Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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427. Storing "Teriyk" in an Old Hair Spray Bottle

March 03, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using homemade Teriyaki sauce stored in an old hair spray bottle.

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

  • Teriyaki Sauce Recipe | Food Network
  • Andrew W.K. - Wikipedia
  • I Get Wet - Wikipedia
March 03, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Teriyaki sauce, Non-food safe container, Toxicology

426. Sending Home Baked Lemon Squares to the Elderly in the Mail

March 01, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks sending home baked lemon squares to the elderly in the mail.

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

  • What Are Nepotism Babies, And Why Is Everyone Talking About Them?
  • Gabrielle Schaffner on Twitter: "@bugcounter @benjaminchapman For the full recipe https://t.co/xw55rjBPM1" / Twitter
  • Whole Lemon Bars - David Lebovitz
  • Recipes - Texas Cottage Food Law
  • Food Safety of Frostings and Fillings


March 01, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Time temperature control for safety, Cottage foods

DALL·E a little bit of melted butter in a pan with a few small bits of sautéed vegetables in the style of edward hopper

425. Reusing Room Temperature Butter for Sautéing Vegetables

February 27, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of reusing room temperature butter for sautéing vegetables.

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

  • Risky or Not?
  • Heat Inactivation Rates of Botulinum Toxins A, B, E and F in Some Foods and Buffers - Woodburn- 1979 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • Conditions associated with Clostridium sporogenes growth as a surrogate for Clostridium botulinum in nonthermally processed canned butter - PubMed
  • Botulism outbreak in a rural Ethiopia: a case series | BMC Infectious Diseases | Full Text
  • Outbreaks of Botulism at Albany, Oregon, and Sterling, Colorado, February, 1924 on JSTOR
February 27, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Butter, Botulism, Time temperature control for safety

424. Red Hot "Cured" Egg Yolks

February 24, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating egg yolks "cured" in Red Hot.

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

  • Hot Sauce Cured Egg Yolks 🌶️🥚 A few months ago I thought to myself, ... | TikTok
  • Jorts Kitchen - YouTube
  • Hot Sauces, Buffalo Sauces, & Spicy Recipes | Frank’s® RedHot® US.
  • ChatGPT: Optimizing Language Models for Dialogue
  • 44: Salt Cured Egg Yolks — Risky or Not?
  • How to Make a Safe Hot Sauce
  • Pathogens | Free Full-Text | The Combined Effect of pH and Temperature on the Survival of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium and Implications for the Preparation of Raw Egg Mayonnaise
February 24, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Hot sauce, Curing, Eggs, Salmonella

That’s a lot of corn dogs…

423. Pastor Pinkston's Plentiful Pork Products

February 22, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing frozen corn dogs in the refrigerator for several weeks.

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

  • Classic | State Fair Corn Dogs
  • Listeria Fear Prompts 372,000 Pound Hot Dog, Corn Dog Recall | Food Manufacturing
  • Sara Lee Corp. Pleads Guilty In Meat Case - The New York Times
  • Update: Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis -- United States, 1998-1999
February 22, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Frozen food, Refrigeration, Listeria, Corndogs

422. Butter Candles

February 20, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using butter candles.

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

  • Landon Conover on Twitter: "⁦@bugcounter⁩ and ⁦@benjaminchapman⁩, here is another viral trend that might make a good #riskyornot. Merry Christmas and thanks for an awesome show! https://t.co/OCj0XHZQA4" / Twitter
  • Ain’t Too Proud To Meg on Instagram: “Follow @ainttooproudtomeg. VIRAL BUTTER CANDLE 🧈🕯️ What do you think? #foodtrend #buttercandle #feedfeed #food52 #tastemademedoit”
  • Butter Candle · i am a food blog
  • Elements of a Candle: Wicks - National Candle Association
February 20, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Butter, Candles, Toxicology

421. Beer Kegs in the Bathroom

February 17, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing unused beer kegs in the bathroom of a restaurant,

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

  • Don Schaffner 🦠 on Twitter: "@RyanMorey @Nowooski @benjaminchapman But also most definitely not a best practice. Maybe we should queue this one up for revisiting on risky or not, what do you think @benjaminchapman?" / Twitter
  • Food Safety Talk 189: Guerrilla Sous Vide Is A Go (Live from Renton Technical College) — Food Safety Talk
February 17, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Beer, Bathroom, Norovirus, Cross-contamination

