Vent: I was at a diner in Boise and watched a line cook use the same tongs for raw chicken and finished fries.

It made me realize how many places probably have that one simple cross-contamination habit that's just muscle memory for the staff.

3 comments

3 Comments

robin4891mo ago

Look at it this way. That line cook probably did that move a thousand times that night alone. A fast food joint or a busy diner runs on speed, not fine dining standards. If every single thing got a fresh set of tongs after touching raw chicken, they'd need a whole extra person just to wash tongs all night. The real problem is the health department and the managers not making sure the workers actually get trained right. You see one thing go wrong and you assume every place is the same. Most cooks know better, but the owners don't want to pay for the extra tongs or the time to clean them. It's always about the bottom line, not the one guy working the fryer.

the_oliver3mo ago

Saw a bartender use the same rag to wipe a glass and then the floor drain.

margaretrivera3mo ago

Hope you didn't order a drink after that. Adds a whole new meaning to "on the rocks".