2008.04.24
To glove or not to glove?
Yesterday's Front Burner column featured a photograph of two culinary students stuffing Roma tomatoes with mushroom duxelles.
An alert reader called me yesterday afternoon to ask me a question about that picture: Why aren't those students wearing gloves?
It's the second time I've heard that question since I started covering the food beat. The last time, I shot a video of a man making cheesesteaks without gloves.
Thinking back on Thursday's event, I'm pretty sure that some of the chefs did wear gloves while they prepared food. But more than half, I'm sure, did not. And since I've been hanging out with a lot of chefs over the past year or so, I've noticed it is not a practice that is always followed.
This morning, I called up Robert Parker at the Virginia Department of Health to ask him whether chefs are supposed to wear gloves. My bet is that they aren't required to -- otherwise, why would so many of them choose to go without?
"I think we're all starting to pay attention to that, and that's a good thing," Parker said.
I wanted to have an answer for you all right now, but Parker wanted to check with the proper folks at the health department for an accurate response. As soon as I hear back from him, I'll be back with an update.
Meanwhile, what do you think? Should chefs be required to wear gloves?
I know there are a few chefs reading this blog, so I'd love for them to chime in and answer this question: What are the issues that need to be considered here, from your perspective?
I used to work in a restaurant and I am a big fan of gloves - it definitely makes you aware of your hands and sanitation.
Sure, you can wash your hands all day long - but what about right after you wash them and then your arm itches? Or you brush your hair out of your face? Or you ring up a customer? Now you potentially have stuff all over your hands again.
I am sure there are many chefs who are diligent about clean hands - but then you have their employees who may not be and see their boss without gloves and think that hand sanitation isn't important.
Comment by Michelle — April 24, 2008 @ 12:05 pm
I think most chefs wash their hands very well before handling food, at least I hope so. I don't have a problem w/them not wearing gloves when preparing the food. Most of us never see the food being prepared anyway, so we'd never know whether they were wearing them or not.
Comment by Debbie — April 24, 2008 @ 12:12 pm
Of course! Anyone preparing food for public consumption should be gloved....and, it is a requirement according to the food code. Unfortunatly, too many food preparers either do not participate in this practice either due to apathy, ignorance, lack of health department enformcement or simple arrogance.
Comment by byrarly — April 24, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
Let me give you two examples of why I think gloves are necessary. Although I am sure there are many who are diligent with cleanliness. At least I hope so!
A few years ago I stopped at a convenience store for a carry-out Taco Salad. The busy clerk rang up money, gave me change, then proceeded to sprinkle cheese over my salad with bare hands.
Even though I had paid for the lunch, I told her to cancel and walked out.
At a fast food restaurant, I watched a young man walk from the restroom to the kitchen and start preparing my sandwich, handling lettuce, tomato and bread without gloves. I am not saying this young man did not wash his hands, but! he must touch doorknobs, etc to get to the preparation area. Again I canceled my order, already paid for.
I am sure somewhere in the Virginia health codes there is a requirement for these people to wear gloves when touching food.
How do we get the chefs or the teenage cooks in fast food to obey the law?
Comment by Mary — April 24, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
I think people are much more likely to wash their hands than to change gloves after every potential cross-contamination situation, so I say no.
Comment by Tori — April 24, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
Oh man... the controversy! From my experience as a restaurant manager at Disney, I would have to say that when in doubt - GLOVE.
Whenever prepping food that will not be cooked to an internal temp of 145 or higher, you should wear gloves. It does not matter how well or often you wash your hands. Gloves in this case are necessary. I had to take an entire semester of "Food Service Sanitation" in college and although information DOES change in this respect I think this rule should remain the same.
Comment by Amy Hanek — April 24, 2008 @ 3:47 pm
I have noticed in fast food restaurants, especially the younger staff, tend to wear the gloves but still touch their face, etc. without changing gloves. I pointed that out to one young lady and she was embarrassed that she had done that. At least I hope it was embarrassment and not anger! lol
Comment by Debi — April 24, 2008 @ 4:11 pm
I worked in the restaurant business for several years and saw many things that would make you think twice about dining out. For the most part I've found that chefs are meticulous by nature but there will always be a "bad apple" in the bunch.
As for the gloves, it is just as easy to wipe your brow, scratch an itch, etc. with gloves on as it is with bare hands. Do gloved cooks immediately remove the gloves and don a new pair afterwards? Probably not. Gloves may protect you from certain things but they are not a catch-all. Your food is only as safe as the habits of the person preparing it whether they wear gloves or not!
