Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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A frazzled Canadian food microbiologist stands on a beach house deck, clutching raw burger patties and staring in panic at a grill. Behind him, his relaxed family enjoys the seaside view. A cooler and beach towels add to the vacation setting, contrasting his anxiety over a missing meat thermometer.

804. Ben's Missing Thermometer

July 30, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating a beef hamburger cooked by Professor Ben without a thermometer.

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

  • Jersey Shore (TV series) - Wikipedia
  • Jersey Shore - Wikipedia
  • Bald Head Island NC
  • Waterproof Pocket Digital Thermometer PDT300 from Comark
  • 83. Cannibal or Tiger Meat Sandwiches — Risky or Not?
  • Seinfeld - The Car Reservation - YouTube
  • ThermoWorks | Professional Thermometers & Temperature Tools
July 30, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Hamburger, Thermometer, E. coli O157:H7

A smiling man in a vibrant Hawaiian shirt sits at a wooden table, ready to eat a medium-rare steak. The steak is perfectly seared, pink in the center, and served with fries. Warm lighting and a simple background highlight the casual, relaxed dining moment.

782. Mechanically Tenderized Beef, Medium Rare

June 09, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating mechanically tenderize steak medium rare. You might want to listen to the end, no really all the way.

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

  • Mechanically Tenderized Beef | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • 778. Out of Date Simpson's Ham — Risky or Not?
  • Assessment of Risk Communication about Undercooked Hamburgers by Restaurant Servers - PubMed
  • Thermal Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Blade-Tenderized Beef Steaks Cooked on a Commercial Open-Flame Gas Grill - ScienceDirect
  • ScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books.
  • Beef Retailers Now Labeling Mechanically Tenderized Beef | Home
  • 2010 Food code Issue III 010 attachment
  • Consumer Response to Mechanically Tenderized Beef (MTB) and MTB Labels: An Exploratory Focus Group Study - ScienceDirect
  • Outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infections Linked to Mechanically Tenderized Beef and the Largest Beef Recall in Canada, 2012 - ScienceDirect

And here are two articles that Don found later.

  • Findings of the Health Risk Assessment of Escherichia coli 0157 in Mechanically Tenderized Beef Products in Canada
  • Comparative Risk Assessment for Intact (Non-Tenderized) and Non-Intact (Tenderized) Beef: Technical Report


June 09, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Mechanically tenderized beef, E. coli O157:H7

A person in a brown shirt carefully sweeps spilled flour from a countertop into a ceramic bowl using a wooden brush, intending to save it for later. The scene is warmly lit and focused on the hands and tools.

772. Reusing Bench Flour

May 16, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from reusing bench flour.

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

  • 214. Having a Romantic Flour Fight — Risky or Not?
  • Simple Sourdough Pizza Crust: Step-by-Step Guide | Alexandra's Kitchen
  • food safety - What should I do with my leftover bench flour? - Seasoned Advice
May 16, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Flour, E. coli O157:H7

Today instead of stealing from all artists, we are just stealing from one. This image was originally posted on the eatortoss.com website and we're using it without permission. Hopefully Rachel will forgive us. If not I know a way to make another one.

756. Apples Bitten by Stink Bugs

April 09, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating an apple bitten by stink bugs.

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

  • Eat or Toss? Is it OK to eat?
  • Dark, dented spots on apple?
  • Fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on Fresh-Cut Apple Tissue and Its Potential for Transmission by Fruit Flies | Applied and Environmental Microbiology
  • 707. Eating Fruit That’s Been Bitten by a Bat — Risky or Not?
  • Brown Marmorated Stink Bug | US EPA
April 09, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Apples, Stink Bugs, E. coli O157:H7

DALL·E - A refrigerated display case containing one package of ground beef. The ground beef package has a label that includes the words “The ground meats in this display have been produced using fresh and frozen meat”.

616. Thawing and Refreezing Meat Multiple Times

May 17, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of thawing and refreezing meat multiple times.

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

  • What does Chronically Online mean? | Social Media Glossary by Keyhole
  • List of diss tracks - Wikipedia
  • The Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake Beef, Explained - The New York Times
  • From east to west, ‘Canada’s Ultimate Challenge’ travels to hidden gems across the country - NOW Toronto
  • 233. 100 Hour Lasagna — Risky or Not?
  • Safely defrosting foods - Canada.ca
  • Food safety and you - Canada.ca
  • The Big Thaw — Safe Defrosting Methods | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Validation of Mathematical Models for Salmonella Growth in Raw Ground Beef under Dynamic Temperature Conditions Representing Loss of Refrigeration - ScienceDirect
  • The Food Professor on X: "This was shared with me; it was seen in a grocery store in Ottawa. Have you ever seen a sign like this before? https://t.co/3opruzF6xj" / X
  • 8 Mile - Ending Battles (4K/UHD) - YouTube
May 17, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Beef, Freezing, Thawing, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7

Image from the video linked below

602. Hamburger Made With a Bun Touching Raw Meat

April 15, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating a burger made with the bun touching the raw meat during cooking.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • A Burger Scholar recreates the original White Castle slider 🤯 - YouTube
  • Our History - White Castle
  • Beastie Boys – Body Movin' Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
  • Beastie Boys – Get It Together Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
  • Beastie Boys – Slow and Low Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
  • Beastie Boys' 'Licensed to Ill': White Castle VP Discusses Album on 30th Anniversary | Billboard
April 15, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Hamburger, Cross-contamination, Beef, E. coli O157:H7

Here's the image of a fictional package of beef jerky labeled as "Uncle Mike's Beef Jerky Company," designed for social media promotion.

587. Homemade Jerky From Facebook Marketplace

March 11, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating homemade beef jerky from facebook marketplace.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Marketplace - Beef jerky | Facebook
  • Jerky and Food Safety | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • FSIS Compliance Guideline for Meat and Poultry Jerky Produced by Small and Very Small Establishments | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Jersey Mike's Subs - Menu
  • Fate of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Species in Ground Beef Jerky - ScienceDirect
  • Home-Style Beef Jerky: Effect of Four Preparation Methods on Consumer Acceptability and Pathogen Inactivation - ScienceDirect
  • About Uncle Mike's | Uncle Mike's
  • The Naughty Nineties | Who’s on First? — Abbott and Costello - YouTube
  • Marketplace - Apple Mac Pro (Late 2013)-$500(Wake Forest, Raleigh) | Facebook
March 11, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Jerky, Dehydration, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella

586. Jane's Raw Ground Beef in the Deli Station

March 08, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing raw ground beef in a deli preparation station near ready-to-eat foods.

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

  • FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Ground Beef Products That Tested Positive for E. Coli O157:H7 | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Sampling Verification Activities for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli (STEC) in Raw Beef Products - Revision 6 | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Management of Risk of Microbial Cross-Contamination from Uncooked Frozen Hamburgers by Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer - ScienceDirect
  • Public Health Effects of Performance Standards for Ground Beef and Beef Manufacturing Trimmings
March 08, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Beef, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Cross-contamination

DALL·E - a tray of ice cubes underneath a package of frozen ground beef

575. Ice Stored Under Factory Packaged Frozen Raw Ground Beef

February 12, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming ice stored under factory package frozen raw ground beef.

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

  • 80% Lean Ground Beef | ALDI US
  • Thermal Expansion and Density | EARTH 111: Water: Science and Society
  • Prevalence of Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli on the External Packaging of Raw Meat - ScienceDirect
February 12, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Ice, Beef, E. coli O157:H7, Cross-contamination

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