"James Egan" > wrote in message
news
> While cooking something like spaghetti sauce, I taste the
> sauce (or gravy) occasionally to test. My wife maintains
> that I should clean the spoon each time, because my saliva
> will adversely affect the sauce (or whatever). I understand
> that saliva contains enzymes and that their purpose is to
> break down food. However, I cannot believe that the trace
> amount of saliva on a spoon used to test the sauce will
> have any significantly adverse affect. It's not like I
> slobber on the spoon! Anyway, do YOU always wash
> your spoon after tasting? Be honest! <g>

The enzymes story is nonsense - human enzymes are quickly deactivated at
anything like boiling point, typically they operate correctly over a range
of only a few degrees C.

As for spreading bacteria or viruses most will also be killed fairly quickly
at boiling point and the chances are that within a family you have all
shared them about before the spaghetti is cooked anyway. However if one of
my family had (say) infectious hepatitis I might get more careful.

I use a clean spoon each time (mostly unless I forget) because I will soon
be cooking in an environment where I don't want to be caught re-using. Yes
it's only the fear of being caught by somebody (outside the family) who
might worry about it that alters my behaviour not the actual risk of doing
harm.

David