And, no, I'm not talking about the near-constant display of Giada's cleavage.
Or the near-constant innuendo when Paula Deen does anything with a piece of meat.
I'm talking about these:
http://mintconditioned.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/citrus-fruits.jpg
There are other things they do that make me nuts, but I'll start with these.
The food people are crazy about citrus zest, some more than others. They put it in everything. Their little microplanes are whizzing back & forth a mile a minute, and the zest is flying all over the kitchen. Well, I might exaggerate, but not much.
Not that there's anything wrong with citrus zest. In fact, it's a very tasty ingredient that enhances the flavor of many dishes, both sweet and savory. Dang, I went back and read that last sentence. I sound like a commercial for the Lemon Board.
Here's the problem. I've watched just about all the programs on the Food Network, some only a couple times, some over & over. Much of the time, their only concessions to cleanliness in the kitchen seem to be waving their hands briefly under some water after handling nasty raw meat or talking about rinsing your herbs when you bring them home from the store. Otherwise, the cross-contamination and ingestion of unpleasantness is rampant.
You NEVER hear them mention the importance of washing any other items of fruit or vegetable matter. Certainly not citrus fruits. Think of it - those lemons have been sprayed with pesticides, had all sorts of bugs & vermin crawling over them in the warehouse, and been handled by dozens of filthy hands before it ever gets into your grocery bag. And then you're going to happily zest away the outer portion of the peel, the part with all the filth, and put it in your food?
Yummmm!
I wash my citrus. With soap.
My mother will love this post. But then she'll call me up and berate me for smashing lemon slices
down INTO my glass of water when we go out to eat.
Sigh.
Do as I say, not as I do.
After all, one must ingest little bits of nasty to build up our immune systems, right.
Or the near-constant innuendo when Paula Deen does anything with a piece of meat.
I'm talking about these:
http://mintconditioned.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/citrus-fruits.jpg
There are other things they do that make me nuts, but I'll start with these.
The food people are crazy about citrus zest, some more than others. They put it in everything. Their little microplanes are whizzing back & forth a mile a minute, and the zest is flying all over the kitchen. Well, I might exaggerate, but not much.
Not that there's anything wrong with citrus zest. In fact, it's a very tasty ingredient that enhances the flavor of many dishes, both sweet and savory. Dang, I went back and read that last sentence. I sound like a commercial for the Lemon Board.
Here's the problem. I've watched just about all the programs on the Food Network, some only a couple times, some over & over. Much of the time, their only concessions to cleanliness in the kitchen seem to be waving their hands briefly under some water after handling nasty raw meat or talking about rinsing your herbs when you bring them home from the store. Otherwise, the cross-contamination and ingestion of unpleasantness is rampant.
You NEVER hear them mention the importance of washing any other items of fruit or vegetable matter. Certainly not citrus fruits. Think of it - those lemons have been sprayed with pesticides, had all sorts of bugs & vermin crawling over them in the warehouse, and been handled by dozens of filthy hands before it ever gets into your grocery bag. And then you're going to happily zest away the outer portion of the peel, the part with all the filth, and put it in your food?
Yummmm!
I wash my citrus. With soap.
My mother will love this post. But then she'll call me up and berate me for smashing lemon slices
down INTO my glass of water when we go out to eat.
Sigh.
Do as I say, not as I do.
After all, one must ingest little bits of nasty to build up our immune systems, right.
6 comments:
"I wash my citrus. With soap."
You're weird.
My word verification was:
zingledr.
Gotta agree with Rosie - you may need help. Rinsing with water is fine. But what is wrong with putting the lemon into the water glass? (Really, I don't see the harm in either.)
RAD
Rosie & RAD - you're both dirty too.
Make that Rosie, RAD and Sista G!! I'm a self-admitted non-washer - Your last sentence says it all. We're never sick as a result of all the immunities we've built up over the years!!!
My word was vanchic - that was me back in the Van Club days of 76 - 83!
Funny. I rinse my apples, but not my lemons and limes, although I have to admit I don't use zest very often. I believe it to be some yuppie plot make the otherwise useless shell of citrus fruits into something special.
Sista G - I get sick more often than I would like, but I blame these damn kids. My lungs have never been the same after I started working here & had pneumonia 4 times the first year.
Russ - I'm not much of a zester either. The best use of citrus peels is making the garbage disposal smell good.
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