420. Chicken in a Waffle Maker

February 15, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of cooking chicken drumsticks in a waffle maker.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Christian Johnson Ent. 💫🏁 on Instagram: “CHICKEN ON A WAFFLE MAKER?? 🥴😳😂 #ChristianJohnsonComedy Follow Me! @christianjohnsoncomedy…”
  • Waffled Chicken with Spicy Syrup Recipe | Food Network Kitchen | Food Network
  • Location Finder | Maple Street Biscuit Company
February 15, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Chicken, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Waffle maker

419 DALL·E 2023-02-07 12.44.04 - frozen peas, corn, carrots, bell pepper, and onion in yogurt with cumin and cayenne

419. Frozen Mixed Veggies in Yogurt

February 13, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of mixing uncooked, frozen vegetables into yogurt and storing for several days in your refrigerator.

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

  • 163. Corn and Peas Microwaved for 90 Seconds — Risky or Not?
  • Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Frozen Vegetables | Listeria | CDC
  • Frederick Breidt : USDA ARS


February 13, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Yogurt, Frozen vegetables, Listeria

418. Pocket Baked Potato

February 10, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of bringing a baked potato to a football game in your pocket.

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

  • Big Show - Wikipedia
  • Big Game (American football) - Wikipedia)
  • TK To come (publishing) - Wikipedia)
  • (4) TK on Twitter: "@benjaminchapman @bugcounter pocket baked potato #riskyornot" / Twitter
  • (4) KC Potato Girl on Twitter: "Just wanted to hop on and show yall my appreciation! This has been a smashing time! 🙌❤️💛🏈🥔 thanks for everyone's support! no hate to JKill.. #Chiefs #ChiefsKingdom #pocketpotato #kcpotatogirl @Chiefs @HyVee @Wendys https://t.co/Ez7NVq37qa" / Twitter
  • A large outbreak of botulism: the hazardous baked potato - PubMed
  • The Four Yorkshiremen Sketch - YouTube
  • Baked Potato Sellers of the 1800s in England - Geri Walton
  • Potato hand-warmers? Anchors, viewers share their creative ways to #StayWarmTODAY
  • Makebelieve Help, Old Butchers, and Figuring Out Who You Are (For Now) | 43 Folders
February 10, 2023 /Don Schaffner

417. Pickle From 1890

February 08, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating a pickle from 1890

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

  • The Juicy 4,000-Year History of Pickles - HISTORY
February 08, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Pickle, Fermented foods, Pickled foods
DALL·E, Leftover Home Cooked Vegetable Soup Stored in a Refrigerator During a Power Outage in the style of Edward Hopper

DALL·E, Leftover Home Cooked Vegetable Soup Stored in a Refrigerator During a Power Outage in the style of Edward Hopper

416. Leftover Home Cooked Vegetable Soup Stored in a Refrigerator During a Power Outage

February 06, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating leftover home cooked vegetable soup stored in a refrigerator during a power outage for a specific amount of time under certain conditions.

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

  • ComBase
  • Thermapen ONE | ThermoWorks
  • Waterproof Pocket Digital Thermometer PDT300 from Comark
  • Digital thermometers: Easy readout of measuring values | Testo, Inc
  • Emergency Action Plan for Retail Food Establishment | Conference-Developed Guides and Documents | Conference for Food Protection
  • Effect of thermal ballast loading on temperature stability of domestic refrigerators used for vaccine storage | PLOS ONE
February 06, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Time out of temperature control, Power outage

DALL·E 2, Live crabs on an airplane in the style of Jack Kirby

415. Flying With Crabs

February 03, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating crabs after transporting live crabs via checked luggage.

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

  • Reese Waters on Twitter: "WHO FLEW WITH CRABS?! https://t.co/c0cux6Jyyi" / Twitter
  • Time‐Temperature Effects on the Bacteriological Quality of Stored Shellfish. - HOFF - 1967 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • Rare Death Via Histamine Poisoning Following Crab Consumption: A Case Report - PubMed
  • Cancer pagurus (Linnaeus, 1758) physiological responses to simulated live transport: Influence of temperature, air exposure and AQUI-S® - ScienceDirect
February 03, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Crabs, Temperature abuse

414. Slimy Meat With Holes

February 01, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating meat with holes that are slimy.

