"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 will have no effect and will in fact be broken down by the heat.
Also any bacteria will be killed by the heat. But if you are with fussy
people and do not want to gross them out, use a clean teaspoon each time for
tasting.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.