How to taste safely

  • Use a clean utensil for each taste, and use it only once.
  • Keep a cup of clean single-use tasting spoons at the stove.
  • Spoon a little into a separate cup and taste from that, not from the pot.
  • Never taste with the stirring spoon, serving ladle, tongs or your fingers.
  • Never double-dip. One spoon, one taste, then into the dirty bin.
  • Wash your hands if your hand touched your mouth.
  • Never taste raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs or batter.

Sources: Food Code 3-301.12 · Source protocols: tasting food

Tasting can't tell you food is safe

  • Germs that make people sick usually can't be seen, smelled or tasted.
  • Never taste food to check if it's still good. Go by time and temperature.
  • If it smells or looks off, throw it out anyway. When in doubt, throw it out.

Sources: Source protocols: spoiled is not the same as unsafe

The rules behind it

  • No bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food. Use tongs, deli tissue, waxed paper or gloves; single-use gloves for one task; bare-hand contact only with county approval and records. Food Code 3-301.11, 3-304.15; R392-102-14(1)–(3) (trucks: no bare-hand variance)