Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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ChatGPT image description: A stern restaurant inspector checks a prime rib roasting overnight, holding a thermometer showing under 120°F. The chef sleeps beside the oven, oblivious. The scene contrasts the inspector’s alarm with the chef’s exhaustion, highlighting unsafe cooking conditions and a tense, dimly lit kitchen atmosphere. Don's comment: I think this guy looks a little bit like Pete Snyder. Also very weird thermometer.

861. Russel's 120 °F Prime Rib

December 10, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from Russel's 120 °F prime rib recipe, which is a follow up to episode 854, Chef John's Perfect Prime Rib.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • 854. Chef John's Perfect Prime Rib — Risky or Not?
  • Conference for Food Protection, Inc - Issues
  • 2025-III-33 Raw Animal Foods Come-Up-Time (CUT)
  • Conference for Food Protection, Inc - Biennial Meeting Materials
  • 2025 Council III Issues Packet sent to Assembly of Delegates.pdf - Google Drive
  • Conference for Food Protection, Inc - Guides
  • CFP Guidance Documents for Safe Handling and Cooking of Roaster Pigs 10-25-21.
  • Microbiological Safety of Commercial Prime Rib Preparation Methods: Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella in Mechanically Tenderized Rib Eye - ScienceDirect
December 10, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Cooking, Prime rib, Long come up times

Image description: Image from the actual video

859. Medium Rare Duck Breast and HPAI

December 05, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of contracting high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) from medium rare duck breast.

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

  • Food Safety Talk 251: Too Many Brooms — Food Safety Talk
  • Instagram Duck Breast Video
  • Thermal Inactivation of H5N1 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Virus in Naturally Infected Chicken Meat - ScienceDirect
  • Rapid risk assessment to address emerging concerns of HPAI in raw and pasteurized milk | PLOS One
  • Avian Influenza | Washington State Department of Agriculture
  • Avian Influenza | Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
  • USDA Questions and Answers: Food Safety and Avian Influenza - April 2015
December 05, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Duck, Poultry, High pathogenicity avian influenza, Cooking

ChatGPT image description: A whole roast turkey sits on a platter garnished with parsley and cranberries. Its skin is golden and crisp. A round metal probe thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the breast, showing a reading of 155°F, highlighting that it’s been pulled from the oven before final resting.

Don: I will always find ChatGPT's wacky attempts to draw thermometers to be funny.

855. Cooking Raw Turkey to 155 °F

November 26, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of cooking raw turkey to only 155 °F

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

  • Alton Brown Cooks Food | Episode 1: The Big Bird - YouTube
  • Archive: National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Does Anybody Remember Laughter? - YouTube
  • FSIS Cooking Guideline for Meat and Poultry Products (Revised Appendix A) December, 2021
  • Response to the questions posed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service regarding consumer guidelines for the safe cooking of poultry products - PubMed
  • Response to the Questions Posed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service Regarding Consumer Guidelines for the Safe Cooking of Poultry Products - ScienceDirect
  • thanksgiving - Risky or Not?
  • Why Does Turkey Make You Sleepy? It Actually Doesn’t
November 26, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Poultry, Cooking

Chef John declares that it's OK for him to touch his own meat.

854. Chef John's Perfect Prime Rib

November 24, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of making rare roast beef.

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

  • Chef John's Perfect Prime Rib Recipe
  • John Mitzewich - Allrecipes
  • Supplemental Questions and Answers on Descriptive Designation for Needle-Or Blade - Tenderized (Mechanically Tenderized) Beef Products
  • USDA Finalizes Rule to Require Labeling of Mechanically Tenderized Beef Products | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • FSIS Cooking Guideline for Meat and Poultry Products (Revised Appendix A) December, 2021
  • Dr. Hook - Wikipedia
  • Dr. John - Wikipedia
  • John Mitzewich - Wikipedia
  • Predictive Model for Growth of Staphylococcus aureus on Raw Pork, Ham, and Sausage - ScienceDirect
  • Mr. Mom: "220, 221... Whatever it takes..." - YouTube
  • APPENDIX 4: Bacterial Pathogen Growth and Inactivation
November 24, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Prime rib, Rare, Cooking

ChatGPT image description: A beautifully roasted turkey rests in a pan, stuffed with golden bread cubes and vegetables. A meat thermometer inserted directly into the stuffing reads 165°F, signaling safe doneness. The turkey’s crispy skin glistens, and the scene looks ready for a festive meal.

Don: And once again ChatGPT really does not understand thermometers or numbers on a scale. It doesn't really understand what a turkey might look like either.

848. Cooking Stuffing Inside the Turkey

November 10, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of cooking stuffing inside the turkey.

