foodsafetyguru

That might be true. It might not. It all depends on the type of bacteria. Some are spore-formers that can survive temperatures well above 212F/100C. Also some foodborne illnesses are caused, not by the presence of the bacteria themselves, but by the toxic waste they produce - so even when the bacteria are dead, the toxins remain in the food and you get sick.

I agree with John Whiting in principle - there's some great work done by Prof. Dean O. Cliver that suggests the natural enzymes in wood knock out the bugs and the absorbent nature of wood deprives the bugs of the moisture they need to survive. So wood is good but this natural "inhibition" needs time to work - it is NOT instantaneous by any means! (Plastic has no such properties - so the onus there is on cleaning and sanitizing). And I think it was celebrity chef Gary Rhodes who once said "It doesn't matter how expensive a dish is, or how fabulous it looks, if it hasn't been prepared safely, it's worthless..." The problem starts when the same board is used to prepare a series of different foods. Washing boards between each type of food - particularly moving from raw to cooked foods - does not always remove the bugs - so it is more convenient and generally safer to use separate boards. The foodservice industry learned this lesson a long time ago, using color-coded boards. For home use, I think the Identibord system of color-coded wood boards makes a real neat solution - their site is at Identibord Color-coded boards are not for everyone - but many believe a real advantage is that, when used, they help to make people THINK about what they are doing foodsafety-wise.....and that can't be bad.

Apparently "Identibord" is featured in the latest issue of "Food & Wine" magazine - so maybe worth a look. The idea of color-coding for food safety is long tried and tested by pros in the food service business. It works. Personally, I just love home-made mayo (and all the wonderful variants you can make with it) - but only when I know that its been freshly made with new eggs that have been kept cool. It's old or badly kept or cracked eggs that cause the problem. Another tip - when you make fresh mayo - before you break the eggs, always wash 'em well in cold running water and then dry them with paper towel - its the shells that are most often contaminated. I never keep fresh mayo longer than 24 hours and even then, mainly in the fridge. That way the bugs, if any, are prevented from mulitplying.......my basic food rules are five.......buy good quality.......clean hands.......keep raw stuff out of the way......keep food hot, keep food cold or throw it away......if in doubt, throw it out!!