Keep your kitchen clean and your knives sharp, use the right tool for the job, don't be a slave to recipes, and always taste what you prepare before you serve it. If you wouldn't eat it, why should anyone else?

ALWAYS have 2 separate cutting boards.
One for meats and one for vegetables.
Never ever use the same cutting board for both.

On May 28, 7:31*am, mithunchowdhury
> wrote:
> Keep your kitchen clean and your knives sharp, use the right tool for
> the job, don't be a slave to recipes, and always taste what you prepare
> before you serve it. If you wouldn't eat it, why should anyone else?
>
> ALWAYS have 2 separate cutting boards.
> One for meats and one for vegetables.
> Never ever use the same cutting board for both.
>
> --
> mithunchowdhury

man you are one weisenheimer

On 2012-05-28 11:31:58 +0000, mithunchowdhury said:

> Keep your kitchen clean and your knives sharp, use the right tool for
> the job, don't be a slave to recipes, and always taste what you prepare
> before you serve it. If you wouldn't eat it, why should anyone else?
>
> ALWAYS have 2 separate cutting boards.
> One for meats and one for vegetables.
> Never ever use the same cutting board for both.

I've printed your advice out for study at a later date. Here's a few
more very general ideas:

1) Use fresh ingredients.

2) If you don't know what something is--don't put it in your food.

3) Wash your dishes, and pots and pans after use, and if they have
dried food make sure it has completely removed.

4) Refrigerate meat and vegetables for longer life.

5) If an ingredient develops a really foul stench or has obvious
evidence of degradation such as rotting, mold, or live insects--discard
and do not eat.

6) Wash your hands thouroughly before food preparation, using both soap
and friction. Be attentive to removing dried waste, if present.
Remember to use clean water instead of any kind of waste water, broth,
or standing water from your garden.

7) Do not let pets, vermin or any fecal material interact with your
food before or during preparation. Afterwards I suppose it would be
okay as long as you don't plan to eat it anymore.

There are lots of handy things to know about food preparation!

On Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:40 -0700, gtr > wrote:



>
>5) If an ingredient develops a really foul stench or has obvious
>evidence of degradation such as rotting, mold, or live insects--discard
>and do not eat.
>
>
Could you clarify that please. Insects are protein so wouldn't they
add value to the rotting food and make it healthy to eat? Should it
be cooked first?

On 2012-05-28 18:52:22 +0000, Ed Pawlowski said:

> On Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:40 -0700, gtr > wrote:
>
>> 5) If an ingredient develops a really foul stench or has obvious
>> evidence of degradation such as rotting, mold, or live insects--discard
>> and do not eat.
>>
> Could you clarify that please. Insects are protein so wouldn't they
> add value to the rotting food and make it healthy to eat? Should it
> be cooked first?

It's not so much the insects that are the problem with rotting food,
it's that they may be another indicator that the food is in fact
rotting.

Of course many of these considerations may well need to be abandoned if
one is starving and as no other recourse.

gtr wrote:
>
> On 2012-05-28 18:52:22 +0000, Ed Pawlowski said:
>
> > On Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:40 -0700, gtr > wrote:
> >
> >> 5) If an ingredient develops a really foul stench or has obvious
> >> evidence of degradation such as rotting, mold, or live insects--discard
> >> and do not eat.
> >>
> > Could you clarify that please. Insects are protein so wouldn't they
> > add value to the rotting food and make it healthy to eat? Should it
> > be cooked first?
>
> It's not so much the insects that are the problem with rotting food,
> it's that they may be another indicator that the food is in fact
> rotting.

Depends on the insects. They may be an indicator
the food is organic.

> Of course many of these considerations may well need to be abandoned if
> one is starving and as no other recourse.

I ate about two or three thousand fruit flies
yesterday morning. I wasn't starving.

On 5/28/2012 7:34 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:

> I ate about two or three thousand fruit flies
> yesterday morning. I wasn't starving.

What did you prepare on the side?

On 2012-05-28 23:34:14 +0000, Mark Thorson said:

> gtr wrote:
>>
>> On 2012-05-28 18:52:22 +0000, Ed Pawlowski said:
>>
>>> On Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:40 -0700, gtr > wrote:
>>>
>>>> 5) If an ingredient develops a really foul stench or has obvious
>>>> evidence of degradation such as rotting, mold, or live insects--discard
>>>> and do not eat.
>>>>
>>> Could you clarify that please. Insects are protein so wouldn't they
>>> add value to the rotting food and make it healthy to eat? Should it
>>> be cooked first?
>>
>> It's not so much the insects that are the problem with rotting food,
>> it's that they may be another indicator that the food is in fact
>> rotting.
>
> Depends on the insects. They may be an indicator
> the food is organic.

That's true but when one examines at the complete phrase, "a really
foul stench or has obvious evidence of degradation such as rotting,
mold, or live insects€¦" I still feel comfortable providing such
advice. Actually I was thinking of maggots, but wanted to be descreet.
Nevertheless if you're eating rotting food, any kind of insect is
probably not a big concern for you.

