I wouldn't boil a wooden or antler handled knife --- unless I was ready to put on a new handle. 160 degree F. water, for 5 min. will kill almost anything.
knife hygiene.
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I carry a small stainless knife exclusively for "clean" food prep - it's part of my Lifeventure KFS Set.
Cross-contamination is one of those things - you can go your whole life and never have a problem, but it only takes one bit of bad luck to land you with a severely unpleasant case of food poisoning. Better safe than sorry in my book.
Cross-contamination is one of those things - you can go your whole life and never have a problem, but it only takes one bit of bad luck to land you with a severely unpleasant case of food poisoning. Better safe than sorry in my book.
You could shop at Tesco and buy ready diced veg, ready diced meat, ready sliced bread and at the garage buy ready cut wood and leave your knife at home and just use disposable spoons, cups and plates
I don't understand what your problem is Richard. Have the Bushcraft Gods decreed that we're only allowed to use one knife for all purposes, and that to suggest anything else is heresy? Nobody's asking you to change what you do. Some of us do differently. What's the problem?
You could shop at Tesco and buy ready diced veg, ready diced meat, ready sliced bread and at the garage buy ready cut wood and leave your knife at home and just use disposable spoons, cups and plates
Past couple of times out, I've used paper plates and plastic spoons... why? I feel quite sad admitting this... for the weight Burn em once done saves ooo at least a few grams... 
LOLYou could shop at Tesco and buy ready diced veg, ready diced meat, ready sliced bread and at the garage buy ready cut wood and leave your knife at home and just use disposable spoons, cups and plates
What a weight-saver! can you imagine how light your pack would feel after you burnt them? 
I sometimes use my swiss army knife for food prep and I also use it for whittling, I just wipe it off usually but I do clean it with soap and water every once in a while. Haven't been poisoned yet although I'm not slicing up random mushrooms either.
I just read an article that stated that you shouldn't buy pre-peeled, or pre-diced veggies, because a vegetable with the skin on, has a natural germ barrier, whereas a peeled one is open to the environment and much more likely to be contaminated.
I dont know about the U.K. but recently here in the U.S., we have had numerous cases of vegetables being contaminated with salmonella. This is a new thing here. Meat has always been a subject of concern but never vegetables.
Bottom line: those diced veggies may not be a good choice.
Bon Apetite!
I dont know about the U.K. but recently here in the U.S., we have had numerous cases of vegetables being contaminated with salmonella. This is a new thing here. Meat has always been a subject of concern but never vegetables.
Bottom line: those diced veggies may not be a good choice.
Bon Apetite!
How long can bacteria actually live on a piece of steel? Perhaps bacteria are not bad bushcrafters and can survive in any environment without food or water. They may even eventually turn out to be cannibals. .
BOT
I rinse mine when I am washing my hands if it has been a particularly bloody episode, otherwise its a quick wipe down on some vegetation or on my sleeve/trouser leg.
.BOT
I rinse mine when I am washing my hands if it has been a particularly bloody episode, otherwise its a quick wipe down on some vegetation or on my sleeve/trouser leg.
Hi All,
When preparing food, I don't think I have to worry about any bacteria or virusses on the knife, as long as you cook the food after you cut it. Bacteria will be dead after that. Much as in the same way it is enough to just wipe your pots after use, as long as you use it to cook the next time.
So I just make sure I use my knife to cut the food before I cook it. after cooking I just use my spoon to eat.
So I would worry about my spoon and hands before I would worry about the knife being sterile.
When preparing food, I don't think I have to worry about any bacteria or virusses on the knife, as long as you cook the food after you cut it. Bacteria will be dead after that. Much as in the same way it is enough to just wipe your pots after use, as long as you use it to cook the next time.
So I just make sure I use my knife to cut the food before I cook it. after cooking I just use my spoon to eat.
So I would worry about my spoon and hands before I would worry about the knife being sterile.
disinfection happens at 82 deg C through heat treatment for 30 secs
clostridium perfringes lives in soil (veg/greens) and is as effective a food poisioning bacteria as salmonella.
i just heat up the blade for 1 min or drop it in a hot cup of water freshly boild.
clostridium perfringes lives in soil (veg/greens) and is as effective a food poisioning bacteria as salmonella.
i just heat up the blade for 1 min or drop it in a hot cup of water freshly boild.
