835. "Cooking" a Wrapped Egg in a Compost Pile
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from cooking a wrapped egg in a compost pile.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
Actual photo from reddit post
DALL·E image text: A frustrated person furiously scrubs a glass under a stream of steaming hot water from a faucet. Their face is tense and teeth clenched, with steam rising and water splashing in all directions. No soap is used, and their reddened hands show the heat of the scalding water.
834. Washing Drinking Glasses With Only Hot Water and Friction
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of washing drinking glasses with only hot water and friction.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
- Still too hot: Examination of water temperature and water heater characteristics 24 years after manufacturers adopt voluntary temperature setting - PMC
- Quantifying the Effects of Water Temperature, Soap Volume, Lather Time, and Antimicrobial Soap as Variables in the Removal of Escherichia coli ATCC 11229 from Hands - ScienceDirect
- 316. Using Cups to Scoop Water Out of a Shared Bowl — Risky or Not?
DALL·E image text: A cheerful British man with shoulder-length red-brown hair and a gap-toothed smile washes dishes in a cozy kitchen. He scrubs a soapy plate and places it into a white dish rack, with bubbles clinging to the dishes. Sunlight filters through a window, brightening the warm, homey space.
833. British Dishwashing Method
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using the British dishwashing method.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
- Bacon Method
- Is It Safe To Clean Your Dishes The 'British Way'? Health Experts Explain
- Three the Hard Way (film) - Wikipedia
- Human health risk assessment of chloroxylenol in liquid hand soap and dishwashing soap used by consumers and health-care professionals - ScienceDirect
- Ingestion of bar soap may produce serious injury: clinical effects and risk factors: Clinical Toxicology: Vol 57, No 5
- What to Know About Dish Soap | Poison Control
Real Ozzy, fake bat.
832. Biting the Head Off a Bat or Dove
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from biting the head off a bat or a dove.
Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️
- Black Sabbath ~ War Pigs - YouTube
- War Pigs - Wikipedia
- Fairies Wear Boots - YouTube
- Fairies Wear Boots - Wikipedia
- Did Ozzy Osbourne really bite the head off a live bat?
- Frontiers | An overview of bats microbiota and its implication in transmissible diseases
- Bacterial and Parasitic Diseases of Columbiformes - PMC
DALL·E image text: A white drip coffee maker sits on a beige countertop. The glass carafe is filled with dark coffee, while the clear water reservoir shows a small patch of green algae confined to the bottom left corner. The design is simple, clean, and highlighted by soft, even lighting.
831. Drinking Coffee Made With Water From a Reservoir With a Bit of Algae
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of drinking coffee made from a coffee maker that has algae growing in the transparent water reservoir.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
- The coffee-machine bacteriome: biodiversity and colonisation of the wasted coffee tray leach - PMC
- Preliminary Investigation on Hygienic-Sanitary Quality of Food Vending Machines - PMC
- Safety and quality assessment of hot-drinks vending machines in Southern Italy - ScienceDirect
- Toxic or Otherwise Harmful Algae and the Built Environment
- Cyanobacteria in fish ponds - ScienceDirect
- Toxicology of Aquarium Fish - ScienceDirect
DALL·E image: A teenage hockey player in full gear holds up his skate and licks the icy blade. Wearing a black helmet, red jersey, and gloves, he leans in with his tongue touching the blade. The rink background is blurred, emphasizing his focused expression and the unusual act.
830. Eating Skate Ice
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating ice off of your hockey skates.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
- Raptors Instagram
- 571. Hockey Ice Gum — Risky or Not?
- Ice resurfacer - Wikipedia
- 316. Using Cups to Scoop Water Out of a Shared Bowl — Risky or Not?
- How Untreated Water Will Affect The Quality Of Your Ice Surface
- NHL Unites | NHL.com
- Microbiological Quality of Packaged Ice from Various Sources in Georgia - ScienceDirect
- Arena ice quality and perspectives on optimizing performance and addressing emerging challenges - PMC
- Pablo Torre F*cks Around and Finds Out feat. Pablo Torre | Chapo Trap House - YouTube
Justin’s actual frosting.
829. Betty Crocker Frosting Stored Out of Refrigeration
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing frosting that says "Cover and refrigerate leftover frosting up to 30 days" at room temperature after opening.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
DALL·E image text: Four cheerful club members gather around a table piled with dusty, vintage MRE packages. A wooden sign above them reads “Vintage MRE Club.” The group smiles with excitement, examining the old rations in a cozy, wood-paneled room that captures the nostalgic and quirky spirit of their unusual hobby.
