Wear shoes while cooking, and other sound kitchen advice

[Shelby]

We always remove our shoes when we go to my mother-in-laws house (haven't been since July...ya know, Covid sigh).  She always says that we don't have to, but we do.

 

At my house, I would beg you to leave your shoes on so you don't dirty your socks with the dirt and hair laying around even though I probably just cleaned. 

[heidih]

Speaking to the sockless peeps - my friend was shocked when she had new carpet installed and they told her NOT to go brfoot in the house. You can clean dirt on carpet, but oils from human skin - not so much.

[weinoo]

7 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

Never in my life been asked to remove my shoes in someone's home.  I'm kind of grossed out by the idea of people's bare feet and don't fancy the thought of wearing communal slippers.  I would appreciate a head's up from a host so that I could bring my own slippers.  

 

Like so?

 

8 hours ago, weinoo said:

And instead, telling people when they're invited to wear nice socks, as their shoes are coming off when they arrive.

 

I'd expect nothing less than your Manolo Blahnik's, @Kim Shook 😂 .

[Katie Meadow]

I'm pretty sure most all my friends, if I still have them, don't wear shoes over bare feet. Everyone I know wears socks, so I don't feel bad asking them to take off their shoes. Wow, it's been a while. And people don't live in flip-flops like they do in really warm climates. Although now that I think about it, when and if we can ever have guests maybe I'll provide a basket of clean socks just in case.

 

After our dog died and our daughter left home we carpeted the entire upstairs with beautiful New Zealand wool. After that I became pretty serious about the indoor shoes only thing, or socks. I loved my dog, I love my daughter (moved to Atlanta and helped turn it blue!), and now I love my carpet and rugs.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

6 hours ago, Eatmywords said:

@JoNorvelleWalkersorry to hear about this and happy your almost healed.  Even sleeping musta been uncomfy.  I wonder did the spice in chilis make it worse?   

 

We typically remove shoes but it's not a hard rule and don't ask visitors to do so.  We don't have carpets (anywhere they w go).  We don't have that many visitors. We have dogs and don't ask them to remove there paws i.e. the floors have to get washed regularly anyway.  And after years of working on my feet it hurts to stand on hard surfaces so I can't ask others to.  I do get it's harder to maintain a clean floor in smaller spaces/apts.      

 

The toe was broken over twenty years ago.  I am afraid it is as healed as it will ever get.  Some party.  Drank a lot of wine that night.  Our hostess was a doctor.  Least she could have done was serve morphine.

 

However I believe @KennethT is the one with a taste for chilis.

 

[Eatmywords]

10 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

The toe was broken over twenty years ago.  I am afraid it is as healed as it will ever get.  Some party.  Drank a lot of wine that night.  Our hostess was a doctor.  Least she could have done was serve morphine.

 

However I believe @KennethT i

 

Haha, how embarrassing!  That was for you @KennethT (I think the fuchsia square you both share in your signature threw me! Sorry about the toe though : )  

[KennethT]

5 hours ago, Eatmywords said:

Haha, how embarrassing!  That was for you @KennethT (I think the fuchsia square you both share in your signature threw me! Sorry about the toe though : )  

Thanks, but I don't think the chillies made a bit of difference - it was the fact that it was thick and boiling!

[KennethT]

In a similar vein, I would like to advise people not to stick their bare forearm directly over the rice cooker's steam vent. Even if it doesn't look like there's any steam coming out.

[heidih]

1 hour ago, KennethT said:

In a similar vein, I would like to advise people not to stick their bare forearm directly over the rice cooker's steam vent. Even if it doesn't look like there's any steam coming out.

Oh yes - looks like a car cigarette lighter burn. My old Zo had another of high shelf fall a while back so I push down on lid when steam starts to "seal". Stupidly with orm right over hole.

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, KennethT said:

In a similar vein, I would like to advise people not to stick their bare forearm directly over the rice cooker's steam vent. Even if it doesn't look like there's any steam coming out.

 

Been there; done that.

[Shelby]

3 hours ago, KennethT said:

In a similar vein, I would like to advise people not to stick their bare forearm directly over the rice cooker's steam vent. Even if it doesn't look like there's any steam coming out.

Ok. So.  Apparently we are going to have to restrict Ken from cooking.  

[Duvel]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

Ok. So.  Apparently we are going to have to restrict Ken from cooking.  

At least using any of his limbs in the process …

[KennethT]

9 hours ago, heidih said:

Oh yes - looks like a car cigarette lighter burn. My old Zo had another of high shelf fall a while back so I push down on lid when steam starts to "seal". Stupidly with orm right over hole.

