A Dishwasher Towel Is the Dirtiest Thing in Your Kitchen, so Wash It Now.
A recent study on food preparation found that many people are not very careful about avoiding foodborne illnesses and contaminate all kinds of kitchen surfaces. Dirtiest item on the list? Dish towels.
123 participants were randomly assigned to cook various raw meat dishes and it was found that most of them did not follow very good food handling practices and contaminated all kinds of objects and surfaces in the kitchen. Science Daily, interviewing researchers, explains:
“First, it was noticed that participants often take towels, including paper towels, even when not using them to dry,” Snead said. “Towels were identified as the most contaminated of all contact surfaces tested.”
Video surveillance showed that many participants touched a towel before washing their hands, or used a towel after washing their hands incorrectly. Even after washing their hands thoroughly, they reused the towel and got dirty again.
These bacteria can grow on the towels overnight, making them even more infected the next day.
Their recommendations may seem overwhelming (only use paper towels! Don’t touch your cell phone while cooking!), But you can read them at the link below if you like. Most important takeaways: Don’t touch kitchen towels (or anything else) with roughly damp chicken hands (yes) and wash your tea towels more often because it’s probably gross.
Food Handling Practices Lead to Cross Contamination [PDF] | Food Protection Trends via Science Daily