Proper Handwashing for Safety

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I like a good hand wash as much as the next guy

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. . . but I've overdone it before, so how frequently do we really need to wash our hands? In the Northeastern USA, the howling wind and biting cold can split even seldomly washed hands. The sun chaps our hands even when they are on the steering wheel. The world assails our hands to the point that any washing can compromise their protective barrier.

Lucky for us, there are official rules for food service handwashing, backed by science and public health authorities. With their help, I have been able to change kitchen tasks in a way that does not minimize the need to wash hands for safety, but the frequency required. Let's break it down together.

I am not going to cover proper technique in this post. There is no shortcut for proper hand washing. Do it right so no one gets sick. For thorough, detailed instructions, refer to the pamphlet here, published by the Rhode Island Department of Health, paying special attention to the Steps section.

This post is not directions to avoid safe hand washing. It is not a substitute for proper training. All handwashing guidelines must be followed for food safety. They are only proven to work when utilized together.

From NYS Department of Health brochure, "Food, Water, Handwashing" (my tips in italics):

ALL FOOD HANDLERS

Must be free of illness, infections, open cuts, or sores.

• Please don't go in the kitchen if you're sick or injured. It is unsafe for you and others

Must wash hands IMMEDIATELY:

• Before starting work

  • Simple: don't start cooking with dirty hands, don't bring sickness in the kitchen with filthy paws

• Before putting on new gloves for working with food

  • hands get wet and gross in any gloves. You may have made contact with raw ingredients while removing or replacing the gloves, or touched the outside of the soiled gloves with your other bare hand

  • if working with vegetables and raw ingredients, wash your hands properly first, then glove up after vegetables (your hands should still be clean), prepare your meat, remove the gloves, and give your hands a final thorough wash and dry. Instead of 3-4 times washing our hands, the change in order has cut it down to 2, with no bacteria from meat to vegetables. Cleanup between the two only requires soap (if veggies go first and the surface is shared) instead of soap AND bleach (to sanitize if raw is processed first).

• After touching raw, fresh, or frozen beef poultry, fish, or meat

  • Simple again: raw meat = wash hands

• After using the bathroom

  • Yuck. This should go without saying. Use the bathroom before your first wash to "head" off this issue.

• After smoking, eating, sneezing, or drinking

  • If your hands touch your face or mouth, don't risk spreading bacteria to the food

  • This is tricky: even if you wear gloves, hands should be washed again. Try not to get hands near your face at all. This is why I try not to eat when preparing food, or use a single use tool to sample flavor.

• After mopping, sweeping, removing garbage, or using the telephone

  • To avoid touching your phone (we all know where our phones have been), keep it in a pocket. Print your recipes and stick them up. Reading through them physically will help you cook better anyway.

  • Would you kiss your broom or your mop? Ew. Use cleaning tools together to avoid excess washing. Sweeping and mopping saves another handwashing by not requiring one in between.

• After touching anything that might result in contamination of hands

  • Be careful here. Couldn't anything? This is a good example of a rule meant to catch any edge cases. Try not to overthink it and instead pay attention to the yellow sticker.

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To minimize handwashing, use it in tandem with other safe handling methods. I have only seen the phrases "use a barrier" or "avoid bare hand contact" in commercial kitchens. Again, from the DOH guidelines:

"[Food workers must] Use gloves, utensils, deli paper, waxed paper, or napkins to prevent bare hand contact with all foods ready to be served to the public"

That's why the ice cream shop can hand you a cone with a bare hand, provided they use a napkin. That's why the hotdog or gyro comes in a weak paper boat. And even though it is already wrapped up, that's why a street burrito is in foil, too. They are all barriers to bare hand contact.

This is one of the simplest rules to follow. It models good food safety behavior for young cooks and reassures diners that your kitchen is hygienic first. My nurse-best-friend Joanne has said for years, "Wash your darn hands", and it never led me wrong.