I've never had a cigarette lighter burn so I wouldn't know.  I have had a soldering iron fall on my arm, however that burn was nowhere near as bad as this steam burn is.

[KennethT]

7 hours ago, Shelby said:

Ok. So.  Apparently we are going to have to restrict Ken from cooking.  

Actually, apparently, I can injure myself doing practically anything.  It's my super power.

[chromedome]

43 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Actually, apparently, I can injure myself doing practically anything.  It's my super power.

Clearly you are my brother from another mother. I recently cut myself on sugar, which impressed even my daughter (who's no slouch in the self-injury department herself).

[lemniscate]

I have indoor only crocs for kitchen.  The lined version only.  I wasn't a believer in crocs at first, but now can't cook without them as my foot armor.   I have another pair for my outside cooking, they have melted areas from stray ashes from my tao burner wok setup.

[weinoo]

On 9/20/2023 at 9:28 AM, lemniscate said:

I have indoor only crocs for kitchen. 

 

I've moved from Crocs to Stocks.

 

 

[KennethT]

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

I've moved from Crocs to Stocks.

 

 

I've got stocks also... I think from your recommendation.  I like that they're lined so it's not sweaty and sticky when wearing with bare feet like crocs usually are.

[Darienne]

I'm a Canadian and have never asked anyone to remove their shoes in any house we have lived in.   And I can't recall ever having to take off my shoes in anyone's house.  

 

And now we live on a farm and all the rugs are commercial quality so they clean easily.  I ask folks to leave their shoes on if they start to take them off.  

 

And I wear shoes in the house almost all the time...slippers the other times.  And would never ever cook in bare feet.  But then I am the safety inspector in my house.  

Edited November 16, 2023 by Darienne (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

6 hours ago, Darienne said:

I'm a Canadian and have never asked anyone to remove their shoes in any house we have lived in.   And I can't recall ever having to take off my shoes in anyone's house.  

 

And now we live on a farm and all the rugs are commercial quality so they clean easily.  I ask folks to leave their shoes on if they start to take them off.  

 

And I wear shoes in the house almost all the time...slippers the other times.  And would never ever cook in bare feet.  But then I am the safety inspector in my house.  

 

I would never cook in bare feet, but that's because the kitchen floor is sticky.

 

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

What I have is indoor shoes. Squash or tennis shoes that are for indoor use. I'm not accident prone in the kitchen or elsewhere.

Maybe it's a Maritime thing, and the way I was brought up, that when you went to someone's house you brought a pair of shoes to change into and you left your outdoor shoes/boots/whatever at the door and donned your indoor shoes or walked around in socks.

My usual foot ware is light hiking boots, steel toe work boots, Wellingtons, hiking boots and Sorels in that frequency of use order and these are not something to wear indoors.

 

[heidih]

There are cultures here who expect shoe removal - my own Euro one, and the Japanese with the rack and slippers by door. My Pakistani cab driver reports same in his culture. Just a cultural respect thing.

Edited November 17, 2023 by heidih (log)

[liuzhou]

Shoe removal on entering homes is standard practice over most of Asia, especially East and South-East Asia. Every home, including mine, has an abundance of house slippers just inside or even outside the home for residents and visitors to use. It makes sense. No one wants the dirt, mud, detritus and unidentifiable but suspect crap from the street (or unpaved paths is some places) inside their homes.

 

I remember one guesthouse in Thailand where the owner sat at the door all day and most of the night in case one guest dared to so much as put so much as one shod shoe over her doorstep. She would scream at offenders and have the entire guesthouse fumigated and exorcised if anyone ignored her.

 

But the best was when I was teaching in a Hunan university. All faculty and their families lived on campus in a special dormitory area. Shoes were left outside the doors as normal. As a pre-graduation prank, the students crept in one night and stole all the shoes then laid them out on the school basketball grounds in mismatched pairs. In the morning, all the staff were to be seen scuttling around in their house slippers attempting to find and match their shoes, all of which looked remarkably similar, while the students lined their overlooking dormitory balconies howling with laughter. Fortunately, most of the staff saw the funny side and no retribution took place. I was spared as I lived in a separate area.

 

Anyway, in order to remain on topic, I will add that I've never heard of anyone having a foot accident in a domestic kitchen in China, although I supposed it must happen sometimes, but not enough for it to be considered an issue.

Edited November 17, 2023 by liuzhou (log)