cooked meat?

So how should you use your spatula in a safe way when cooking raw meat? The basic rule is that once the spatula touched the raw meat, that same unwashed spatula should NOT be touching cooked meat. Use another clean spatula to handle the meat that's been cooked. Same logic applies to using spatulas to handle raw fish.

Can two different raw meats touch?

Yes, raw meats can touch each other because you'll be cooking them thoroughly before you eat them. The concern is when raw meat (any kind) touches other foods that won't be cooked, like fruits or vegetables. Then you could possibly transfer bacteria from the raw meat to the food that won't be cooked.

What happens if raw meat touches other food?

Never let raw meat, poultry or seafood touch cooked meat or any ready-to-eat foods, as this can cause cross-contamination. Foodborne pathogens from raw meat can easily spread to ready-to-eat foods and cause food poisoning.

Editors - Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Artem Podrez, Andrea Piacquadio, SHVETS production, Liza Summer