See? I Was Right. Spoon Stems go UP in the Dishwasher – Not Down

I hate to tell you this, but with exception to the dude who washes his dishes in the car wash, if you put your stems down, you're doing it wrong.

Jackie and I got into a bit of a tiff over whether or not I know how to load a dishwasher.  I always put our spoons into the dishwasher with the stems facing up. That way, when I put the spoon away, I'm not touching the part of the spoon that actually goes into my mouth.

According to Jackie--and most of YOU--the spoon is better washed when the stem is placed down.

If you put your stems down, you're doing it wrong.

After the show, I received this email from and environmental health specialist.  Here's what they said.

You know how you always hear that most home kitchens wouldn't pass a health inspection?  Putting the spoon up in the dishwasher is one reason why.

 

No food code allows you to touch the “business” end of a utensil after it is clean.  Variances can be granted in some states, but they are extremely rare in Idaho.  Of course, I am not naive enough to think that it doesn't happen, but it makes people sick all the time.

 

And as for the argument that the top of the silverware is somehow cleaner than the bottom, unless you have something growing on the silverware rack, the entire dishwasher is pretty much the same.  In other words, if you have food particles stuck to anything in the dishwasher, there is no reason to assume that everything isn't coated with a fine layer of food and microbes.

There you have it. For ONCE in my life, scientific proof that I'm right!  How do you wash your spoons?