I always wondered about the cake shows as well. How can the workers decorate those cakes and have hair all over the place, hands touching their faces and then going back to touching fondant figures, hands scratching arms and then touching fondant..........yuck. I wonder why the health department doesn't watch those shows and then show up to do an inspection! I wear gloves because I work in a bakery and I never leave the table with those gloves. If I have to move around I take the gloves off inside out and leave them near the cake I'm working on. I always switch gloves if I forget to take them off. It's a huge hassle but the the rules of the bakery are for us to wear gloves, aprons, hair nets and even face masks if we think we may be getting sick.

I've only been decorating for about 2 years and cannot understand how in the world people with long fingernails can do cakes! I have very short nails, unpainted, and STILL poke holes in buttercream and fondant.

I hobby bake from my home (I don't sell anything). I find that it is much easier and more sanitary for me to wash my hands repeatedly. I've been teaching my 8 year old niece how to bake and told her about the importance of "food handler handwashing". She promptly went to the bathroom sink and washed her hands perfectly while singing Happy Birthday twice. She dried her hands (on a clean towel), turned to me with a big grin and said, "We learned handwashing in kindergarten!".

I took her with me to the store and purchased a pack of hairnets (which she'd never heard of....) and we wear them when doing cakes or candy.

If an 8 year old can do it right, so should everyone else.

Short nails are definitely the way to go, sanitation is the key. I think handwashing is better than gloves because gloves tend to give people a false sense of sterility - your hands are clean because they are inside the glove but the glove that you are touching your equipment with has been contaminated with whatever you touch.

Rings and watches are almost the worst. There is a lady I have seen from Savannah Geeoorgah that wears big honking bacteria catching rings to do almost everything... all I can think about it her wearing them while she pets that lovely dog that walks around in her kitchen too. blaarrrgghh. although I love her, I just can't handle the ring thing...that was the first thing my MeeMaw taught me - take of the jewelry before you start to cook.

The worst are those sweaty competitors in almost every show I watch--- for peetes sake, two or three bobby pins and a rolled up paper towel can put a stop to that. Was watching Chopped Championship last weekend and when the dude took a towel (not a red one which is what I use cause I know the red ones immediately go into the clothes hamper after ONE use) and wiped down his whole sweat laden head I almost barfed. Where did that towel go? YUCK!!!!
(editied for spelling)

Yes, on these shows the competitors drop the food and put it right back on the counter. I'm sure that for taping these shows they don't want to show ugly gloves and hairnets-I've seen Edna use gloves for caking numerouys times. But if they drop the food in the competition and they know they are being taped, can you imagine what they do in their own restaurants? Another pet peeve is tasting and retesting with utensils, why do you do this? I even rinse my utensils when I'm only cooking for myself.

[quote="MamaDear"]
The worst are those sweaty competitors in almost every show I watch--- for peetes sake, two or three bobby pins and a rolled up paper towel can put a stop to that. Was watching Chopped Championship last weekend and when the dude took a towel (not a red one which is what I use cause I know the red ones immediately go into the clothes hamper after ONE use) and wiped down his whole sweat laden head I almost barfed. Where did that towel go? YUCK!!!!
(editied for spelling)[/quote


I love Chopped but I would never want to be a judge who has to eat the food the contestants prepare. Most of them sweat profusely and a few times I've actually seen the sweat drops falling off their heads...probably into the food.


YUCK!!!

The food shows are the worse. I can't understand all that long hair flying about with no one saying anything! In my own home when I am cooking or baking I cover my hair with a net bc I have long hair & as for watches, rings, and bracelets I never wear them in the kitchen. My watch gets in my way I find so I never wear it unless I'm out.

I dated a guy who was a chef in a five star restaurant. He said they would routinely wash food off if it fell on the floor. I looked at him with my mouth hanging open. He said well that's the way it is-they aren't going to let a prime steak go to waste when they can just wash it off and sear it at 500 degrees to kill anything.

Think about that the next time you're nomming on your $50 filet mignon!

[quote="cakestyles"]

I worry less about steak dropped on the floor and seared to steamy perfection than I do about the prep cook making salads and not washing his hands on the way back from the bathroom...

I have people ask me about this..my nails are not really that long. I have a log nail bed and a french manicure that makes them look longer than they really are.
As far as work...I might teach with no gloves, but I can't stand working cakes with no gloves. I feel
its not sanitary. So when I am doing a cake for a client, I use gloves. Is that simple.

As far as short or long..short nails can carry just as much dirt. Keeping them clean is the key..
Edna

I used to be a jeweler and I can tell you the NASTY stuff I have seen inside rings literally made me throw up!! Ever since then I do clean my ring weekly! But even still I always take it off when I am caking, but mostly because I don't want to get stuff in my ring.

Long nails are definitely a no no when preparing food for clients. My hands are always soo dried out (almost cracking and bleeding) by the time I finish a cake. But it is nothing that a pair of gloves and eucerin can't fix!!

I must admit a little confusion when I read those who "prefer" to work with short nails. You mean you have a choice? because I'm with the ones who said "my HD requires it so I thought it was a rule for everyone."

I would have girls come into the shop to place an application. I'd look them straight in the eye and ask "are you willing to cut your nails to the nub?" A 'yes' response got them an application. No nails ... no polish ... no exceptions.

