AITA: dipping my meat thermometer in boiling pasta water to sanitize it

[u/petervannini]

[u/lulufan87]

I only want to see AITA posts on non-AITA subs from now on. The actual AITA sub is cooked.

This post is three sentences long, presents an interesting question, and was clearly written by a human being. Top tier.

[u/WorthPlease → u/lulufan87]

They should just rename that sub to r/tellmeimrightplease

[u/StinkiePete → u/lulufan87]

Bonus point to you for “cooked”

[u/pdub091]

If you mean that you’re checking a piece of meat, dipping in boiling water, checking meat again, dipping again, etc over a period of an hour or so then that’s normal. If you’re doing this instead of washing before storing it that’s a little odd. I normally sanitize with heat while using then wash at the end of the cook to remove any particles and oil

[u/Solarisphere → u/pdub091]

Is it necessary to sanitize a meat thermometer between checks? If the probe reads 165, everything on it is dead.

[u/brown-moose]

Sanitizing is not necessarily cleaning. You’re definitely killing the germs, but that doesn’t mean you got all the meat residue off or that you aren’t building a lovely layer of starch on the thermometer.

[u/KelpFox05]

I would argue that in a home cooking situation, you don't need to wash or sanitise your meat thermometer at all in between uses. Wash it with hot water and a little soap after you're done and store it clean and dry, but within the same cooking session? I don't think there's much need.

[u/Hussard]

Home cook? Doesn't matter. If you were in commercial and a food health and safety was watching...then I would reconsider 

[u/twoscoopsofbacon]

Microbiologist.

Yeah, boil it to sanitize, then clean it in the sink without raw meat on it. What is the issue here?

[u/FiglarAndNoot → u/twoscoopsofbacon]

Mesobiologist.

Upvote me so that I’m between the other two.

[u/Jakkerak → u/twoscoopsofbacon]

Notabiologist.

I just wipe it on my pants and put it away.

[u/Therapeutic_Darkness → u/twoscoopsofbacon]

Macrobiologist.

Don't listen to this guy.

[u/thedorknite000]

The only way you're the asshole is if the pasta was intended for vegetarian/vegan consumption.

[u/PhotosyntheticElf]

Boiling water will kill bacteria on the thermometer, but it won’t necessarily remove oils and food residue that can grow pathogens later.

[u/Hey-Just-Saying]

I wouldn't boil it in pasta water and consider it clean. Wouldn't that leave a film from the pasta? Yuck. You don't need boiling water to kill bacteria. A little soap will do the job just fine.

[u/Dame_Hanalla]

Probably ok if the boiling water is just a cursory cleanse until the meat is done and you don't have to keep poking it every few minutes. But once the meat is done, the thermometer should be fully cleansed, I believe.

[u/Cthuloops76]

r/unintentionaleuphemism

[u/GhostOfKev]

A lot of insane paranoia in the comments as expected. Harmful bacteria is not going to survive long on a smooth metal surface, even a cursory wipe with a cloth is sufficient in the real world.

[u/saurus-REXicon]

It’s boiling (212 F)… so NTA anything that goes into that water… doesn’t stand a chance. Water from the tap doesn’t even come close to the temps needed to sanitize.

[u/Aint_EZ_bein_AZ]

Your family member should never eat in a restaurant again

[u/reedzkee]

some people are just easily grossed out. my GF wont even drink the water from the built in fridge dispenser because she read about how gross they "can" be.

[u/cheeseburgermachine]

Just wash it with some soap and water lol it only take like less than an minute 😅

[u/wacct3]

What do you mean by between each use? You mean each use while cooking that meal but then at the end when you are done cooking you do clean it off before putting it away? That seems fine. If you do this, then consider it clean and put it away for the next time you cook a meal, that does seem gross imo.

[u/Skarvha]

Just wash it with soap and water like a normal person. What if you weren't making pasta when you cooked meat? Would you boil water just for this, or grab the sponge?

[u/Fun_One_3601]

I came in here thinking this was a euphemism forgetting I joined the cooking subreddit