>> Of course many of these considerations may well need to be abandoned if
>> one is starving and as no other recourse.
>
> I ate about two or three thousand fruit flies yesterday morning. I
> wasn't starving.

Once again I wasn't limiting myself to the one word you've chosen to
burst burst from the phrase and examine separately. But you may feel
freel to eat rotting food too. Or lumbe. Or live rats.

These were only a "general cooking tip", not a critical legal demand.
Bon appetite!

gtr wrote:
>
> 2) If you don't know what something is--don't put it in your food.

Who, whoa, whoa. You wouldn't get far shopping
at an ethnic food store with that attitude.
If all you know is it's food, that's enough.

That said, don't eat reetha. It looks like food
and it's shelved next to food, but it's not food.
It's an instant sore throat. I know this, now.

On 2012-05-28 21:02:11 +0000, Mark Thorson said:

> gtr wrote:
>>
>> 2) If you don't know what something is--don't put it in your food.
>
> Who, whoa, whoa. You wouldn't get far shopping
> at an ethnic food store with that attitude.
> If all you know is it's food, that's enough.

Purchasing it in an ethnic *FOOD* store would indicate that you
generally know that it is *FOOD*. If on the other hand you were to buy
plastic forks there, I would not advise putting them into your food.
In both these cases we generally know what the "something" is. So a
conclusion can be easily reached. But this is not always the case.

> That said, don't eat reetha. It looks like food
> and it's shelved next to food, but it's not food.
> It's an instant sore throat. I know this, now.

There is one of the "not always the case" examples. The logic that it
"came from a grocery store" may or may not be clearance enough to keep
you from illness or death. I'll err on the side of safety.

Rat poison, silica bags, drano, solvents--there are many things that
you could put into food without knowing what they are that could
provide a very unpleasant meal. If you don't know what it is I would
recommend assuming it is not food.

On 2012-05-28 19:10:52 +0000, Sqwertz said:

> On Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:40 -0700, gtr wrote:
>
>> 2) If you don't know what something is--don't put it in your food.
>
> What an odd comment. And I tend to disagree anyway. This is how I
> learned to cook Asian food. Cook now - ask later. Of course I had a
> vague idea what things were when I used them, I just didn't know how
> to use them.

Do you see a difference between not knowing how to use an item versus
not knowing what it is?

> Under what other circumstances would put people put something in their
> cooking that they didn't know what it was?

To my thinking: A bad reason.

On 2012-05-28 22:25:36 +0000, Sqwertz said:

> On Mon, 28 May 2012 13:04:41 -0700, gtr wrote:
>
>> On 2012-05-28 19:10:52 +0000, Sqwertz said:
>>
>>> On Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:40 -0700, gtr wrote:
>>>
>>>> 2) If you don't know what something is--don't put it in your food.
>>>
>>> What an odd comment. And I tend to disagree anyway. This is how I
>>> learned to cook Asian food. Cook now - ask later. Of course I had a
>>> vague idea what things were when I used them, I just didn't know how
>>> to use them.
>>
>> Do you see a difference between not knowing how to use an item versus
>> not knowing what it is?
>
> Often I a see a dead, splayed out, dried out animal on the road. I
> know it's roadkill, but it's vague as to what kind of animal it may
> be. Or how I could use it in my cooking.
>
> Similarly, if people are considering using something in their cooking
> they possibly have a vague idea that it might be edible and can be
> used as food. But they don't know what it is exactly.

I'll assume the answer to my question, then, was "no".

>> 5) If an ingredient develops a really foul stench or has obvious
>> evidence of degradation such as rotting, mold, or live insects--discard
>> and do not eat.
>
> Fish sauce, fermented shrimp paste, blue cheese, surstromming, and
> milbenkase are all examples of those are perfectly edible.

Using the admittedly simplistic "words in context" approach I'll retain
this in my "general concepts" list.

On 2012-05-29 01:05:02 +0000, Sqwertz said:

> On Mon, 28 May 2012 17:47:06 -0700, gtr wrote:
>
>> Using the admittedly simplistic "words in context" approach I'll retain
>> this in my "general concepts" list.
>
> You forgot, "Never put your hand on a red hot electric stove heating
> element".

Good one! I'll add that to the list. Maybe I should expand it to
read, don't put your hand in a fire or cut your hands with a knife.

Now we're back on track again...

In article >, ost says...

> You forgot, "Never put your hand on a red hot electric stove heating
> element".

Do not put your face underwater in the washing up bowl.

When your child has a fever don't cool them off in the freezer.

Janet

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> On Mon, 28 May 2012 13:04:41 -0700, gtr wrote:
>
> > On 2012-05-28 19:10:52 +0000, Sqwertz said:
> >
> >> On Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:40 -0700, gtr wrote:
> >>
> >>> 2) If you don't know what something is--don't put it in your food.
> >>
> >> What an odd comment. And I tend to disagree anyway. This is how I
> >> learned to cook Asian food. Cook now - ask later. Of course I had a
> >> vague idea what things were when I used them, I just didn't know how
> >> to use them.
> >
> > Do you see a difference between not knowing how to use an item versus
> > not knowing what it is?
>
> Often I a see a dead, splayed out, dried out animal on the road. I
> know it's roadkill, but it's vague as to what kind of animal it may
> be. Or how I could use it in my cooking.

