Ohhh, rubber gloves. Grab something to drink and get comfortable.

First off let me just say because there are rules in the heath industry guidelines ( hereafter referred to for simplicity as HIG) it doesn't neccessarily mean that I agree with them.

Now then,

For starters latex is out! Synthetic latex is in.
It has come to HI awareness that there are a number of people out there who have allergies or reactions to latex.

HIG says that all ready to eat foods must be handled with gloves.
This means veggies, jerky, meat, bread, or any product that is going directly to the consumer.

Chad is right on when he pointed out that gloves are not necessary when handling meats or other food items that have yet to be cooked.

HIG also states that the proper procedure for glove wearing is this:
Wash hands thoroughly including forearms up to the elbows.
Dry hands on clean dry towel and apply gloves. When the gloves become dirty or torn, remove gloves. Wash hands again and apply new gloves.

I'm with KCquer on this one. If I just washed my hands thoroughly, how much cleaner is a pair of gloves going to be? ( More on this in a bit)

HIG also says to treat gloved hands the same as bare hands.
In other words if you touch something dirty or contaminated, you would then need to change gloves, the same as needing to rewash hands.

Who are these gloves for anyway?
Mostly they are for the protection of the general public. Not the food handler.

We have reached a point (some years ago) when the pork industry cleaned up their act, and trichinosis also known as Anisakas, has been pretty much irradicated.
So the need to protect yourself from raw pork really isn't an issue.

A number of years ago while working in a restaurant kitchen, I found myself feeling terribly ill almost every evening halfway through my shift.
This hadn't happened the previous six months that I worked there, so I wasn't sure what was causing this. Well to make a long story short I started using tongs when handling the meat. I all of a sudden had no problems. I slowly started backing off from the tongs, until one night the illness returned. It was the marinated chicken! The marinade wasn't being changed daily, and I was developing salmonella every night.

If you have any open wounds on your hands, they need to be cleaned and gloved. Period.

So do we need to wear gloves when handling raw meat? The answer is no.
Should we? Not a bad idea.
Its also a good idea to wear them when applying rubs. If you have ever accidently rubbed an eye with seasonings on your hands, you can testify as to the discomfort.

I have gone around and around with the health dept. lady here over the glove issue. On one visit she saw me wash my hands, open a bag of jerky, place a piece in a serving dish and take it to a customer. She busted my chops for not using gloves.

I do feel it is best to wear them, needed or not when in customer view.
Thanks for all the input!
Until later,
Joe

I just keep it simple and glove up all the time, if I remember.

JohnMc gave me some "indistructable" gloves in XL size. Perfect for pulling pork with a pair of thin cotton gloves under them! Thanks.

TIM

Now gloves I kow about. Absolutley latex is out. too many allergies and the Nitriles are much stronger. In health care we use Universal precautions. that is...assume everyone has everything. And treat them that way. same with working with meats. Assume everything is contagious or infectious and treat accordingly. Just because gloves are on don;t forget clean procedures, no money then food. Can make it one hand for money one hand for food. Wash before and after gloves, after to remove any accumulations on your hands of sweat and bacteria. Hey, it;s hot and sweaty inside those gloves. Also, don't be afraid to use a good moisturizer after all day in gloves. You hands deserve the break. Scott

I just prefer to wear gloves when handling raw meat because I don't wanna miss getting something completely washed off then end up licking a finger or whatever. I especially use gloves when handling chicken and pork. I wasn't aware that pork was not such a big problem now. That's good to know. Maybe it's just the stygma attached to it but pork and chicken scare me. Beef, I'm OK with. Weird, huh?

Good discussion... last week, I went though a box of 50 individual gloves prepping 9 racks of ribs and three dozen chicken parts. More so in that I was using so many different bottles of rub.... I like Phil's idea of wrapping bottles in the glove... so simple....

I like keeping my hands dry during prep work so gloves are a must for me when handling meat. Funny thing is I only use gloves when prepping BBQ. regular weekday meals etc. revert back to old habits...

I pretty much wear gloves pretty religiously as my job dictates it. Also, when I'm prepping meat I'll always have a pair of gloves on and I change them constantly. I will sometimes wear two or three pair of gloves at the same time so that I can quick change in the middle of working if I need to grab something else. I also wash my hands liek no-one else. Even at work I probably wash my hands more often than anyone there. I'm not obsesive compulsive, I just don't want someone elses germs on me( I work in a Hospital OR and Recovery Room).

You're welcome Tim , if you run low, let me know.

My problem with gloves is my hands tend to sweat alot. I wash hands quite often & try to use utensil as much as possible to handle the food.

I wear gloves all the time, easy to change and cheap, good insurance to keep things clean.

I wear gloves all the time. My bare hands never touch the meat. Personel preference. The Staph thing, it is on you skin and is a common bacteria. However while on bacteria you might as well have gloves that go up to your shoulders, wear a mask, and a hair net. You would be suprised what can be cultured out of your nose and hair. Lets dont go overboard with the OCD.

I hardly ever wear gloves, mainly because i forget to buy them when i goto wallyworld. but i scrub and wash my hands constantly through out the day any way from workin in the medical field, so when i cook at home i use different cutting boards and knifes for everything i do and wash my hands after i touch anything lol.. ill go through 2 rolls of paper towels and two or 3 dish towels prepping and cooking .

I have the same problem as you DJ. Sometimes my hands are so bad in gloves that they actually mottle(sp?) like they've been in the tub for hours. You just have to find gloves that you can work with. With me, standard latex type gloves just won't work. They won't go on, they're like trying to get a small wetsuit onto a 400 lb man. Nitrile gloves are just as bad becuase they don't stretch. I hae a 9+ size had and een the XL size of most gloves are too small. I found a certain type that the hospital I work at has to special order for me. They're Polychloroprene instead of Nitrile. They're strethier than Latex and synthetic. They just cost more than most other types. The hospital originally wasn't willing to get them until I started using Sterile surgical gloves for each individual patient contact. Then, they saw the fiscal reality of the need for those gloves. BIIGGG Price difference there.

be afraid of beef too.all raw meat may have e-coli and other bacteria that could be dangerous.

in addition to gloves, i will also wear protective glasses to prevent blood from splashing in my eyes
phil

My hands are also large and sweat alot. So much so that I need to change gloves every hour or so because of the liquid build up. Do the Polychloroprene gloves notably help prevent sweating? If so, where can they be ordered economically?

So far I've only used the el cheapo clear gloves and the more expensive latex ones.

Thanks

The sweating is half the reason I personally don't like gloves. But if they made a glove that could breathe, it would probably render them ineffective.

I hadn't used gloves until my first comp last year, and I found that I like prepping bbq with them. It keeps the rub from caking up on my hands. I use insulated rubber gloves for taking food off the cooker that have been washed and cloroxed and washed again, then nitrile gloves for anything else.

When I prep, I don't change them all the time.. I wash when needed and change between meats.