Proper chicken handling and preparing

Howdy,

My stepson has returned from college with a taste for cooking, specifically chicken and while watching him prepare his dinner the other night, I observed him handling raw chicken and then about to put that soiled hand into a bag of chopped salad!

I jumped up and demanded he freeze and wash his hands first. He complied with some hesitation and a few grumblings under his breath. His mother, who was sitting with me at the island, told me to be quiet.

Soon afterward, I saw him rinse the chef knife he was using (yes, rinse, no soap) and attempt to put it back into the knife block! Again, I intervened and again I received some words from my wife about keeping out of things.

If this is what he does here, at home, I shutter to think what goes on up in Buffalo when he and his roommates take turns cooking in their house they all share... I bet their bathroom gets a lot of use!

I've tried to explain that I have cutting boards specifically for chicken and the need to wash regularily inbetween cutting and preparing but it has been met with 'stop picking on him' rather than 'thanks for the advise'.

How can I impress the need for strict segregation between chicken and other foods so that he and his mom understand that it's not 'picking-on' and more of a concern for his health and anyone else that has the misfortune of dinning at their abode?

I certainly do not want to deter him from cooking, just want him to enjoy what he makes and be sure that it's safe and no one gets sick.

Red.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheflayne 

Could be you lost his attention when you demanded that he "freeze and wash his hands" Man that would be painful!!!

well, I wasn't exactly like "FREEZE, DROP THE GUN..." It was more like " Whoa, please don't do that because...."

deltadude,

Yeah, I hear you and I tried that very approach Tuesday night when I was dismembering a whole chicken in preparation for grilling. I asked him if he wanted to observe but he couldn't be bothered, the Yankees were on I think.

Unfortunately, my criticism earlier has turned into a state of mind, along with 'mommy dearest' undermining of my cooking skills and knowledge.

There is a trait in the family called "Thick-headedness" which unfortunately rules the domain and I believe comes from the mothers side of the family. He'll learn, the hard way, but he'll still learn and then he'll say "I should have listened to free advice..."

I have managed to get him to use the correct cutting board, the one for poultry, and he doesn't wash what he uses, I do or the missus does so I know what he uses gets washed properly, so there are some positives.

Red.

BDL,

I respect you as a professional and you have given me great advice in the past but I have to disagree with you here on some points and agree with you on others. " -- as long as you're disciplined about cleanliness --" - I agree with. The cutting board opinion - no. If it works for you, great, but others need to develop the 'discipline' first, then they can refine their methods. As for everything else you mentioned - I totally agree, 100%.

I once shared a house with another friend and not to put him down in any way but, he was a slob! In the beginning, we took turns cooking meals in an effort to save money and try new things and after having spent way too much time in the throne room afterwards, too many times. I began to watch more closely as to what he was doing while preparing our meals. Needless to say, I quickly changed my mind and started making my own meals. He would use the bathroom without washing in between prep tasks, he never used a cutting board but just used the scratched Formica table top we used as a counter to cut up everything, he would wipe it afterwards but not with anything other than a dry paper towel, raw eggs would go right into the pan on the stove rather than into a cup first to be sure it was viable, I could go on and on but I'm running out of space.

He could never comprehend the basics of proper food handling and, being unable to leave the house until after the 'event' after every meal, had become just a part of cooking for him. He could not (would not) ever listen to me when I tried to explain that the 'event' was because of unsanitary conditions while preparing his meal and one day, he would get really sick or worse, get someone else really sick.

He has gone all this time without getting really sick, so there's no need to listen because he feels I'm over exaggerating.

Now with the young man being home and exhibiting some of the same behavior, I'm deeply concerned. That is why, in MY kitchen, he either does things my way or he doesn't cook in my kitchen. After all, I have to cook there too and should I get sick from HIS poor practices after he leaves?

Red.