Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Health Food safety Cutting Boards Re: colored cuttingboards

[Wayne Tyson (landrest]

My grandma used to say "No smart, no cure." Salt smarts a lot, therefore it 
"cures" a lot.
How far back does this practice go?

WT

Not sent from my iPad
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "fergyb2" <fergyb2 [at] yahoo.com>
To: "Cohousing-L" <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2013 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Health Food safety Cutting Boards Re: colored 
cuttingboards


> Salt is one of the oldest anti-bacterial substances.  The phrase "to rub 
> salt in my wounds" refers to the old military practice of doing just that 
> to prevent infections.
>        Bonnie Fergusson
>        Swans market Cohousing
>        Oakland, CA
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Mar 16, 2013, at 2:29 PM, "Wayne Tyson" <landrest [at] cox.net> wrote:
>
> > Good stuff--thanks! I agree on the replication requirement; more should 
> > be
> > done, and done far better, on food safety and both bacteria and viruses.
> > Some labs can be trusted; others tell their clients what they want to 
> > hear
> > (and who knows how much actual testing was done and how well?).
> >
> > I have used vinegar too. In some cases I might use vinegar, soda, salt,
> > alcohol, and hot soapy water in addition to a four-hour sun-bath. But all 
> > of
> > this is deductive folklore; GIGO looms its ugly head.
> >
> > WT
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Karen Carlson" <kcarlson2 [at] wisc.edu>
> > To: "Cohousing-L" <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> > Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2013 1:15 PM
> > Subject: Re: [C-L]_ colored cutting boards
> >
> >
> > > Chefs Illustrated cleaned 3 wooden cutting boards (used for raw chicken?
> > > can't remember) using one of 3 methods: 1) hot soapy water, 2) bleach
> > > solution, 3) straight vinegar.  Their independent lab found all three
> > > methods equal and effective.  (I suspect if you have some particularly
> > > horrible viruses, the results could be different.)  Our prep island is a
> > > huge wood affair and we clean using straight vinegar and then food grade
> > > mineral oil.  Raw meat of any kind is processed on vinyl mats that go 
> > > into
> > > the sanitizer.
> > >
> > > The article has other good advice, such as don't wash chicken (wipe with
> > > wet paper towels) unless you're prepared to scrub your sink, handles of
> > > faucet, areas that the chicken dripped on etc.  Another good practice is
> > > instant read thermometers, esp for meat, but cooks here can't seem to 
> > > see
> > > the benefit.  Sorry I can't find the article but I think it was probably
> > > 2010 or 2011.
> > >
> > > I have heard that it was right here at UW-Madison that the benefits of
> > > wood in bacterial control was discovered but no matter where, it would
> > > need replication.
> > >
> > > Karen
> > > Arboretum Cohousing Community
> > > Madison, Wi
> > >
> > >
> > > On Mar 16, 2013, at 11:08 AM, Wayne Tyson wrote:
> > >
> > > > Does anyone have a link to the follow-up studies?
> > > >
> > > > Folk "wisdom" is often wrong, but it's important that "science" be done
> > > > right.
> > > >
> > > > The Japanese sushi chef I went to for almost forty years continually
> > > > wiped
> > > > his board with a salt-soaked towel and scrubs his cutting board (wood,
> > > > but I
> > > > never asked him what kind) with salt. It would be interesting to see
> > > > studies
> > > > comparing the effectiveness and safety of various cleaning/disinfecting
> > > > agents such as salt, alcohol, and bleach (I do not use bleach).
> > > >
> > > > I continue to suspend judgment on this issue until more good science 
> > > > has
> > > > been done (I presume it has since the authors of the study declared 
> > > > that
> > > > more research was needed, especially upon any anti-bacterial action 
> > > > woods
> > > > might have, but can't find it on the Internet). I have no reason to 
> > > > doubt
> > > > the 1993 research, especially since the authors themselves acknowledged
> > > > its
> > > > limitations.
> > > >
> > > > Bacteria, like any other organism, have certain requirements for 
> > > > survival
> > > > and, one might say, for killing. Certain environments promote them as
> > > > well
> > > > as restrict them. The devil might well be in the details. the concern
> > > > about
> > > > tiny, even microscopic fissures in cutting surfaces would reasonably
> > > > harbor
> > > > bacteria. Wood is a complex material with different chemical and 
> > > > physical
> > > > characteristics. Plastic is "inert," and unlikely to play an active 
> > > > role
> > > > in
> > > > reducing bacterial contamination.
> > > >
> > > > I use both materials, I favor maple for its hardness and fine grain, 
> > > > but
> > > > I
> > > > continue to use both salt and alcohol, and certainly restrict the type 
> > > > of
> > > > food placed on any cutting board. I clean before and after each use, 
> > > > and
> > > > always after cutting any kind of meat. However, bacteria can be present
> > > > on
> > > > vegetables too, so continued cleaning, even between batches, is more 
> > > > wise
> > > > than paranoid.
> > > >
> > > > WT
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > > > From: "Fred H Olson" <fholson [at] cohousing.org>
> > > > To: "Cohousing-L mailing list" <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> > > > Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 4:57 AM
> > > > Subject: [C-L]_ colored cutting boards [was: Re: Long Time Poster
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > On Feb 12/13 Chris ScottHanson wrote:
> > > > > > And for those of you who haven't seen or don't remember the colored
> > > > > > cutting board discussion way back when, it was very entertaining.
> > > > > > Serious stuff and good humor.
> > > > >
> > > > > Searching the archives at
> > > > > http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/   for
> > > > > color* cutting board*
> > > > > gets 25 hits, the first 15 look like they may be the discussion
> > > > > Chris refers to.
> > > > >
> > > > > Fred
> > > > >
> > > > > > Chris ScottHanson
> > > > > > Urban Cohousing Associates, Inc.
> > > > > > Land Acquisition, Development Consulting & Project Management
> > > > > > Ecovillages, Cohousing & Sustainable Communities
> > > > > >
> > > > > > PO Box 1288
> > > > > > Langley, WA  98260
> > > > > >
> > > > > > (206) 601-7802 cell
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Author of:  The Cohousing Handbook - BUILDING A PLACE FOR COMMUNITY
> > > > > > Available from Amazon.com new, used and as an eBook.