828. Vintage US Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs)
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming "vintage" (i.e., old) MREs from around the world, but focusing in those from the US.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
- Meal, Ready-to-Eat - Wikipedia
- Ensuring the Safety and Quality of RTE Meals for U.S. Service Members | Food Safety
- Jeremy Zenlea | LinkedIn
- Army researchers dug into the effects of MREs on gut health, here's what they discovered | Article | The United States Army
- Shelf-Stable Food Safety | Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Mathematical Models for the Effects of pH, Temperature, and Sodium Chloride on the Growth of Bacillus stearothermophilus in Salty Carrots - PubMed
- Mathematical Models for the Effects of pH, Temperature, and Sodium Chloride on the Growth of Bacillus stearothermophilus in Salty Carrots
Screen capture from TikTok
827. Bloated Meat Packages
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of meat from puffy or bloated packages.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
- Basset Hound Bloat Chart
- 465. Kurtis's Puffy Sausage — Risky or Not?
- Are "Bloated" Meat Packages Safe? We Asked a Food Safety Expert | The Kitchn
- TikTok - Always check your meat for this!
- Modified Atmosphere and Vacuum Packaging of Meat and Poultry Products: Food Reviews International: Vol 18, No 4
- Advancing sustainability through modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for fresh food preservation: A critical review - ScienceDirect
A man at a baseball stadium concession stand holds a hamburger, frowning at a messy stack of cheese slices on a tray. Another person’s hand reaches in to grab a slice, emphasizing the communal, slightly unsanitary feel. The baseball field is visible in the background.
826. Ballpark Cheeseburger With Self-Serve Sticky Cheese
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating Ballpark cheeseburger made with with self-serve sticky cheese handled by others.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
- Alexandria Aces Collegiate Summer Baseball Team in Alexandria, Virginia
- A Study of Staphylococcus Aureus Growth in Model Systems and Processed Cheese - MAGRINI - 1983 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
- High Hand Contamination Rates During Norovirus Outbreaks in Long-Term Care Facilities - PMC
- State of Handwashing Report.pdf
Figure from Barbut et at., 1987 of hard cooked egg shelf life
825. Air Cooled Hard Boiled Eggs After a Week at Room Temperature
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating air cooled hard boiled eggs after a week at room temperature.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
ChatGPT image text: A lifeless British admiral from 1800 lies preserved in a wooden barrel filled with brandy, camphor, and myrrh. His ornate naval uniform contrasts with his pale face as eerie fumes rise, creating a haunting, atmospheric scene of death, preservation, and solemn reverence aboard a dimly lit ship.
824. Drinking Horatio Nelson's Embalming Fluid Made With Brandy
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from drinking drinking Horatio Nelson' embalming fluid made with brandy, with camphor and myrrh.
Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️
ChatGPT image text: In a warehouse store, a smiling employee in a red apron offers food samples while a serious professor in a white lab coat studies the setup, arms crossed.
823. Costco Free Food Samples
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from consuming Costco free food samples.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
ChatGPT image text: A hotel bathroom shows a broken showerhead spilling rusty water into a white tub. Shattered metal pieces lie near the drain as orange-brown stains spread across the porcelain. Chrome fixtures and patterned tiles contrast sharply with the discolored water, emphasizing the scene’s unsettling mix of damage and contamination.
822. Don's Rusty Shower Event
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of standing in a hotel bathroom in Athens Greece after a shower head explodes.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
A blonde Canadian man sits in a bathtub, spitting out red wine after discovering a fly in his glass. He grips a video game controller in his other hand, looking shocked and disgusted. A Canadian flag hangs behind him, emphasizing his nationality amid the tiled bathroom backdrop.
821. Consuming a Fly in Wine, Twice
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of Consuming a fly in wine, on two different occasions.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
- Food Safety Talk 327: You Got It In Two (Live from AFDO 2025) — Food Safety Talk
- Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
- Wines - 19 Crimes
- 159. Food, Once a Fly Has Landed on It — Risky or Not?
- Task Management Software Built For Pros - OmniFocus - The Omni Group
- 201. Bug in Your Margarita — Risky or Not?
- 513. 12 Flies in a Soda Dispenser — Risky or Not?
