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I'm sure that the zucchini was cooked after he cut it with the spatula, right? The cooking kills the germs. It's not like he made a salad to be eaten raw. And besides that, the entire grill is covered with the juices from the meat, chicken, and fish, and then the veggies are cooked right on it. If people were getting sick from hibachi grills we'd all know about it by now.
That's my feeling- it wouldn't even have crossed my mind. As long as everything is thoroughly cooked when you eat it, it's probably OK.
I suppose you could consult the Department of Health and ask about their regulations.
Pretty much how I feel. I am careful about my cutting boards and do not knowingly use a knife to cut chicken and then to slice something unless the knife has been washed in very hot water, but I am also aware I am not a neat freak. I love my sign that says: my house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be homey.
Same here. I'm not much of a cook and am not a domestic goddess. But I try to be careful when dealing with raw meat. I have set procedures I do to prevent me accidentally using a cutting board or utensil that's been used for raw meat. I store meats in glass containers with lids in the fridge (not plastic). I'm careful to wipe down counters. But I'm sure I make a mistake sometimes & don't notice.
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If everything is cooked, and then removed from the grill with a clean implement and placed on a clean plate, you're good.
I'm not a neat freak AT ALL, and don't feel the need to refrigerate things the second they come off the stove, but I will say this. When I cook, I use lots of spatulas and stirring implements. I flip stuff, stir stuff, toss the implement in the sink and get a fresh one to continue.
That way, bits of raw hamburger or chicken that are stuck in the little holes of the spatula don't contaminate the finished meal.
But I will say. What will make you sick is raw chopped vegetables, or meats that have been taken off the cooking surface and placed back on the tray where the raw meat was carried.
If everything is cooked, and then removed from the grill with a clean implement and placed on a clean plate, you're good.
I'm not a neat freak AT ALL, and don't feel the need to refrigerate things the second they come off the stove, but I will say this. When I cook, I use lots of spatulas and stirring implements. I flip stuff, stir stuff, toss the implement in the sink and get a fresh one to continue.
That way, bits of raw hamburger or chicken that are stuck in the little holes of the spatula don't contaminate the finished meal.
But I will say. What will make you sick is raw chopped vegetables, or meats that have been taken off the cooking surface and placed back on the tray where the raw meat was carried.
Other than that, you're pretty much ok.
good point...no one wants to blame the raw chopped veggies....or any veggies...but more cases of food poisonings are caused by veggies...than meat (annually in the u.s.)
We signed up for a restaurant's reward program which gives us a free meal on our birthday. I don't know if I'm allowed to mention the name of this chain restaurant but I'm sure many are familiar with it. It's a place where they have teppan tables and you sit there with strangers while your food is cooked in front of you.
Several months ago we ate a branch of this restaurant and noticed that the chef didn't care about cross contamination. We watched him flip a piece of chicken and then immediately use the spatula without cleaning it to cut up zucchini. At the time, we said nothing. However, I did write to corporate HQ and gave them all the details. A few days later, the GM called me to discuss what had happened. He told me that they have sanitizing cloths and are supposed to clean off their spatulas to avoid cross contamination. I let him know that if they continue to not clean spatulas, they will someday end up sickening people. He agreed, apologized, said all the chefs had been trained. Also, he said he would deal with the offending chef.
He also mentioned that he previously had worked in the restaurant that is nearest to us. I told him we noticed cross contamination happen there once before.
So...on to my question. When we go there again, how do we handle this? I've considered on of the following options:
1) As soon as we get to the host station, let the person there know we want to talk to the manager on duty. We would then let him/her know of our previous experience and say we don't want a repeat of that.
2) Say nothing and get seated. If the chef cross contaminates the food, we would do one of the following:
A) Call the chef out in front of everybody at the table. My concern is that might not go over well with the diners at our table, Or;
B) The minute we notice any cross contamination, one of us would get up and find the manager.
What do you all recommend? Thank you for reading and thank you for your responses.
Good for you for taking the tie to write to management!
You could also write to the city health department if you think this is a serious problem.
However, based on your description, plus my hunch that it's an Asian restaurant, plus what little I know of cross-contamination - if this is all in the course of a few hours, and with the high heat that is used on Asian food, I doubt it's anything to worry about.
good point...no one wants to blame the raw chopped veggies....or any veggies...but more cases of food poisonings are caused by veggies...than meat (annually in the u.s.)
At potluck events and picnics, people always want to blame mayonnaise. It's probably some vegetable.
How can you enjoy the meal if you are suspicious of how the food is being handled? I would lose my appetite if I saw things I didn't like concerning my food. Either don't look or don't go. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
This reminds me of the time I bought some take out food at a grocery store deli counter. The woman at the counter used gloves to handle the food but didn't take them off when she took my money. I wondered how many times she did that during her shift, wearing the same gloves. I should have spoken up right THEN AND THERE!
When I got home, I called the store and asked to speak to the deli manager. Guess what, SHE was the manager. (I could tell by the accent)
I told her what I thought of the practice and she apologized. I never went back there to buy deli food.
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