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

  • John Wyatt on X: "Today I get to enjoy the yearly tradition where my father gives me a hard time about insisting that stuffing be cooked in the bird when I should "know better" because I'm a health inspector (It's my favourite food, and the risk is easily managed and outweighed by the benefit)" / X
  • How to Cook Turkey Stuffing Safely | USDA
  • Does anybody remember laughter?? : r/ledzeppelin
  • Food Safety Talk 53: Raw Milk Hamsterdam — Food Safety Talk
  • 840. DIY French Burger Kit — Risky or Not?
  • Butterball Cook from Frozen Premium Whole Turkey, 10-14 lbs - Harris Teeter


November 10, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Thanksgiving, Turkey, Stuffing, Cross-contamination, Temperature, Cooking

A close-up of a sunny-side-up egg cooking in a textured black pan. The yolk is vibrant yellow, and the whites are cooked with light browning at the edges. Subtle, glowing, microscopic virus-like shapes are faintly embedded in the egg whites, blending naturally into the scene under warm lighting.

726. Sunny Side Up Egg From a Bird Infected With Bird Flu

January 29, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from sunny side up egg from a bird infected with bird flu.

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

  • SHensley: "@benjaminchapman.bsky.social @bugcounter.bsky.social Georgia is like 15% of the US poultry production. Eggs sunny side up from a chicken with bird flu #riskyornot? www.wjcl.com/article/geor..." — Bluesky
  • Full article: Heat inactivation of avian influenza and Newcastle disease viruses in egg products
  • The Impact of Holding Time on the Likelihood of Moving Internally Contaminated Eggs from a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Infected but Undetected Commercial Table-Egg Layer Flock | Avian Diseases
  • Full article: Avian influenza viruses in poultry products: a review
  • Evaluation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Egg Pasteurization Processes on the Inactivation of High-Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Virus and Velogenic Newcastle Disease Virus in Processed Egg Products - ScienceDirect
  • Detection of Influenza A Viruses in Eggs Laid by Infected Turkeys | Avian Diseases
  • Questions and Answers Regarding the Safety of Eggs During Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreaks | FDA
  • Interagency Risk Assessment for the Public Health Impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Poultry, Shell Eggs, and Egg Products (May 2010) | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Executive Summary, Interagency Risk Assessment for the Public Health Impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Poultry, Shell Eggs, and Egg Products - May 2010
  • Interagency Risk Assessment for the Public Health Impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Poultry, Shell Eggs, and Egg Products Conducted by FSIS in collaboration with FDA and APHIS
  • USDA Questions and Answers: Food Safety and Avian Influenza April 2015
  • Skibidi Toilet - Season 1 [FULL SCREEN] - YouTube
January 29, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Eggs, HPAI, Bird flu, Highly pathogenic avian influenza, Cooking

DALL·E - An open mailbox with a pan of lasagna inside. The mailbox is located at the edge of a suburban street, with a neatly trimmed lawn and a few houses visible.

633. Mailbox Lasagne

June 26, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of making lasagna in your mailbox.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Anybody remember laughter?
  • Merch — Risky or Not?
  • Kevin Budnik
  • Tennessee Weatherman Shares Recipe for "Mailbox Lasagna"
  • If I see a whole lasagna in the mailbox I'm taking it : r/USPS
  • Special Delivery: Mailbox Lasagna - BitterSweet
June 26, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Lasagna, Cooking

386. Pink Burger at 170 °F

November 28, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating a clearly pink burger that is cooked to 170 °F.

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

  • Persistent pinkness in ground beef patties - Meat Science
  • Fresh Ground Beef Color: A Consumer Guide
  • Assessment of Risk Communication about Undercooked Hamburgers by Restaurant Servers - PubMed
  • Dr. Melvin Hunt: Relationship of Meat Color to Cooked Meat Safety - YouTube
November 28, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Burger, Persistent pink, Cooking

383. Smoking a 27 Lb Turkey

November 21, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks that Ben will face this American thanksgiving when he smokes a 27 lb turkey named ham.

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

  • Staphylococcal Food Poisoning from Turkey at a Country Club Buffet -- New Mexico
  • Growth of Clostridium perfringens in cooked chili during cooling | Applied and Environmental Microbiology
  • Thermal Inactivation of Clostridium perfringens Enterotoxin in Buffer and in Chicken Gravy - 1982 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • Growth and Survival of Clostridium Perfringens During Constantly Rising Temperatures - Willardsen- 1978 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • ComBase
November 21, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Turkey, Smoked meat, Cooking

374. Eating Meat of a Properly Cooked (160 °F) Rabid Animal

October 31, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating meat of a properly cooked (160 °F) rabid animal

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

  • Furious Rabies after an Atypical Exposure | PLOS Medicine
  • What if? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
  • Rabies virus in slaughtered dogs for meat consumption in Ghana: A potential risk for rabies transmission - PubMed
  • Rhabdovirus (Rabies Virus) document from AABB
  • Home - Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies
October 31, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Rabies, Thermal inactivation, Heating, Cooking

367. Fries Cooked in Cooking Oil With a Mouse

October 14, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of easting fries cooked in cooking oil with a mouse

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

  • TK on Twitter: "@bugcounter @benjaminchapman fries cooked in cooking oil after deep frying a mouse: risky or not? https://t.co/aBJBEsaMaa" / Twitter
  • 'It's a deep-fried rat': Man behind viral Whataburger mouse video speaks out
  • The Perfect Frying Oil Temp for Common Cooking Oils
October 14, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Cross-contamination, Cooking, Rodent

