Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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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

The image portrays a tender and dynamic moment in a cozy kitchen setting. A toddler with chubby hands and wide, curious eyes is reaching up toward a wooden table where raw flour is scattered. The child’s expression is one of wonder and excitement, emphasizing the natural curiosity of toddlers. The child is dressed in a simple, colorful outfit that adds a sense of innocence to the scene.

Beside the toddler, a mother is shown mid-action, leaning over to gently snatch the child's hand away from the flour. Her face reflects a mix of concern and warmth, illustrating the protective nature of a parent. Her gesture is quick but careful, ensuring that her movement doesn’t startle the toddler.

The background details a cozy kitchen space with warm, ambient lighting. On the table, there are hints of baking supplies, such as a rolling pin, a small mixing bowl, and perhaps a bag of flour, which has slightly spilled and created a thin dusting across the tabletop. Flour particles can be seen faintly suspended in the air, adding a sense of motion and realism.

Overall, the scene captures a candid moment of parenting, highlighting both the toddler's sense of discovery and the mother's nurturing attentiveness.

690. Letting a Toddler Eat Raw Flour

November 06, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of letting a toddler eat raw flour.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • 684. Recalled Treehouse Waffles — Risky or Not?
  • Brantford - Wikipedia
  • Consumption of Raw Flour in the United States: Results from the 2019 U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Safety and Nutrition Survey - ScienceDirect
  • Consumer Knowledge and Behaviors Regarding Food Safety Risks Associated with Wheat Flour - ScienceDirect
  • Notes from the Field: Multistate Outbreak of Escherichia coli O26 Infections Linked to Raw Flour — United States, 2019 | MMWR
  • Raw Flour and Dough | Food Safety | CDC
  • Uncooked Flour: A Hazardous Ingredient?
  • Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella enterica and Nonpathogenic Bacterial Surrogates in Wheat Flour by Baking in a Household Oven - ScienceDirect
  • Merch — Risky or Not?


November 06, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Flour, Salmonella, Pathogenic E. coli

DALL·E - An idyllic setting in Los Angeles with a store named 'Cookie Dough Dreams'. The storefront has a warm, inviting atmosphere, painted in soft pastels.

681. Cookie Dough Dreams Raw Cookie Dough

October 16, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating raw cookie dough from Cookie Dough Dreams in LA.

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

  • Never Not Funny – The Jimmy Pardo Podcast.
  • Home - Cookie Dough Dreams
  • Press - Cookie Dough Dreams
  • #1 Organic and #1 Fair Trade Coffee – Death Wish Coffee
  • Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Raw Cookie Dough | CDC
  • New Burbank dessert store serves safe-to-eat cookie batter
  • Heat Treated Flour & Delivery System - SafeGuard® | Ardent Mills
  • Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella enterica and Nonpathogenic Bacterial Surrogates in Wheat Flour by Baking in a Household Oven - ScienceDirect
  • Heat resistance of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and potential surrogates in wheat flour at two moisture levels - ScienceDirect
October 16, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Raw dough, Flour, Salmonella, Pathogenic E. coli

434. Pastor Pinkstons Brownie Batter Bonanza

March 20, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating uncooked brownie batter made without eggs.

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

  • Don Schaffner 🦠 on Twitter: "@gregpinkston @benjaminchapman Darn, this is a good one. (The first draft of that sentence had a curse word in it, but I shouldn’t curse to a pastor). Some of these mixes have been linked to outbreaks, but I’m gonna give it a tentative #NotRisky. Added to the queue!" / Twitter
  • Betty Crocker™ Brownies and Bars - BettyCrocker.com
  • E. Coli scare leads to multi-state recall of brownie mix
  • Outbreak of E. coli Infections Linked to Flour | E. coli Infections Linked to Flour | May 2019 | E. coli | CDC
  • Recall of Brownie and Other Food Mixes Expanded | Food Safety News
  • Betty Crocker™ Fudge Brownie Mix - BettyCrocker.com
  • Jane's Addiction - Stop (Official Music Video) | Warner Vault - YouTube
March 20, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Flour, Raw Dough

364. Leeching Acorns in a Toilet Tank to Make Acorn Flour

October 07, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of leeching acorns in a toilet tank to make acorn flour.

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

  • Acorn Flour as a Source of Bioactive Compounds in Gluten-Free Bread - PMC
  • Acorn flour properties depending on the production method and laboratory baking test results: A review - Szabłowska - 2021 - Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety - Wiley Online Library
  • Facts About Raleigh, N.C. | Population, Geography, Government and More
  • Age-dependent toxicity of acorn extract in young and old male rats. - Abstract - Europe PMC
  • Acorn Poisoning in Cattle | North Carolina Cooperative Extension
  • Acorn - Wikipedia
  • Tannins and human health: a review - PubMed
  • How to Make Acorn Flour - Making Acorn Flour by Cold Leaching
  • Best in Show (4/11) Movie CLIP - Naming Nuts (2000) HD - YouTube
  • 15 Types of Oak Trees in North Carolina - ProGardenTips
October 07, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Acorn, Flour, Toilet
214.png

214. Having a Romantic Flour Fight

October 22, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of having having a romantic flour fight.

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

  • sjh_canada on Twitter: "@bugcounter Risky or not : romantic flour fight? https://t.co/E98Rn8zoac" / Twitter
  • Say No to Raw Dough | CDC
  • Food Safety | Ardent Mills
  • Ardent Mills Flour Food Safety White Paper
  • Role of Microbiological Guidelines in the Production and Commercial Use of Milled Cereal Grains: A Practical Approach for the 21st Century | Journal of Food Protection
  • That's Amore by Dean Martin with Lyrics!!!! - YouTube
  • A California Christmas (2020 Netflix) – Lifetime Uncorked

Added in post, Isha solves the riddle:

  • isha leigh on Twitter: "@bugcounter Looks like the Princess Switch 2 (via a google of Vanessa Hudgens flour fight)" / Twitter
October 22, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Flour, Cross-contamination
182 short.png

182. Dashboard Cookies

August 09, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risk of making making cookies on the dashboard of a car.

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

  • Andrew H on Twitter
  • An Assessment of Time/Temperature Combinations for Salmonella Lethality Achieved when Baking Cookies in Vehicles (IAFP 2016 Annual Meeting)
  • Starch Gelatinization in the Presence of Emulsifiers. A Morphological Study of Wheat Starch
  • Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella on Sesame-topped Bread during Baking Using High and Low Oven Humidity
  • A Thermal Process Lethality Model for Low Water Activity Food
  • Validation of Baking to Reduce Coliform Counts and Salmonella in Cookie Dough
  • Low water activity refrigerated cookie dough - Google Patents
August 09, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Dashboard, Cookies, Salmonella, E. coli, Flour, Eggs

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