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

  • Alex on Twitter: "@f*ckedupfoods @bugcounter and @benjaminchapman this is uh... Bad right" / Twitter
  • f*cked up looking food on Twitter: "https://t.co/mI1yRQrNWu" / Twitter
  • Microbiological Spoilage and Contamination of Vacuum-Packaged Cooked Sausages | Journal of Food Protection
  • Sodium Nitrite and Sorbic Acid Effects on Clostridium botulinum Toxin Formation in Chicken Frankfurter‐Type Emulsions - Sofos - 1979 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • CSIRO Meat Technology Update
February 01, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Meat, Bologna, Clostridium botulinum, Spoilage

413. Worker Not Wearing a Hair Covering in a Restaurant

January 30, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from a worker not wearing a hair covering in a restaurant.

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

  • food safety hair covering - Google Scholar
  • Carriage of potentially pathogenic bacteria in the hair - Black - 1974 - BJS (British Journal of Surgery) - Wiley Online Library
  • Scientific Evidence Supports the Use of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers as an Effective Alternative to Hand Washing in Retail Food and Food Service Settings When Heavy Soiling Is Not Present on Hands | Journal of Food Protection
  • FDA Food Code | FDA
  • Is Hair In Food A Health Risk? | Popular Science
  • Food Defect Levels Handbook | FDA
  • Human Hair in Food: Could it lead to contamination? - Food Safety Helpline
January 30, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Hair, Cross-contamination

412. Defrosting Trays

January 27, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of Defrosting Trays

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

  • Dr. Kara Morgan on Twitter: "⁦@bugcounter⁩ ⁦@benjaminchapman⁩ - this is a new one for me. Have you done an episode on these yet? “Defrosting trays” https://t.co/ksuAZC832l" / Twitter
  • Premium Innovative Defrosting Tray @ SharperImage.com
  • Amazon.com: CHEFLY Large Fast Defrosting Tray for Frozen Meat Foods 13.8〃 by 7.8〃 No Electricity Aluminum Miracle Natural Thawing Plate : Home & Kitchen
  • Anybody remember laughter? - Portland Press Herald
  • Mallrats - Wikipedia
  • thawing - Risky or Not?
  • The Effect of Different Thawing Methods on the Growth of Bacteria in Chicken
  • Don Schaffner 🦠 on Twitter: "Room temperature thawing of frozen meat is an interesting topic that comes up from time to time. If you check all of the food safety advice websites they will tell you that it is not safe to do this. (1/18)" / Twitter


January 27, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Thawing, Defrosting, Cross-contamination
Dirty Coffee Carafe and Filter Basket in the style of Vermeer

Dirty Coffee Carafe and Filter Basket in the style of Vermeer

411. Brewing More Coffee Without Cleaning the Carafe and Filter Basket

January 25, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of brewing more coffee without cleaning the carafe and filter basket.

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

  • Risky or Not? episodes with Coffee tag
January 25, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Coffee, Washing, Cleaning
Loosey-Goosey Cured Bacon in the style of Salvador Dali

Loosey-Goosey Cured Bacon in the style of Salvador Dali

410. Chris's "Loosey-Goosey" Cured Bacon

January 23, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of making bacon using Chris’s “loosey-goosey” method for adding nitrite.

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

  • https://meatsci.osu.edu/sites/meatsci/files/imce/BorchertCassensNitriteHazard1998.pdf
  • WHO report says eating processed meat is carcinogenic: Understanding the findings | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
January 23, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Bacon, Nitrite
Wet hands in the style of Norman Rockwell

Wet hands in the style of Norman Rockwell

409. Not Fully Drying Your Hands

January 20, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of not fully drying your hands after washing them.

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

  • Longer Contact Times Increase Cross-Contamination of Enterobacter aerogenes from Surfaces to Food | Applied and Environmental Microbiology
  • Microbiological evaluation of different hand drying methods for removing bacteria from washed hands - PMC
  • Joe Smith: How to use a paper towel | TED Talk
January 20, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Handwashing, Cross-contamination

408. Found Fries

January 18, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating french fries found in a car long after they were fresh.

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

  • Growth of Bacillus cereus on Oil‐blanched Potato Strips for “Home‐style” French Fries - Doan - 1999 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • McDonald's burger and fries show no sign of rot after 6 years
  • Limpness of Fried Potato Slabs During Post‐Frying Period - Miranda - 2005 - Journal of Food Process Engineering - Wiley Online Library
  • Growth and Production of Enterotoxin A by Staphylococcus aureus on “Home‐style” French Fries - Doan - 1999 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • Clazzio install - S2KI Honda S2000 Forums
January 18, 2023 /Don Schaffner
French fries, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Time temperature control for safety
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