Can opening safety....

Yeah...you read that right...can opening safety. No...I haven't run out of ideas and topics to blog about, I just figured it's about time, if not, a tad too late to address this.  On my day off, while lazily watching Food Network shows, it occurred to me...am I the only person in the world that obsessively cleans her can opener?!!! It can't be! But...from what I see on TV, I just may be! Show #1 - hand-held can opener... Chef grabs can opener out of drawer, opens a can of garbanzo beans, throws can opener back into drawer. Show #2 - electric can opener... Host grabs can of diced tomatoes, heads to electric can opener, opens can, proceeds to let lid sink into the can, drains tomatoes, tosses into pot. Show #3 - hand-held can opener...Chef grabs can opener out of drawer, opens can of tuna fish, throws can opener back into drawer. I know, you're thinking, it's just a show, they probably don't do that at home, etc., but that's just it - it's a show, and "probably" isn't something that crosses people's minds - they're tuning into these shows to get ideas, learn techniques, etc. - if the Chefs aren't emphasizing proper tool handling skills and sanitation guidelines, they're just passing on the contamination to their viewers. For some applications, such as the diced tomatoes going into a marinara sauce that's going to be cooked, the situation isn't quite as grave, as it's going to be cooked and will reach, hopefully, proper temps to kill bacteria - however, that's not always a guarantee, and especially when canned garbanzo beans are making their way into a salad, or some other cold prep, it's just a pure breeding ground for bacteria, germs, and the perfect storm for cross-contamination. So, what do you do? It's really not that hard...

I, personally, use a hand-held opener - I have the electric as well, I just don't like to clutter up my counter space. I treat my can opener like I do any other tool in my kitchen (i.e., knives, spoons, spatulas...) I wash it after every use. Think about it - if I open a can of tuna, then throw the opener back into the drawer - the blade and the gear on your opener are covered in stinky, smelly tuna water/oil, which just sits there, and accumulates dirt and germs.  Imagine reaching for that opener 20 minutes later to open a can of, let's say black beans to use in a salad...do you really want that tuna flavor, and bacteria in your beans? If you do - fine.  If not...keep reading.

The lid - when you bring your groceries home from the store, do you wash and disinfect your canned goods with hot water and soap? Yeah..I didn't think so - neither do I, that's why you want to make sure that your lid never ever sinks back into, or touches your food inside the can.  If you want to use an electric can opener, be sure to shop for one with a magnetic strip on top of the blade mechanism to keep your lid held up securely as you're opening your can.  That's half the battle - be sure to unplug your opener from the wall, and give your blade a good scrub down - be careful not to get the motor and inside mechanism wet, though. If you're afraid of doing that, then just get a clean sponge really nice and hot and carefully wipe away at the blade for a bit, you can go one step further by dipping a Q-tip into some bleach, and carefully wiping along the blade and gear, and then wiping down with a hot sponge.

Hand-held opener - you have no excuse to not have this sucker be totally clean. I wash mine along with my dishes after every single use, then, let it air dry.  Additionally, once a week, I put the entire can opener into a pot of boiling water with a little bit of lemon juice and salt, and let it boil away for about 15 minutes - be careful, the opener will get very hot in this process, so be sure to drain the water out, and cool it down with cold water before handling - you'll be amazed at the gunk you see floating on top when you do this for the first time - I'm proud to say mine boils away without any floating gunk since I clean mine regularly.  Nonetheless, this is a great way to ensure that your opener is always clean and ready to use without any fear of cross-contamination. 

(Psst...professional Chefs...this goes for you too! Clean that table-top industrial can opener as well!)

There you have it folks! Who ever thought one could write so much about this topic? Haha - additionally, I've been told I have to state the following - completely unrelated to the topic, and all-together mean, I have to say:

I'm a Febreeze whore. There, I said it - ugh.

Happy New Year friends!