Here are some basics for you so you can learn dragonfly

i delivered a cake to the school library tonight, and was killing time with my 4 yr old, waiting till cake cutting time when they needed me. i grabbed a book to occupy her, and it was "wash, brush and scrub". it said that there is more bacteria under your fingernails than under your toilet seat.
nice huh?

Thats why when you work in a bakery you are supposed to wear gloves..

. . . yes, gloves make perfect sense . . . but can also be abused . . . just because you are wearing gloves doesn't mean you are now immune from washing your hands . . . gloves get dirty too . . . and you have to change gloves (or wash gloved hands) when cross contamination occurs . . . yet some seem to think that if they are wearing gloves "anything goes" . . . I have worked in environments where gloves were required by the "company" but not by the "health department" (but the health department was watching for frequent hand washing and "sanitizing" . . . and if you were wearing gloves they were still watching for frequent hand washing and sanitizing) . . . and I have personally observed people wearing gloves (while handling food) - then handling cash and then back to handling food - no hand washing /or new gloves before going back to handling food . . . now that's gross . . . money is probably the dirtiest thing on the planet . . . so yes, gloves make sense - as long as you are consciously maintaining a food safe environment at all times . . . if not, then it really doesn't matter if you are wearing gloves or not . . .

Ok I hope is common sense to take your gloves off if you are going to the restroom, or doing something else.

Is common sense..If you are a the dentist, and the dentist do something else, he needs new gloves..not the same ones wahsed, NEW ONES!..
Is like going to one mouth to the next mouth withouth changing gloves! EWWW..

OMG, I know what you mean dragonflydreams!! I've seen people in food establishments wearing gloves and apparently they think it's for their sanitary protection!! They wear the gloves, scratch their heads or nose, then go back to touching the food. Or yes, take money, then go right back to the food. It grosses me out!! Apparently they think germs, dirt, etc. won't stick to the gloves maybe?? Who knows!

dragonfly, my HD puts out literature that points out "sanitizers and gloves are NOT a substitute for handwashing!"

That darn Debi... always starting stuff with people! Hehehe.

. . . no problem . . . sounds like were on the same page . . .

I worked at Whataburger in high school - the night shift. Because there weren't many customers, my night was usually spent "portioning" onion rings, fries, has browns, etc., for which I had to wear gloves. I can tell you, the other cashier on duty once went from portioning to helping a customer (and fyi, those touch screens for taking orders are WAY dirty. Discusting) back to portioning. I hollered at that boy, thats just gross!

Indydebi, thanks for your answer. Thats about what I thought, but I wanted to make sure. I'm still paranoid.

Gloves are a HUGE issue with me....So many people misuse them. We were taught in culinary school very strict hand washing procedures before handling food (that was going to be cooked.) But, it was MANDATORY to wear gloves if you were preparing goods that were going hand to mouth without being cooked! That's what I always operate by.
Those strict procedures mean: Besides washing often, Keep nails short, clean and use fingernail brushes at sink often. Use sanitizer in water and keep hands away from face and hair.

I forgot to mention, I SO agree with the others though, If you go on and touch refrig. doors, money, anything else....your gloves are now contaminated! Change them...

i always wear a doo-rag in the kitchen, and the back of my hair in a clip or ponytail. i have this thing where i can't stand my hair touching my forehead, so i'm always putting my bangs behind my ears....doo-rags take away that need.

i am a constant hand washer..the gritty feel of sugar on my hands drives me nuts!!! when i'm done with a cake, usually no matter how late it is, i'll hop into the bath or shower just to feel "fresh". i finally delivered a cake last night that took me 2 days of solid 12-15 hour shifts to finish...honestly, i still feel like i'm covered in sugar! my knuckles right now are red and polka dotted, and it stings when i put my lotion on, but they're clean, by golly!

(actually i have to laugh, cause i just scratched my face after typing that! oh well!!)

I NEED SLEEP!!!

Thanks Callyssa. I never even thought to use cuticle oil..gotta go get some. I guess i'm just after a nice healthy looking nail. I looked at my nails today and the tips are just barely coming over the edge of my fingertips..that's long for me.;0) Normally they are completely cut down. I would never apply tips or fake nails since i tried that once and it destroyed my nails underneath. I wanted pretty nails for my wedding and got artificial nails put on and boy oh boy did i ever hate it. They were suppose to be a functional length but still i was constantly bothered by them and when they were removed i was shocked at the condition of my nails beneath.

If it's ready to eat you need gloves. That simple.

Mike

Edna, I'm with Melvira....
I always pictured an extra- large woman with a good sense of humor whenever I read your name.

You are as beautiful as your cakes.

for about 2 months, I had long nails. I was/am a manager at Mickey D's in Florida. And we werent required to wear gloves.....and this was before I had gotten my nails. Well...the snot that opened had these little lee press on nails that looked like they belonged on a tween's hand. All of a sudden she was looking at her hands, and a nail was missing.....and lo and behold. I got my butt chewed big time by the customer. I went and got gloves out of the closet and wound up throwing the box at her telling her and everyone else to leave em on or I'd duck tape them around the wrist.

After I got mine I didnt go near the table, except to break one of my older ladies, and I wore double gloves, mine werent comin off for nothin, but I was overly careful.

Less then 2 months after I got them, I tore them off myself.

I would love to have long nails but it is dificult to decorate cakes...I keep them shor but I enjoy going to the spa for pedicure...that's where I spend a tons for a nice pedicure!!!

Yes there are tons of bacteria under your nails, but most of that bacteria is of the non-offensive kind. Meaning that it is the bacteria that is covering your body on an everyday basis. The good bacteria that protect you from the bad bacteria. Now I am not advocating not washing your hands or keeping your nails clipped and clean or not wearing gloves, BUT so many people are skeeved out by bacteria when there are only a handful that are detrimental to our well being in small quanitities. Those of you that wash your hands a bazillion times a day are actually stripping your hands of your body's first line of defense.. bacteria. Yes that word has been abused and villified in today's media. You hear the word bacteria and you cringe.. but if you stop and think about it, bacteria is an opportunistic infectant.. the bacteria on your skin is there for a reason.. to not allow any space for the bad bacteria to grow. If it has no space to move in and proliferate.. it won't.

Also.. a lot of the "antibiotic" products out there don't work like they claim they do. We did tests in my microbiology class on many antibiotic cleaners and hand sanitizers.. none of them worked as claimed. The only thing that consistently inhibited bacterial growth was good ole' fashioned bleach. E. coli was happy to grow on purell.. and even the hospital foam sanitizer.. as well as lysol kitchen cleaner. There is no substitute for washing your hands with warm (not hot) water and plain old soap. People squirt on the purell and think they are clean.. and they aren't. They are happily spreading their bacteria all over the place.. fine if it's just normal skin bacteria, but if you just went the bathroom you best wash those hands. The worst was when I was doing teacher's aide work and the preschool teacher had the kids come in from outside.. they were filthy (as good kids should be after playing outside) and she just gave them all big squirts of hand sanitizer rather than walk the 10 feet to the bathroom to have them wash their hands.. just gross.

Of course when we are talking about food service washing your hands is a must. If you touch raw meat wash your hands.. if you go to the restroom.. wash your hands.. if you touch money.. wash your hands. If you are touching food that won't be cooked you should wear gloves.

My point?? I'm sure there's one in there somewhere.. use common sense. If your hands are dirty wash them.. wear gloves when needed.. don't pick your ass and handle food.. if you are going to have long nails wear gloves at all times when preparing food for the public.. and above all.. don't be all paranoid about every little speck of bacteria.. some of it is your friend.