353. Cooking Chicken in a Hotel Coffeepot

September 12, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of trying to cook a chicken in a "hotel" coffeepot.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Nick Dawson on Twitter: "@bugcounter @benjaminchapman from Reddit…chicken cooked in a hotel room coffee carafe 🤢https://t.co/t1Ad7LjgcO" / Twitter
  • Dave Harbarger on Twitter: "@bugcounter Apparently satire… but…here’s a link to the original poster on Twitter. https://t.co/z8kAeeszfL" / Twitter
  • The labeled this "Career advice" : insanepeoplefacebook
  • Alex Cohen on Twitter: "This is my best LinkedIn post to date https://t.co/lfyGEGHuo8" / Twitter
  • 👨‍🍳💋 : LinkedInLunatics
  • HUTTEN 9-bottle wine rack, solid wood - IKEA
  • How hot does a coffee maker hot plate get? | Espresso Expert
  • FSIS Cooking Guideline for Meat and Poultry Products (Revised Appendix A) | Food Safety and Inspection Service
September 12, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Cooking, Chicken, Hotel

297. Poultry Cooked to 150 °F (Plus Carryover)

May 04, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of cooking poultry to 150 °F plus carryover heating.

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

  • How to Check If Your Turkey's Cooked to the Right Temperature
  • USDA FSIS Appendix A

While searching for show art, Don came across the page linked below. This provides a more quantitative assessment, but does not change the overall conclusions.

  • The Science of Carryover Cooking: What Happens After You Cook |
May 04, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Cooking, Poultry, Temperature

275. Cooking While COVID-19 Positive

March 14, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of transmitting COVID-19 when cooking while COVID-19 positive

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

  • Gabrielle Schaffner on Twitter: "@bugcounter @benjaminchapman here’s a #riskyornot question: COVID + person, 5 days from + test, no symptoms…risky or not to cook for family members in isolation, without a mask on? (Cooking masked is really getting old but I’m willing!)" / Twitter
  • Potential for foodborne transmission Covid-19: » Meat Industry Association
  • Is It Safe to Cook for Other People During Coronavirus? | Food Network Healthy Eats: Recipes, Ideas, and Food News | Food Network
  • 270. Rice, Chicken, and Lo Mein Leftovers — Risky or Not?
  • Food Safety and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | CDC
March 14, 2022 /Don Schaffner
COVID-19, Cooking, Food preparation

251. Aaron's Black Eyed Peas

January 17, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating properly stored rehydrated black eye peas not boiled for 20 minutes.

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

  • Don Schaffner 🦠 on Twitter: "@PulsedAlmondboy @benjaminchapman I have so many questions. It seems that these are already cooked. Why does the label recommend washing? The directions say boil uncovered for 20 minutes, but then it also says don't overcook. Boiling for 20 minutes sure seems like overcooking to me." / Twitter
  • Black Eye Peas | Sunny Creek Farm
  • Traditional Southern New Year's Day Menu - A Southern Soul
January 17, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Black eyed peas, Cooking

233. 100 Hour Lasagna

December 06, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating lasagna that is made over a 100 hour time period.

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

  • Merch — Risky or Not?
  • White elephant - Wikipedia
  • Yankee Swap Rules –
  • 100-Hour Lasagna - YouTube
December 06, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Lasagna, Cooking, Extended preparation time
209.png

209. Cooking a Thawed Turkey Meant to Cooked From Frozen

October 11, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating a cooked turkey that's been thawed, when it was meant to be cooked from frozen.

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

October 11, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Turkey, Thawing, Cooking
169.png

169. Steeping Food in Seawater

July 09, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of cooking seafood by stepping in seawater.

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

  • ★metal★matt★ on Twitter: Steeping your seafood in ocean water
  • $> whois mrhanlon
  • The Secret to Foolproof Seafood? Steep It, Don’t Cook It | Bon Appétit
  • Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures Chart | FoodSafety.gov
  • Close to Metal - Wikipedia
  • Information for Travelers | Cryptosporidium | Parasites | CDC
  • Protozoa: Cryptosporidium spp. - ScienceDirect
July 09, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Seafood, Seawater, Cooking
164.png

164. Using a Poultry Stone

June 28, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using a poultry stone to cook poultry.

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

  • Turkey Stone
  • Chris, Paranormal Attorney at Law on Twitter
June 28, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Poultry, Cooking, Poultry Stone
161.png

161. Cooler Cooked Corn

June 21, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of corn cooked by pouring boiling water into a plastic cooler.

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

  • People are cooking corn for a crowd in their coolers — but is it safe?
  • New York Campus | Institute of Culinary Education | Cooking School
  • Food Safety Talk 79: You’re Into Botulism Country (with Merlin Mann) — Food Safety Talk
  • Hannah (@okieokra) / Twitter
June 21, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Corn, Cooking, Plastic, Cooler
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