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I'm not a professional chef, but I think someone will have this issue, somewhere, and is a chef. A similar question asked about having a cold, but nail biting is much worse due to the obvious amount of cuts one develops on fingers.

Apart from the obvious (and difficult to achieve) goal of stopping the habit, how can I maintain proper hygiene and food safety while cooking?

I would say gloves, but I think it's going to be a problem for complex manipulations, and it could affect the taste of what is prepared. Is there a special brand specifically for this purpose? If not, what other precautions can I take?

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Stefano Borini
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5 Answers5

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Gloves are annoying and, much like condoms, do obscure sensation and--in the case of kitchen work--precision with your fingers. For those reasons I avoid them wherever possible.

As a lifelong nailbiter (from when I was about 9 until I was 31), it was a habit that was really hard to give up. But it has been worth it, not just professionally. I know this isn't the answer you're looking for, but: stop biting your nails.

6

There is a basic set of criteria when cooking in any kitchen, either industrial/commercial or personal. These include but are not limited to:

  • Don't touch your face or hair
  • Wash your hands frequently
  • Don't use the "kitchen rag" for drying your hands after washing them
  • Sneeze into your elbow pit
  • Don't taste your food with your fingers
  • Keep your cutting boards CLEAN!
  • Follow the Danger Zone temperature guide
  • Don't work in a kitchen with a open cut (obviously, and I would say, even if it's bandaged, don't work in the kitchen until it's partially healed)
  • Keep your hair back and clothes clean
  • And generally avoid cross contamination

Obviously, there are more and this should probably be a community wiki for further exploration on the topic.

stephennmcdonald
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nicorellius
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Whether you bite your nails or not wash your hands thoroughly and keep your hands out of your mouth while cooking. If you have an open cut then wear a bandage and a glove.

hobodave
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If you can't keep your fingers out of your mouth, you must wear gloves. Yeah, it sucks, and it does inhibit sensation, and is a general PITA. Eventually, you should learn to keep your fingers away from your mouth, and THEN you will be able to work glove-less.

Juju
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Use a nail biting stopping paint like "stop'n'grow". They are food safe, as long as you don't soak your nails in the food, other people won't taste it

You need to keep using the paint for a few years, best with kids, but adults I guess can make the decision? Maybe ask a trusted person to check you have it on every day

NB I use it on the end of Scout scarves, it stops the junior Scouts sucking their scarves

TFD
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