I’ve seen a lot of searches lately about whether one needs to wash newly-purchased cookware before using. Yes! There are probably CDC (Center for Disease Control) recommendations to follow but others as well. Is it a pan that needs to be “seasoned” in the oven? Does it have plastic that needs to be removed? If other shoppers have handled the merchandise you bought, do you want to use it without washing it?
Hot water and dish soap, otherwise manufacturers’ recommendations should be followed. Don’t think you can buy a cast iron pan and use it for a frittata when you get home. Season it first. For cast iron that’s an oil bath in the oven, perhaps more than one.
My husband and I eat out a few times a week. Most of the time our tummies are sensitive to alternate foods. When I cook at home I am religious (hear that, Nanny?) about cleanliness and since we’re in corporate housing I bought one cutting board. Veggies first, meat last, wash hands all the time. Cutting board goes into dishwasher and is sanitized. There are few germs in this household, and learning the ropes was organic. Once you know how to do it, you’ll do it all the time. Sure, if you need the color-coded cutting boards that’s fine but WASH YOUR KNIFE between preparations.
Being clean in the kitchen is a ritual, something that comes naturally to me, as I keep foods at the temperature they should be, let proteins thaw in the frig, if frozen, then refrigerated, let sit for a short time on the counter (always covered) before cooking. When we think of our loved ones, we want to give them the best, tastiest, healthiest foods we can make. Following kitchen protocols will help you on that road.
Utensils:
New: a potato masher from Nanny that I used just last night to mash skin-on potatoes with garlic.
Used: All the forks, spoons and egg beaters from Jim’s grandmother and great-grandmother.
Antique: A grain scoop from a B&B in West VA. Used for dog food now but it’s in storage.
Husband Jim says that anything I make is true to my principles (he’s a physicist, go figure) and I try and mainly do please his sensitive palate. My cooking school experience has ingrained many things in my mind, as in before cooking or tasting mise en place over a clean surface. Pot roast tonight? We’ll see. Good morning, reader/contributor! Dee
Cooking with Dee 
Hey Dee! I learned what mise en place meant a few years ago…setting out all your ingredients etc before you begin…it does help.
I was thinking of you guys last weekend…we went skiing and the temp was -6* when we started, had warmed up to 22* by the afternoon. It was the first time this year that we used hand and foot warmers.
Hi Pam, It’s warmer out here. Check the ski reports. We haven’t had that much snow (scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday). I hear that during Sundance there’s a lot of space on the trails. What flight # was that, again? Dee