A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

ChatGPT image description: A rustic bar of garlic-themed soap sits on a wooden board, its creamy surface marbled with pale yellow swirls and topped with dried herbs. Garlic bulbs and loose cloves surround the soap alongside parsley, salt crystals, and peppercorns, giving the scene a culinary, farmhouse aesthetic reminiscent of artisanal soap displays.

900. Dried Garlic in Cold Process Soap

March 11, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of making garlic soap (eventually).

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A herd of goats stands on hind legs in a lush vineyard, eagerly eating clusters of ripe wine grapes from the vines. Some goats forage on fallen grapes below. In the background, a rustic stone winery with tiled roofs sits under a clear blue sky, framed by rolling hills.

899. Wine From Grapes Grazed by Goats

March 09, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from drinking wine from grapes grazed by goats.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Goats Do Roam Red - Fairview Marketplace
What is Côtes du Rhône? | Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Mississippi Pot Roast {The BEST Pot Roast EVER} - Belle of the Kitchen
Cryptosporidium, an important enteric pathogen in goats – A review - ScienceDirect
A Simple Alcohol-based Method of Oocyst Inactivation for Use in the Development of Detection Assays for Cryptosporidium - ScienceDirect
Effect of Organic Acids and Hydrogen Peroxide on Cryptosporidium parvum Viability in Fruit Juices - ScienceDirect
The Cryptosporidium Problem in Water and Food Supplies - ScienceDirect

Image description: These are the actual veggie wings and Dr. Don’s actual unwashed hands.

898. Flipping Veggie Wings With Unwashed Hands

March 06, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from flipping veggie wings with unwashed hands.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A rustic kitchen scene centers on a bowl of cooked brown rice on a wooden counter. Above and around it, pantry moths flutter beneath hanging utensils, garlic, herbs, and chili peppers. The warm lighting contrasts the wholesome food with an unsettling infestation.

897. Cooked Brown Rice Infested With Pantry Moths

March 04, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating eating cooked brown rice infested with pantry moths.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A fluffy orange cat sits on a kitchen floor, squinting and wrinkling its nose in clear disgust at a stainless steel water bowl filled with cloudy, debris-laden water. The cat’s expression conveys strong refusal, as if judging the water unfit to drink.

896. Not Washing a Cats Water Bowl for a Week

March 02, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from not washing a pets water bowl for a week.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A food microbiologist in a lab coat, gloves, and mask carefully examines a caramel apple removed from a mailed package. The apple is wrapped in plastic and studded with nuts. The scientist’s furrowed brow and cautious posture convey concern about the apple’s safety.

895. Caramel Apple That's Been Shipped Priority Mail

February 27, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating a candied or caramel apple that's been shipped priority mail.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

ChatGPT image description: A grinning old-time criminal in a black eye mask and striped prison uniform stands behind a pizza counter, slicing and serving pizza. The vintage pizzeria setting includes stacked boxes, condiments, and a retro sign, creating a playful, anachronistic scene where a cartoonish outlaw works as a pizza seller.

894. Pizza Sold by a Person That Broke Into the Restaurant

February 25, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from Eating pizza sold by a person that broke into a pizza restaurant.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Image description: The actual gummy bear in question.

893. Eating an Opened Two-Year-Old 5-Pound Gummy Bear

February 23, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating an opened two-year-old 5-pound gummy bear,

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A grimy warehouse storage area packed with assorted packaged foods sits under severe insanitary conditions. Open bags, jars, and boxes are stacked haphazardly amid rodent droppings, spilled food, and debris. Rats and pigeons are visible among contaminated products, suggesting serious food safety risks. (Note that this is NOT the actual warehouse).

892. Food From a Distribution Center With a Class II Recall

February 20, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from food from a distribution center with a class II recall

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A person lowers a vacuum-sealed bag of raw meat seasoned with fresh garlic, herbs, and spices into a stainless-steel sous vide water bath. The clear plastic shows garlic cloves and rosemary against the meat, while a digital immersion circulator maintains a precise low cooking temperature. (Note that ChatGPT picked the temperature with no input from me).

891. Using Fresh Garlic in Sous Vide Cooking

February 18, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using fresh garlic in sous vide cooking.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: Two bearded, leather-clad bikers crouch over a battered pot, poaching eggs in murky, trash-filled water. Steam rises as grimy hands crack eggs, motorcycles looming behind them in a rough, unsanitary outdoor scene.

890. Hairy Bikers Poached Eggs in Dirty Water

February 16, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using the Hairy Bikers egg poaching method.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A person in a beige apron uses a spatula to scoop glossy, melted chocolate from a stainless steel fondue fountain into a mason jar. Thick chocolate drips down the tiers as the jar fills, suggesting the chocolate is being carefully saved for reuse later.

889. Re-Using Chocolate From a Chocolate Fondue Fountain

February 13, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from re-using chocolate from a chocolate fondue fountain.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A blindfolded woman stands just outside a kitchen, smiling confidently while holding a sign that reads “COOKED.” Steam rises from a pan behind her, suggesting food on the stove. Though she can’t see, the aroma convinces her the meal is properly cooked.

888. Using Smell to Determine When a Food Is Safely Cooked

February 11, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using smell to determine when a food is safely cooked.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

887. Four Year Expired Beef Jerky From a Safe at the Bottom of the Ocean

February 09, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating four year expired beef jerky from a safe at the bottom of the ocean.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Mystery over safe with beef jerky inside recovered from Shark Bay's ocean floor - ABC News

A cheerful group of adults gathers outdoors beneath string lights and a “Pickle Party!” banner, laughing and sharing jars and dishes of colorful pickled foods. A long wooden table overflows with pickled cucumbers, beets, carrots, eggs, and other vegetables, creating a festive, communal atmosphere.

886. Attending a Pickle Party

February 06, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from attending a pickle party.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

A person in a cozy sweater pours sweetened condensed milk into a wooden bowl filled with fresh snow, stirring gently. The scene is set on a warm kitchen countertop with vanilla, milk, sugar, and colorful sprinkles nearby, capturing the nostalgic process of making snow cream indoors.

885. Snowcream

February 04, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from snowcream.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

A screened porch in winter doubles as an improvised refrigerator. Snow-covered trees are visible outside while tables, shelves, and coolers inside hold milk, drinks, produce, jars, and prepared foods. String lights add warmth, contrasting the cold December air of upstate New York.

884. Using a Screen Porch as a Refrigerator in December in Upstate New York

February 02, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using a screen porch as a refrigerator in December in upstate New York.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A clear plastic wine-style bottle filled with pale yellow eggnog stands against a white background. Its label reads “White Wine,” crudely crossed out with black marker, with “eggnog” handwritten underneath in red, giving the bottle a humorous, improvised appearance.

883. Eggnog in a Plastic Wine Bottle

January 30, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eggnog commercially sold in a plastic wine bottle.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

10 of the Best Finger Lakes Wineries You Must Visit

ChatGPT image description: An epidemiologist wearing protective clothing peers into an open home refrigerator with an icemaker in the door, closely inspecting surfaces for contamination. Holding a magnifying glass and a petri dish with visible bacterial colonies, they carefully examine the fridge’s interior and stored food.

882. Ice From the Automatic Ice Maker in a Home Freezer

January 28, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from a home automatic ice maker ice.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: Two identical versions of the same gray-haired, bespectacled man face each other, pointing accusingly. Between them sits a sealed brick of old coffee. Their exaggerated expressions echo the Spider-Man pointing meme, humorously suggesting confusion or self-comparison over the aging coffee.

881. 40 Year Old Dry Aged Coffee

January 26, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming 40 year old dry aged coffee.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