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Wear shoes while cooking, and other sound kitchen advice


KennethT

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Im still happy w my various

 

Croc's

 

there is an outlet  

 

SW from me size largwe

 

fir my Mine 

 

ad I resupplied myself from then a fewyearsbao

 

I havethywawinter jodel(s)

 

they are one or 1/2 size larger

 

for my double ply Maine Boot socks

 

the others are for Summer , etc

 

I did are-purpose an older pair

 

w these :

 

https://www.amazon.com/willceal-Grippers-Traction-Activities-Wrestling/dp/B08NP5XLB3/ref=zg_bs_3421064011_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7V8ZPCZHKMQG7Q13KED9

 

there are many variations work well for me o a icy driveway.

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I just pulled the trigger on the Birks... I like the idea of the microfiber insole which should help keep feet from getting sweaty, but I'm sure it will feel better than the rubber Croc - I never liked wearing them.

 

@TicTacSure - nothing is 100%, but wearing shoes 99% would have saved me from the ER visit.

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Absolutely.

 

Either way, shoes or no shoes - I doubt you will do that again. 

 

It's like when I was younger and cut a bagel with the global bread (razor sharp) knife going INTO my palm - now, bagels (not that I eat them anymore) are only sliced outwards!

 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, TicTac said:

Absolutely.

 

Either way, shoes or no shoes - I doubt you will do that again. 

 

It's like when I was younger and cut a bagel with the global bread (razor sharp) knife going INTO my palm - now, bagels (not that I eat them anymore) are only sliced outwards!

 

 

 

 

In my defense, the act was a complete and utter accident, but unfortunately, I wonder if any amount of extra care might have prevented it.  I think it's a totally different situation than cutting a bagel in one's hand, which while being an accident waiting to happen, is totally avoidable by changing cutting habits.
 

Being in a crowded kitchen, things are bound to get knocked accidentally from time to time, especially when there is more than one person in the same space, each trying to get around each other.

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As a reply to @TicTac and others who like their guests to go shoeless, and I always wear shoes at home, I had the misfortune, in stocking feet, to slip on a stair. In the first place, I slipped because I was in socks. In the second place, my foot slipped over the top of the stair, slid, and I landed on my toes (bent) one stair down. Very, very painful. I was furious! This would never have happened in my home (because I would have been wearing shoes).

 

So, FWIW, every shoeless household should advertise they are a shoeless household, so that those who aren't can know to pack an extra pair of shoes. Grump 😡

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that's rough, op.

 

i never wear shoes when i cook. it bit me the other day when some hot butter poured off a sheet pan i pulled from the oven and blistered up my left foot basically instantly - fortunately i whipped the sock off fast enough to keep it from being too bad, haha.

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2 hours ago, TdeV said:

As a reply to @TicTac and others who like their guests to go shoeless, and I always wear shoes at home, I had the misfortune, in stocking feet, to slip on a stair. In the first place, I slipped because I was in socks. In the second place, my foot slipped over the top of the stair, slid, and I landed on my toes (bent) one stair down. Very, very painful. I was furious! This would never have happened in my home (because I would have been wearing shoes).

 

So, FWIW, every shoeless household should advertise they are a shoeless household, so that those who aren't can know to pack an extra pair of shoes. Grump 😡

 

I wear slippers at home or shoes designated for indoor use.  I once broke a toe cold sober on the foot of a couch of a shoeless household I was visiting.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Several years ago, while shoeless in the kitchen, my husband backed into me, stepped on my foot and broke my toe. Yes, it could have happened somewhere besides the kitchen, but the stove, sink and dish washer are all spaces from which people back up before turning around. So from that day on I decided I needed to wear in-house-only  shoes, especially when in the kitchen. So there you go, another broken toe story.

 

And then there's this. What if you are barefoot and someone shatters a glass on the floor? If you manage to make it out unscathed after the event, the next day you could easily step on a stealth shard that didn't get swept up. A boiling spill near the stove is, of course, a very good reason, as we have all acknowledged.

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10 hours ago, TdeV said:

So, FWIW, every shoeless household should advertise they are a shoeless household,

Maybe it has to do with the culture where I live in southern Ontario but I don’t know of a single household that I have visited where it is not expected that you remove your shoes. 

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

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47 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Maybe it has to do with the culture where I live in southern Ontario but I don’t know of a single household that I have visited where it is not expected that you remove your shoes. 

Same here, unless you're explicitly invited to leave them on when you're greeted at the door. At this juncture you have a split second to decide whether the offer has been made for form's sake and isn't really sincere...

It was a big cultural thing between me and my late (California-bred) second wife, for whom the removal of shoes was obnoxious and intrusive ("Nobody wants to smell your feet!"). I attribute it to her upbringing in relatively arid SoCal, where tracking mud, snow or (worst of all) salty slush indoors is less of an issue.

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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In NYC, god knows what ends up on the bottom of ones' shoes. So ours come off at the door. Inside shoes or sneakers go on if we want to wear them - I always do because I spend so much time in the kitchen. Sig Eater - not necessarily.

