How to Not Get Salmonella Poisoning

Is anyone else afraid of salmonella poisoning?  I think I might be on the edge of freakish about it.  I wasn’t before we had children, but now, well, it’s a different story.

When I buy chicken at the grocery store, I always get a produce bag and use it as a glove to pick up the chicken and then cover the entire package so I don’t have to touch it.  I mean, come on, I’ve seen that gross chicken juice pooling up in the bottom of the chicken refrigeration thingy.  It’s totally yucky!  The chicken stays in that bag until I’m ready to open it.

Every time we’re having chicken for dinner and I have to get that bag of chicken out of my fridge to place it into the sink, I have a great fear.  The fear is that one of my children is going to fall down or get hurt in some way and need immediate help while I am covered in chicken juice.  Am I crazy?  I guess I’m just a lit-tle overly cautious in this area because I’m from a very small town.  I’m talking 500 people.  And do you know that I’ve heard of two different babies in my hometown getting salmonella poisoning??!?  Hospital stays were involved!!  OK, so if you don’t think I’m crazy, then read on for my chicken preparation procedure.

• Get out spray bottle of vinegar
• Get out plastic baggies and open each one, kind of propping them up and open
• Get out a fork and knife
• Put the bag of chicken in the sink and remove the outer bag
• Use a knife to cut open the chicken package
• Use a fork to stab chicken and place very carefully into one of the propped open baggies, trying not to touch outside of bag at all
• After all the chicken is safely into baggies, pickup tray and plastic bag and throw in trash as quickly as possible
• Place fork and knife in sink and wash hands thoroughly with soap and water
• Close baggies and place in fridge or freezer
• Spray white vinegar like crazy anywhere chicken juice could have possible dripped - fork and knife, counter top, sink, etc.

That is my process.  Are you wondering why I use white vinegar?  Vinegar kills bacteria, mold, and germs.  A straight 5 percent solution of vinegar—the kind you can buy in the supermarket—kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses).  And, as you might have guessed, it’s totally non-toxic.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my phobia.  We’re having chicken tonight, so I’m off to spray my vinegar.