Indeed. We are urban apartment dwellers. But have always enough of “something” to get me through a week or three of low income, low energy, or mild illness. It’s been my strategy for decades. Buy what we eat, eat what we buy. Nothing needing much inputs, for the “emergency” store. And some bottled water.
2 Likes
A quick update re COVID-19 - the youngest kid and SIL went shopping at a Target store in Seattle today. They’re not particularly worried about the virus, and in fact have travel booked to Nashville next weekend and a trip to Greece in May. They did buy travel insurance for the Greek trip fortunately, just in case. They decided to pick up some hand sanitizer. Store was totally out of it, along with Clorox wipes. They did buy the last package of Target brand wipes. I advised them to p/u a quart or gallon of bleach if they could find some. Anyway, it seems a degree of panic is setting in here, and media reports have been quite terse. I guess our governor has declared a state of emergency. Getting ready to turn on the local and national news. For those not on PST, you may already know more than me.
2 Likes
Speaking of bleach, do check the label to make sure it says ‘disinfecting bleach’. Formulations meant for laundry may not be as effective.
2 Likes
I did some research here when I was getting ready for ServSafe.
Bleach is a dandy disinfectant but not a cleaner. Organic debris or detergents greatly reduce the effectiveness of bleach as a disinfectant. That means you have to clean, rinse, and dry a surface before using bleach to sanitize. On food preparation surfaces you then have to clean the bleach off. That’s all a lot of work.
Hydrogen peroxide has similar limitations.
Vinegar is a good cleaner and a good sanitizer. It is food safe and biodegrades. For extra credit if you splash some on yourself you don’t ruin your clothes. You don’t have to rinse it. It has the limitation of not being good at killing staphylococcus. Despite that most health departments accept it for sanitization.
We use bleach for shocking the well annually as that is what our local government specifies. We use it for the particulate filter of our water treatment as that is what the manufacturer specifies. Otherwise vinegar is our default cleaner/sanitizer. We keep it at 50/50 in spray bottles in the kitchen and I use it regularly on all food preparation surfaces. There is another spray bottle in our bathroom. We have a small number of commercial cleaners for when more substantial chemical warfare is appropriate. TSP is usually the first I reach for.
3 Likes
H went to supermarket for the weekly purchase, it was half empty! Especially the meat section, only the expensive pieces were left. Flour, sugar etc were all gone. Fresh fruit and vegetables were nearly all gone too. The can food were all there, strangely.
He could get only half of what was on the shopping list. Depressing.
Of course you did your research! I have to respectfully, but strongly disagree about vinegar being an effective disinfect. But it is a good cleaner. I realize bleach is used as a sanitizer. However, I have worked under NSF guidelines both in the manufacturing process of the medical foods the nutraceutical company I worked for formulated - (familiar with the SOP’s, preparing for an NSF, and other audits, and occasional surprise visits from the FDA. Although we weren’t under direct procedure controls from them, they did pop in. I think it was more about labeling compliance than anything else), also in food safety applications for serving prepared foods, also under NSF and other guidelines. I can tell you right now that vinegar would not have cut it and in both cases we would have been shut down. I was also in the company of a good friend who ran a catering business when she had a surprise visit from an inspector from the local health department, and I can tell you if she had vinegar in the kitchen for either hand sanitizing or surface sanitation, she would have been written up. She was cited for a few fairly minor non compliance issues. This was during the time of a severe e-coli outbreak in Washington state that killed a half dozen people or so and impaired the kidneys of others. Although she was working in another state at the time, believe me, the inspectors were on it, due to the Washington state issue, as well as outbreaks in other states.
Maybe others who work in commercial kitchens or the food industry can chime in here.
I do agree that vinegar is useful in many different applications however.
2 Likes
@naf, that is downright scary, and interesting to hear, about there still being a lot of canned products on the shelf. I’m not able to get out and shop yet, due mainly to low energy and stamina issues, but also to limit exposure to people. Not looking forward to the 3 medical appointments I have this week either for the same reason, especially since COVID-19 is now in my own back yard, so to speak. I’m remaining fairly calm about this, and was able to sleep well last night.
I do however worry about my dad who is 94 and refuses to limit exposure to risk at this time. Since he is severely sight and vision impaired, he’s very tactile and touches everyone and everything, and is planning to go to a big and crowded church tomorrow with his girlfriend, as usual. He’s stubborn as all get out and refuses to change his habits or lifestyle. I worry as much about the flu as the new threat, because as we know now, the vaccine was particularly ineffective this year, but did provide some protection. Who knows, maybe the old fart will outlive me. I do believe my premature death, if it should (god forbid) happen might seriously impact his total health, as we have an extremely strong bond.
Be well yourself, as I know you’ve had your own bouts of illness this year. And please keep us posted on the impact this situation is having in Paris. I will do the same from here.
I accept your experience with NSF (National Science Foundation or something else?) protocols as a footnote. My local health department accepts vinegar as a disinfectant.
In your experience, did the clean-rinse-disinfect-rinse process apply for bleach? I can go back and resurrect that research for footnotes.
Something I learned during my recent FDA inspection! I usually use a Lysol quaternary sanitizer designed for food production but ran out had picked up some random bleach that didn’t cut it. Oops!