It's heading off-topic a bit but...
A friend was engaged in some civil liberties activities in Thailand a few years back. He was invited to dinner with a number of senior military types, who were none too pleased with what he was up to. Food was served and chopsticks cracked out. He, however, was given a pair of silver chopsticks in place of the normal bamboo ones. He asked why?
The response was: "It is to ask you to trust us: it would be easy for us to soak your bamboo chopsticks in poison. This time we have given you silver chopsticks so that you know you are safe. Of course, you will not be eating with silver chopsticks at other meals..."
The threat was a bit more subtle than the gun held to his head on a subsequent trip to the East, but he got the message
A friend was engaged in some civil liberties activities in Thailand a few years back. He was invited to dinner with a number of senior military types, who were none too pleased with what he was up to. Food was served and chopsticks cracked out. He, however, was given a pair of silver chopsticks in place of the normal bamboo ones. He asked why?
The response was: "It is to ask you to trust us: it would be easy for us to soak your bamboo chopsticks in poison. This time we have given you silver chopsticks so that you know you are safe. Of course, you will not be eating with silver chopsticks at other meals..."
The threat was a bit more subtle than the gun held to his head on a subsequent trip to the East, but he got the message
Hmmmm... this is getting a bit silly I think, are we so wrapped up in cotton wool and pumped so full of antibiotics these days that we have to ask this question?
If you want to wash... wash, if you are so worried about bacteria, stay out of the woods, if a small amount of toxin from a plant is your nightmare life in the woods is not going to be much fun for you... most plant toxins that we come in contact with are broken down by contact with air and sun light, I say live life on the edge and embrace the adventure of the unknown... for me a trouser leg is fine and a quick wash in the creek wer'e all rosey toffee apples...
realise this... the more often you are exposed to bacteria and the like the more resistance you build up to it, I grew up in the bush where you didnt have the luxury of washing every time you ate, you just did it when you could, later having had this kind of exposure as a kid, I didnt get half the GI problems others got when travelling to far away countries on behalf of my nation, and considering that most native peoples in the third world who use their large blades to clear all sorts of brush, clean game, dig holes and prep food with the one blade and hardly ever wash them... they still live...
The idea of having to be uber clean is a problem of our modern society and is actually damaging our ability to interact with nature...
Sorry if it seems like a rant, not my intent... just cant understand why we cant use some common sense and a little rational thought here...
Karl
If you want to wash... wash, if you are so worried about bacteria, stay out of the woods, if a small amount of toxin from a plant is your nightmare life in the woods is not going to be much fun for you... most plant toxins that we come in contact with are broken down by contact with air and sun light, I say live life on the edge and embrace the adventure of the unknown... for me a trouser leg is fine and a quick wash in the creek wer'e all rosey toffee apples...
realise this... the more often you are exposed to bacteria and the like the more resistance you build up to it, I grew up in the bush where you didnt have the luxury of washing every time you ate, you just did it when you could, later having had this kind of exposure as a kid, I didnt get half the GI problems others got when travelling to far away countries on behalf of my nation, and considering that most native peoples in the third world who use their large blades to clear all sorts of brush, clean game, dig holes and prep food with the one blade and hardly ever wash them... they still live...
The idea of having to be uber clean is a problem of our modern society and is actually damaging our ability to interact with nature...
Sorry if it seems like a rant, not my intent... just cant understand why we cant use some common sense and a little rational thought here...
Karl
Pardon me, I'm unfamiliar with some of the technical terms that you use, what exactly is this 'Common Sense' and 'Rational Thought' to which you refer?
Humour apart, I agree with what you say about resistance to bacteria, it makes me laugh seeing the huge range of 'Anti-Everything' wipes, sprays, pads, cloths, cutting boards etc filling the supermarket shelves.
Generation Mollycoddle - (motto) - Do Nothing, But Do It Carefully! (and only after a full H&S Assessment).
