I knew it!

FDA hunts for salmonella source in Mexico

"The FDA has begun looking at ... cilantro..."

FDA hunts for salmonella source in Mexico

"The FDA has begun looking at ... cilantro..."

LOL! You are sassy, Princess! But yeah, it could be the cilantro or other ingredients in salsa.

Will washing help? Or cooking? Does either remove/kill salmonella?

From the FDA's FAQ

* Will washing the tomatoes identified in this outbreak make them safe to eat?

Consumers are advised not to try to wash raw red plum, red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes that are implicated in the outbreak. Consumers should throw these tomatoes out. Once produce is contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella, the contamination is difficult to remove.

* Will peeling the tomatoes implicated in this outbreak make them safe to eat?

Consumers are advised not to try to peel raw red plum, red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes that have not been ruled out as the source of the outbreak. Consumers should throw these tomatoes out. Peeling a tomato that is contaminated on the outside would be likely to spread the contamination to the inside. Also, if the contamination is already on the inside, peeling will not remove it.

* Can cooking tomatoes eliminate Salmonella?

Consumers should not attempt to cook the tomatoes involved in this outbreak in an effort to kill Salmonella. Handling tomatoes contaminated with Salmonella can spread the bacterium to anything the handler touches, including hands, kitchen utensils, cutting boards, sinks, and other foods. Cooking tomatoes in the home will not ensure that Salmonella is eliminated.

Will washing help? Or cooking? Does either remove/kill salmonella?

Cooking (provided it's long enough) kills Salmonella. Washing definitely helps.

My bet is that those who suffered severe problems didn't even bother to wash the raw veggies that they bought before putting them in a salad/salsa/uncooked whatever.

This scare hasn't deterred my use of tomatoes in cooked dishes.

-Paul W.

* Can cooking tomatoes eliminate Salmonella?

Consumers should not attempt to cook the tomatoes involved in this outbreak in an effort to kill Salmonella. Handling tomatoes contaminated with Salmonella can spread the bacterium to anything the handler touches, including hands, kitchen utensils, cutting boards, sinks, and other foods. Cooking tomatoes in the home will not ensure that Salmonella is eliminated.

Bullshit. Cooking WILL kill the bacteria.

The warning IS correct that handling contaminated food runs the risk of spreading the bacteria to other raw food.

So make sure you wash your hands after handling raw produce before handling other food. And wash your cutting boards. But if you've been observing good kitchen hygiene, you do that anyway.

Bottom line is that it's nearly impossible to totally eliminate 100% of the risk of contamination unless you autoclave every utensil or cutting board or other food implement between uses. And scrub your hands thoroughly with surgical soap every time you switch implements.

No cook I know of goes to those extreme measures.

So we've all decided to take a certain risk as regards 100% reliable hygiene. Namely, we don't buy into the FDA's 100% secure paranoia.

All the more reason to buy local produce, methinks.

-Paul W.

* Can cooking tomatoes eliminate Salmonella?

All the more reason to buy local produce, methinks.

-Paul W.

If not local you should certainly know the source and act or clean accordingly. Want to read a scary list track down a copy of CDC's Bad Bug Book which is filled with food pathogens. Also there is a good book on 'The dangerous truth about a food chain gone haywire' the title is "Spoiled" by Nicols Fox. ISBN 0-465-01980-3