A new-hire manager at the hotel I work at was doing her training-stint in the kitchen and she said she hated washing dishes because it softened her nail polish and it peeled off too easy. I grabbed her by the wrist, held up her hand in front of her face and said, "Actually, darlin', the HD forbids ANY nail polish at all so be sure that's cleaned off before your next shift in here." (I dont' care what your title is, at that point in time you are in MY kitchen! )

One of the (many) reasons I am looking forward to graduating and getting my teaching degree (and stop working in the food industry) is so I can get my nails done again. I sure miss them!

I am a nurse in a Neonatal ICU. Our babies are more prone to infections and we wash our hands before and after touching each patient and once washed you can only touch the patient and his equipment. We also take off rings and watches as we wash part way up the arm, and washing is at least a 15 second scrub. Infectious diseases department say that the scrubbing is actually more important than the soap used. We are not supposed to have polish or long nails either but some still do. So although I only bake for family and friends I am still in the habit of washing alot. Good habit to get in to.

Short Nails get dirty too...washing hands and using gloves is the best way to go

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DrXrIydTh4M/TbvoN0oNBbI/AAAAAAAACSo/Rl-P6L9ZwKk/s1600/dirty+nails.jpg

I completely disagree that short nails are just as dirty as long. If that were true our HD's wouldn't require that we cut them and not wear polish.


If the nails are cut even with the nail bed with no free edge at all then there is no way in heck they harbor the same bacteria under them that long nails do.

Long nails can harbor all sorts of nasty things under them. Here's an example...

I was having a pedicure one day and this older woman was getting a manicure nearby. I heard the technician ask her if she had been eating chocolate before she came in because her nails had brown stuff caked under them. She said no, she hadn't been eating chocolate...she had diarhea all morning. I nearly vomited right there. Can you imagine?

That's a true story. It's a perfect example of just how filthy long nails can be on some people.


I'm not saying that everyone with long nails harbors germs but there is definitely more chance of having bacteria and God knows what else under those long free edges.

Gloves are fine if you change them regularly.

My HD reguires no polish and short nails...I'd be shocked to learn that it's not a requirement across the board.

As far as that picture posted...those are NOT short nails...there's a free edge. Short nails means NO free edge at all....cut as short as the nail bed.

Extreme cases. Long nails could carry your diarrhea and short nails could get your thumbs amputated. Yikes. I wonder which one I would choose.

Thing is, the poor guy trimmed them too short, probably going through his skin. Scary, but no reason to keep nails long if you work in the food industry. The rule is still short nails and no polish. If this happened as a consequence of keeping nails trimmed, we would all be walking around with amputated thumbs.

That said, I hope he gets better and that the infection doesn't spread anymore.

All good points..gloves wont do any good unless you are careful not touching other things with them as one of the above cake decorators said.. Not to mention using a dirty hand to put on a glove would actually (imo) make it null and void.lol I wash and use gloves and if my gloves touch anything that shouldn't be touching..I change them. Had an argument with a doctor once as he gave my son a shot and poked himself before giving the shot.. He told me he was more at risk than my son and I told him flat that he was around more infectious things than my child ever could be.. Point is..care needs to be taken. I don't wear jewlery when decorating and I can't imagine someone taking jewelry off and thinking by them then handling fondant it would make it sanitary..unless they washed their hands after taking the jewelry off.. I love cake boss but sometimes I look at the boards they cut and I wonder if they even wash those boards as I'm used to cleaning the board AND sticking my cake on a cake board first then applying it to a "covered" board.. They just throw the cake on or so it looks like. Those people who use the bathroom and I hear the toilet flush but not the water being turned on..there are no words. I heard someone say once that she didn't need to wash her hands because she just urinated and she didn't touch her private.. Well, you lifted the lid, you touched the handle to flush.. Seriously, people need to be more conscious of sanitation in the food world. Look at all the large companies that have to recall food because of unsanitary practices.

SHould be common sense, but one thing I have learned is that there is nothing common about sense.



I wash my hands before gloving up, and I wash my hands in between gloves if I touch something that is suspect.

I have no problem with short manicured nails if and only if you use gloves 100% of the time. but long nails... ones that extend over the top of your finger... no freakin' way. I don't care how many pictures of short dirty nails you can find, unless you are scrubbing those suckers with a toothbrush dipped in clorox many times a day, long nails harbor more germs.

The servsafe class I took said nails could be painted IF and only if gloves were ALWAYS worn. For me... no polish eventhough I do use gloves all the time.

I just finished Culinary School and we had to keep nails cut and hair covered. But in pastry shop as long as your hair was up and off the top of your coat , you didn't have to wear a hat. Nails still had to be short.

I'm wearing nail polish this week because I have the week off! woohoo! As soon as I delivered my last cake this past weekend I came home and painted my nails. It's just for a week though... Short nails, no polish, and I keep a nail brush at the sink to keep them scrubbed well.

I've never been able to grow long nails for some reason, so no biggie about keeping them short. No polish ever. I scrub under my nails with a brush and rubbing alcohol several times a day. I think the HD may allow wedding bands. I take off my mothers ring and soak it in alcohol while I'm caking, I think of it as multitasking. And I go through a boat load of gloves every week. I'm always washing my hands, you should see them they look like they belong to an 80 year old.

I have been watching this thread with interest. So many of my own pet peeves have been discussed. (And the TV shows gross me out, too!) I keep my nails cut to the quick and wash so often that my hands are wrinkled, (not due to age, but that's another story). If everyone had to take some of the bacteriology classes I had in college, there would be no question. Seeing what can grow on a petri plate even with freshly scrubbed hands, can be a real eye-opener.
A stiff nail brush and full soap dispenser have a permanent spot by my sink.

Jan

Let's face it, the problem is not the nails is how careless some people are
about sanitation.
Edna