- Epidemiology Protective Effect of Alcoholic Beverages...
- A systematic review of human pathogens carried by the housefly (Musca domestica L.) - PMC
A dented aluminum can with “BEER” crossed out by a bold red X and “LACF” beneath it seeps neon green slime from the seam near the closed pull top. The ooze dribbles down the side and pools below, creating a vivid, unsettling contrast against the plain background.
820. "Canning" an Unrefrigerated Low Acid Canned Food
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using a beer canning line to package low acid canned food that will not be refrigerated.
Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️
- Chumbawamba - Tubthumping - YouTube
- Iron Heart Mobile Canning | The Leader In Quality Canning
- Death Wish Coffee Co. Announces Recall of Nitro Cold Brew Cans From Retailers, Online Sales | FDA
- WO2022082110A1 - C. bot prevention in coffee - Google Patents
- Canned coffee products sold under 128 coffee roaster names recalled over potential Clostridium botulinum contamination | Food Safety News
DALL·E image text: A cheerful Canadian-looking professor in a plaid flannel shirt and beanie gives a thumbs-up inside a refrigerator set at 37°F. In the foreground, a clear container holds golden garlic confit, contrasting with the cold, clean interior. His proud expression highlights satisfaction with his perfectly chilled fridge.
819. Storing Garlic Confit in Ben's Refrigerator for Two Weeks
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing garlic confit at 37 °C (in Ben's refrigerator) for two weeks.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
- Garlic-in-oil associated botulism: episode leads to product modification. | AJPH | Vol. 80 Issue 11
- Botulism from Chopped Garlic: Delayed Recognition of a Major Outbreak | Annals of Internal Medicine
- Outgrowth and Toxin Production by Clostridium botulinum in Bottled Chopped Garlic - ScienceDirect
- Conservative Prediction of Time to Clostridium botulinum Toxin Formation for Use with Time-Temperature Indicators To Ensure the Safety of Foods - ScienceDirect
- Current Food Safety Issues of Home-prepared Vegetables and Herbs Stored in Oil
- Garlic Confit Recipe
- 78. Garlic Confit — Risky or Not?
- The Use and Performance of Household Refrigerators: A Review - James - 2017 - Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety - Wiley Online Library
ChatGPT: A sad-looking man rests his face in his hands at a table, staring at eight identical glasses of water lined up in front of him. His furrowed brow and downturned mouth suggest reluctance and weariness, as though the task of drinking them all feels overwhelming.
818. Not Drinking 8 Glasses of Water a Day
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks if you don't drink 8 glasses of water a day.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
- Do you really need to drink water? Find out here | TikTok
- The Water Myth | Office for Science and Society - McGill University
- | Office for Science and Society - McGill University
- Effect of Coaching to Increase Water Intake on Kidney Function Decline in Adults With Chronic Kidney Disease: The CKD WIT Randomized Clinical Trial | Urology | JAMA | JAMA Network
- Hyponatremia - Wikipedia
- Decoding the Gurus Podcast
- The Certainty Illusion by Timothy Caulfield: 9780735245884 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
- Dunning–Kruger effect - Wikipedia
DALL·E image text: A Massachusetts beach scene features a bold yellow warning sign. The red header reads “WARNING,” followed by black text stating: “RARE Vibrio vulnificus BACTERIA.” The sign stands prominently in the foreground, while behind it stretch sandy shores, rolling waves, grassy dunes, and a partly cloudy blue sky, creating a stark contrast.
817. Going to the Beach With a Vibrio Alert
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of going to the beach with a Vibrio vulnificus alert.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
DALL·E image text: A person rinses fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries under a modern faucet using a metal strainer. In the background, a sleek electronic fruit-washing gadget sits cracked and broken, unused on the counter. The contrast highlights the simplicity of hand-washing berries compared to the failure of the fancy device.
816. Washing Produce With Just Plain Water
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of just washing produce in plain water vs. a fancy gizmo.
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼
- Garrnish Pesticide Purifier: The Complete Fruit and Vegetable Cleaner – garrnish
- Pesticide Residue Monitoring Report and Data for FY 2022 | FDA
- Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Questions and Answers | FDA
- Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Reports and Data | FDA
- Removal of 16 pesticide residues from strawberries by washing with tap and ozone water, ultrasonic cleaning and boiling | Environmental Monitoring and Assessment