Well, then, what you need is a copy of "Flattened Fauna: A Field Guide
to Common Animals of Roads, Streets and Highways" (yes, it's a real
book.)

Isaac

On Tue, 29 May 2012 00:06:38 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Mon, 28 May 2012 21:33:17 -0700, isw wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> Sqwertz > wrote:
>>
>>> Often I a see a dead, splayed out, dried out animal on the road. I
>>> know it's roadkill, but it's vague as to what kind of animal it may
>>> be. Or how I could use it in my cooking.
>>
>> Well, then, what you need is a copy of "Flattened Fauna: A Field Guide
>> to Common Animals of Roads, Streets and Highways" (yes, it's a real
>> book.)
>
>That's something I would buy, too. Only $6.95 w/shipping! And the
>companion cookbooks are a steal, too!
>

I had a similar book on my kitchen bookshelf once. [something simple
like "Roadkill cookbook"?] I loved the reaction it got when folks
would be looking around and spot it-- then they'd really want to
know what I was serving for dinner.

I never went in for roadkill- it ruins a lot of meat. But I do
consider all animals possible meals.

Jim

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:40 -0700, gtr wrote:
>
>> 2) If you don't know what something is--don't put it in your food.
>
> What an odd comment. And I tend to disagree anyway. This is how I
> learned to cook Asian food. Cook now - ask later.

Yeah, that's how the Asians learned how to cook Asian food, too. Not to
mention the French. LOLOL

Jill

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 28 May 2012 20:49:56 -0400, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:40 -0700, gtr wrote:
>>>
>>>> 2) If you don't know what something is--don't put it in your food.
>>>
>>> What an odd comment. And I tend to disagree anyway. This is how I
>>> learned to cook Asian food. Cook now - ask later.
>>
>> Yeah, that's how the Asians learned how to cook Asian food, too. Not to
>> mention the French. LOLOL
>
> That's how everybody learned to feed themselves. They didn't know WTF
> it was.
>
> -sw

I occasionally think about things like this. How the heck did anyone ever
get the idea that eating snails, or clams or oysters was a good idea? I
think some early human saw a some critter cracking an oyster or clam shell
on a rock and discovered hey, that might be tasty! I'm sure there were many
failures, too. Like picking the wrong mushroom.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
>
> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Mon, 28 May 2012 20:49:56 -0400, jmcquown wrote:
> >
> >> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >>> On Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:40 -0700, gtr wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> 2) If you don't know what something is--don't put it in your food.
> >>>
> >>> What an odd comment. And I tend to disagree anyway. This is how I
> >>> learned to cook Asian food. Cook now - ask later.
> >>
> >> Yeah, that's how the Asians learned how to cook Asian food, too. Not to
> >> mention the French. LOLOL
> >
> > That's how everybody learned to feed themselves. They didn't know WTF
> > it was.
> >
> > -sw
>
> I occasionally think about things like this. How the heck did anyone ever
> get the idea that eating snails, or clams or oysters was a good idea? I
> think some early human saw a some critter cracking an oyster or clam shell
> on a rock and discovered hey, that might be tasty! I'm sure there were many
> failures, too. Like picking the wrong mushroom.
>
> Jill

Yeah, let someone else try something first and see how they do. From
what I've read, much came from watching to see what the animals ate.

Gary

On 2012-05-29 13:23:05 +0000, jmcquown said:

>> That's how everybody learned to feed themselves. They didn't know WTF
>> it was.
>
> I occasionally think about things like this. How the heck did anyone
> ever get the idea that eating snails, or clams or oysters was a good
> idea?

Famine may have been a motivsator.

> I think some early human saw a some critter cracking an oyster or clam
> shell on a rock and discovered hey, that might be tasty! I'm sure
> there were many failures, too. Like picking the wrong mushroom.

I always wonder about the invention of coffee. How many zillions of
ways did they fry or bake those beans before find them useless and
starting again. And why would they keep going for so long before
finally grinding, boiling, draining and adding cream and sugar?

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Mon, 28 May 2012 20:49:56 -0400, jmcquown wrote:
> >
> >> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >>> On Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:40 -0700, gtr wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> 2) If you don't know what something is--don't put it in your food.
> >>>
> >>> What an odd comment. And I tend to disagree anyway. This is how I
> >>> learned to cook Asian food. Cook now - ask later.
> >>
> >> Yeah, that's how the Asians learned how to cook Asian food, too. Not to
> >> mention the French. LOLOL
> >
> > That's how everybody learned to feed themselves. They didn't know WTF
> > it was.
> >
> > -sw
>
> I occasionally think about things like this. How the heck did anyone ever
> get the idea that eating snails, or clams or oysters was a good idea? I
> think some early human saw a some critter cracking an oyster or clam shell
> on a rock and discovered hey, that might be tasty! I'm sure there were many
> failures, too. Like picking the wrong mushroom.

There aren't any things we eat that come with little signs saying "God
says this is people food". A lot of what we consider "food" is just
stuff that kills us slowly enough that we don't notice.

Isaac