Comment by Kim — April 24, 2008 @ 4:14 pm
I believe it is up to individual cities, counties, regions, etc. as to policy for wearing gloves. Many individual food service establishments to set policy, for any person handling food, gloves must be worn. ServeSafe and other sanitation training institutions do recommend the use of food service gloves. I personally have different views about this topic. If a person is wearing gloves and smokes a cigarette on a break, then returns to the kitchen and continues to prepare food, what use were the gloves really? There are certain times in food preparation when wearing gloves is very difficult. Have you ever tried to make bread wearing gloves? There these is the whole issue of latex and allergies, powdered and not, vinyl gloves, and what is the environmental impact they have in landfills? On the flip side again, gloves are most excellent for making chocolate truffles, handling foods which are really sticky, messy, and hard to clean off of hands. There are a million arguments for and against.
Final point: Gloves are not a substitute for washing hands. Gloves must be changed often. Hands must be washed often. I am all for wearing gloves when preparing food, especially in a work environment.
Comment by Chef Jeff — April 24, 2008 @ 7:34 pm
Hi Lindsey,
This is a great topic and one I was discussing with your photographer last week.
I definetely agree with Jeff. Although the issue here is not really the gloves. The problem lies with standards and cleanliness. A clean kitchen, clean tools, clean hands (gloved or not)and clean restaurant are the only way to prepare food for a paying customer. This is a philosophy that has to be enforced one hundred percent of the time. As for our fast food friends, some are better than others and it's fairly easy to spot the latter.
Comment by Josh S. — April 25, 2008 @ 10:13 am
Two more notes: I was talking with colleagues this morning and there was an overwhelming consensus that if food being prepared is going to be cooked, gloves are not necessary if hands are washed frequently. If food being handled is not going to be cooked, gloves should be worn.
Another interesting point was made; “How many times does a waiter wear gloves while serving food in fine or casual dining restaurants?”
Comment by Chef Jeff — April 25, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
As I stated above, I agree with Jeff. In the front of the house, a waiter should never touch the food. That is a job for the expediter or chef as the food is checked for quality and handed to the food runner or waiter.
Earlier this year, Lindsey had a video posted about lemons. The sanitation of their handling was questioned and it got me thinking about side stations in most restaurants. Even at Disney this was not a major concern of the manager or chef. I realize now that it should be. The bartender or opening waiter will cut them (hopefully with gloves) and then put them out on the side station. This is when a server makes drinks and uses their hands to pick out a lemon to garnish a drink with. Tongs were there to use, but many did not use them.
I thought about this as I watched a very careful Subway employee make my sub today. He washed his hands carefully AND put on gloves. Then he went to the walk-in to find better quality lettuce. I appreciated the new lettuce, but not that he did not change his gloves. I would hope the walk-in is very clean, but he might have just used it (or someone else) ungloved. This opens the can of worms we all talk about.
I still trusted my sandwich enough to eat, but still I wondered a little.
Comment by Amy Hanek — April 25, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
I've been cooking professionally for almost thirty years, and the use of gloves inhibits the ability of the cook to sanitize his or her hands. We touch all sorts of things, all night long, from hamburgers to lettuce to the trash we pick up off the floor.
I work with 18 and 20 year olds who regard gloves as a cure all for the prevention of cross contamination. I witness them daily wearing a pair of gloves until they turn to shreds.
Simply put, if a cook touches something nasty he will instinctively wash his hands.
With gloves on, there is an insulation from that nastiness.
You might think that changing the gloves frequently is the answer-- but in fact there is not enough time for that.
My corporation has a standard of ten minutes from the time you order an appetizer, it shall reach the table. Twenty minutes for your dinner.
The demand, for anyone who has never cooked, borders on the absurd, and changing gloves that often simply is not an option.
One more note: the way we did it in the seventies was to dip our hands in a light solution of bleach and water.
That was banned mostly because people were using toxic levels of chlorine.
Now they have perfectly viable sanitizers, pre-mixed.
If I go to a restaurant to eat, I would be much more comfortable knowing that my food handlers were not insulated from the real contaminants on their hands.
Comment by Kilverel — September 12, 2008 @ 1:08 am
Thanks for chiming in on this discussion, Kilverel. I think you make some fantastic points. I know that when I'm cooking at my home without gloves, I'm very conscious of each and everything I touch. Seems plausible that with gloves on, a cook might feel a false sense of protection.
Comment by Lindsey — September 12, 2008 @ 10:20 am