 

Now, back when we were able to host people, I thought I'd do something fun - so I bought like 10 pairs of slippers (all on sale at LL Bean or Land's End or somewhere) in different sizes. That way, I could ask guests to remove their disgusting shoes and put on fresh, clean slippers while in attendance.  I ended up donating all those slippers, as I decided it was a stupid idea and I also had no place to keep the 10 pairs of slippers once they got here.

 

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

Edited by weinoo (log)
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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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15 hours ago, KennethT said:

In my defense, the act was a complete and utter accident, but unfortunately, I wonder if any amount of extra care might have prevented it.  I think it's a totally different situation than cutting a bagel in one's hand, which while being an accident waiting to happen, is totally avoidable by changing cutting habits.
 

Being in a crowded kitchen, things are bound to get knocked accidentally from time to time, especially when there is more than one person in the same space, each trying to get around each other.

Fair - however, odds are you will be far more mindful of handle placements and being more conscious (whether you realize it or not, your subconscious is a powerful tool!) around that area given the trauma you went through.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Anna N said:

Maybe it has to do with the culture where I live in southern Ontario but I don’t know of a single household that I have visited where it is not expected that you remove your shoes. 

Thanks for chiming in Anna.

 

Perhaps it is a cultural thing...I was going to say prior to reading your and Chrome's response that 95% of friends/family that we visit, everyone takes their shoes off. 

 

Kind of disgusting to consider what people have stepped on outside and then them walking through your house tracking that around.

 

I purchased booties (the disposable slip on/off type that go over your shoes) when we were having contractors in our house doing some bathroom reno's and gave all them a pair.  I still have some on hand for 'unique' situations....(ahem; stubborn uncles who are painful to argue with, so I play dress up with them instead!)

 

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Throughout most of Asia it is considered extremely disrespectful or even sacriligious to wear shoes indoors. Not to mention unhygienic.

 

Most homes here in China have a rack of slippers for guests to change into. This is always positioned at the front door - as is mine!

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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

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42 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

Most homes here in China have a rack of slippers for guests to change into. This is always positioned at the front door - as is mine!

 

damn - so I wasn't far off with procuring those 10 pairs of slippers!  If it wasn't against the rules to leave them at the front door (in the hallway), I'd certainly do that.

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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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.  

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I was constantly barefoot in the summer until we moved into this house. The ceramic tile floors put an end to that; my feet wouldn't hold up. I bought a pair of Chacos slide sandals, nice shaped rubber footbed, can get wet with no problems, goes in the washer when the fabric straps get dirty. Love em. My wintertime shoes (because my feet stay cold) alternate between a pair of LL Bean house slippers with a hard synthetic sole and Uggs boots (depending on HOW cold it is. They go both inside and out, as long as it's not wet; I have a pair of rubber garden clogs in the garage for that purpose.

 

Love the floors, though, even if they're hell on my feet.

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3 hours ago, chromedome said:

It was a big cultural thing between me and my late (California-bred) second wife, for whom the removal of shoes was obnoxious and intrusive ("Nobody wants to smell your feet!"). I attribute it to her upbringing in relatively arid SoCal, where tracking mud, snow or (worst of all) salty slush indoors is less of an issue.

The Germans I grew u with always expected shoe removal. My Japanese neghbors do ot ask but seem to figure you will do as they do with the shoe cubby as a hint by the front door. As @chromedome notes e do have a different climate here and there is also the trend/habit in recent years of going sockless. Also for women not to wear stocking with their heels and dresses. Personally I've broken several toes hurrying around doorways and I can be a klutz so it is shoes for me.

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32 minutes 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.  

I would think if you live in an area where removing your shoes to enter a home is not an  ingrained habit then someone would surely give you a heads up. 

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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taking the shoes off is definitely a cultural difference between canada and the US. most places in the US it's considered weird to take your shoes off, most places in canada it's considered weird and gross to leave them on. i can't imagine having outside shoes worn inside my house at this point. it's disgusting and frankly i wouldn't allow it. i like the idea of communal slippers and have thought about setting up a rack before; now that i know it's a thing, i'm totally going to do it.

 

like towels and pillowcases, though, it's something i'd toss in the wash after every wearing; i wouldn't expect someone to wear someone else's slippers.

 

 

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@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.      

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2 hours ago, jimb0 said:

taking the shoes off is definitely a cultural difference between canada and the US. most places in the US it's considered weird to take your shoes off, most places in canada it's considered weird and gross to leave them on. i can't imagine having outside shoes worn inside my house at this point. it's disgusting and frankly i wouldn't allow it. i like the idea of communal slippers and have thought about setting up a rack before; now that i know it's a thing, i'm totally going to do it.

 

like towels and pillowcases, though, it's something i'd toss in the wash after every wearing; i wouldn't expect someone to wear someone else's slippers.

 

 

I was pondering earlier as I wrote my previous reply whether it was a Canada / US difference, which it appears it might be. 

 

Clearly the climactic variable is important as any place with snow will expect visitors to remove shoes (and if not, give your head a shake!).

 

Though I am sure there are other variables at play....

 

Maybe its part of our overly-polite culture...as I do see it as a respectful thing to do when entering someones home (last thing I want to do is muck up someones clean floors/carpets).

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