1 Like
It stands for National Sanitation Foundation. When I was talking about the prepared food protocols, I can tell you there were three sinks for washing, one with hot water with an approved detergent, one for hot rinse water with bleach, and a final cold rinse with a sanitizer I can’t remember the name of right now, but will research. The dishes and implements were then racked for drying.
I’m also acutely aware of cross contamination issues in commercial and home kitchens, and I will tell you I’m absolutely meticulous about that. I wash dish cloths and kitchen towels frequently and properly, often only using them for a day in the kitchen. I use a non scratch sponge for a mild scrubbing of the Cambria countertops, but always disinfect afterwards and finally dry with clean towels to avoid streaks. Have no problem throwing the sponges away after just a few uses. I have a lot of counter space, as well as an island and peninsula, and separate beverage/bar space along a wall where the wine fridge lives. If I do them all at once it takes a long time to go through the process properly. So I will often prep on the island, just cleaning that thoroughly before and after food prep. I have a lot of cutting mats which I use to keep foods separate, as well as a lot of knives for the same reason. By keeping things apart, I mean raw meats and seafoods. I don’t segregate the veggies unless I have too many to prep for bigger cooking projects. Have a slew of different cutting boards, which are thoroughly and properly cleaned as well. Not a germaphobe, but do have a curious cat that I can’t keep off the countertops. I make her sit on the bar stools and she can watch me cook if she wants. She still tries to get up there, so I sometimes confine her in a separate room, if she becomes too persistent.
Forgot to mention earlier in the post, that we had to hide the sponges from the big bosses and surprise inspections. They were only used for scrubbing cookware that wouldn’t come clean otherwise. Also that before the third sink was emptied, the expensive sanitizer was poured with a pitcher thoroughly over the stainless counter area of the sink, as well as in all areas of the 3 sinks. Probably more than you wanted to know, but thought you might find interesting.
2 Likes
Every kitchen I’ve worked in has used either bleach or quat for sanitizing. Vinegar is for pickles and salads 
As for your dad … you know you’re not going to change a 94-year-old. If he’s otherwise healthy I don’t know if age alone is a risk factor, it seems the fatalities have been people with underlying conditions.
I’ll admit I’m completely unprepared for an emergency, I wouldn’t want to live on chocolate for more than a few days. But mom keeps a lot of canned goods and a stuffed extra freezer, I’ll go raid her house - I mean weather any quarantines - with her if needed.
1 Like
I was so hoping you’d chime in here, thank you. Quaternary sanitizer is the name I was trying to remember.
As for my dad, he nearly died of a bad cold 2 years ago; we both caught it in Alaska, which we were visiting for a family memorial service. I came down with it the morning we were flying out, while he got sick the next day. I felt like Typhoid Mary because it was a bad virus and rest of family didn’t want to get it. They didn’t want me to cook, so I laid in bed all day reading. I wasn’t quite well when I had to fly to Utah to take care of him for 3 weeks. He was very weak when I got there, and despite my insistence he at least go to Urgent Care or the ER for crap’s sake the day before, he didn’t do it like he promised he would. So I flew in next day as fast as I could get there and was shocked to see how frail he was. Now he is trying to micro manage my condition from afar since H & a kid are on a ski trip to Utah, and are in fact staying at his house. I told him yeah dad I’ll go to the ER ASAP just like you did 
No, I wasn’t mean, assured him we have a great local hospital and the nearest fire station is only 9/10ths of a mile away, because don’t want him to worry. He also does have a bit of scarring in his lungs from a pneumonia he caught in Vietnam. I have pondered whether the benefits of the social, and happiness aspects of his outings outweighs the risks, and they well may.
As far as your emergency supplies go, I can supply you with jam if there’s not a run on sugar and frozen berries here. And H can always drop food off to your business - I can promise you wont get food poisoning from me 
Keep well and please report if you start to experience supply chain problems or any stops to local markets in which there are noticeable shortages. Current lean inventory practices have me a little spooked…
4 Likes
I need some drinks!!!
1 Like
Well then come to my house! I have a dandy cocktail I like, in which all components have protective benefits! Tanqueray gin which is thought to have a ton of protective benefits, Prosecco, which speeds up the absorption of the gin, topped with St Germain which is made from elderflowers which have immunity boosters, followed by a lemon slice which has tons of vitamin C, as we all know. They have the benefit of being seriously delicious and make you really, really happy 
Hope @gcaggiano is following this thread. May have to post in the non wine 
thread.
Am sure my medical team highly approves this therapy and healthy libation. Seriously though, I’m being a compliant patient, don’t want to do anything to jeopardize my body or recovery. But damn, they are good, and go down too easily. I usually don’t keep them on hand, but do reserve them for vacations and special occasions. But in light of current, intend to have them on hand in case it becomes a doomsday situation. I do strongly believe in investing in the stock market while stocks are so low. Would be nice to have a crystal ball, wouldn’t it. Er, or maybe not, on 2nd thought…
3 Likes
Thanks I will! Funny, I’ve all the alcohol you mentioned here. If you’ve some good recipe, don’t hesitate to share!
I would ponder that as well! Just the fact that he wants to might be a benefit.
My list: toilet paper, tissues, broth, packaged noodle soup, antibacterial wipes, Tylenol, ibuprofen, distilled water (for Neti pot), saline nasal spray, Mucinex, non-alcohol hand sanitizer. We always have things like canned beans and dried pasta on hand.
2 Likes
I wonder why we don’t all switch to Dos Equis if Corona is such a threat?
1 Like
