Kitchen Table Tidbits #4

KITCHEN TABLE TIDBITS #4

1. OKAY TO EAT IT OFF THE FLOOR? THE FIVE SECOND RULE: Do you ever invoke the five-second rule? Anthony Hilton, described by Business Insider as “a germ expert from Aston University,’ says food dropped to the floor is usually safe to eat. He says there isn’t likely to be any problem -- though it is not entirely risk free. The article noted that a survey of 2000 people found 79 percent said they had eaten food from the floor. HealthDay News cites a Rutgers University study indicating that food in contact with a floor for one second can pick up bacteria. Food dropped on carpet fared better than food dropped on tile. Dry food and dry floor would be “ideal” conditions, the contaminants might be just stuff from the bottoms of peoples’ shoes (bacteria need wet environments and cling to wet surfaces like watermelon). A University of Illinois at Urbana-Champlain study reported by WebMD found that people were more likely to eat cookies and candy off the floor than broccoli or cauliflower.

2. OPRAH’S FAVORITE?: The Smokehouse of New York uses Oprah Winfrey’s face on its much of its packaging because she included one of its products on her 2014 “My Favorite Things” list. But according to Food Safety News, a U.S. Attorney’s office is seeking to shut the company down until it solves problems with Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially deadly pathogen. Possibly fatal to the young, elderly and infirm, in healthy individuals the bug may spark only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. The company's problems have been going on for a while. A variety of salmon, sturgeon and whitefish products were recalled in April. Those products had been sold in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Alabama, Minnesota, and Montana. The company has retail locations in New York and sells its products nationwide on the Internet.

3. WHERE’S THE BEEF? REPLACED BY MUSHROOMS: Some Sonic restaurants will be offering a Slinger in August, it is a beef burger that’s made partly with mushrooms. The burger is made with beef, 25-30 percent mushrooms, and seasonings, and served on a brioche bun with mayo, onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and melted American cheese (another option comes with bacon, mayo, and cheese), according to the Fast Company site. Chefs say 20 to 30 percent mushroom in beef is about it to maintain beefy flavor. Advantages of the mix include cutting calories, fat and lowering costs. The idea isn’t new, but Sonic is the largest outlet to try it. It also seems to be catching on with school and corporate cafeterias. The Washington Post offers this recipe from reliable sources.