
Risky or Not?
byDon Schaffner and Ben Chapman
HealthFitnessScienceLife
Risky or Not is a short podcast from Professor Ben Chapman from North Carolina State University, and Dr. Don Schaffner from Rutgers University. Dr. Don and Professor Chapman promise to do their best not to waffle, dither, dissemble or equivocate, and to give straight up answers about whether something is risky or not.
Episodes(40 episodes)
Episode 927
Making Stock With Chewed or Licked Chicken Bones (Normal Style)
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating stock made from chewed or licked chicken bones, where are the chicken has been eaten "normal style". Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Making stock with "chewed" chicken bones? : r/Cooking
Published: May 13, 2026Duration: 11m 22s
Episode 926
Touching Your Phone in the Middle of Prepping Dinner
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from touching your phone in the middle of prepping dinner. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Consumers' Use of Personal Electronic Devices in the Kitchen - ScienceDirect The role of mobile phones as a possible pathway for pathogen movement, a cross-sectional microbial analysis - ScienceDirect A pilot metagenomic study reveals that community derived mobile phones are reservoirs of viable pathogenic microbes | Scientific Reports The potential role of mobile phones in the spread of bacterial infections | The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries ESKAPE - Wik
Published: May 11, 2026Duration: 13m 53s
Episode 925
Eating Someone Else's Leftover Popcorn at the Movies
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating someone else's leftover popcorn at the movies. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ 316. Using Cups to Scoop Water Out of a Shared Bowl โ Risky or Not? Effect of Biting Before Dipping (DoubleโDipping) Chips on the Bacterial Population of the Dipping Solution - Trevino- 2009 - Journal of Food Safety - Wiley Online Library Seven filthy food habits and how dirty they really are
Published: May 8, 2026Duration: 11m 30s
Episode 924
Drinking a Bottle of Wine That Has Been Stuffed in a Thief's Trousers
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from drinking a bottle of wine that has been stuffed in a thief's trousers. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Pierre-Joseph Proudhon - Wikipedia Post by @gregorykoch.bsky.social โ Bluesky Un-wine-ding The Crime Beastieย Boys โ Johnny Ryall Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
Published: May 6, 2026Duration: 11m 21s
Episode 923
923. 20 year old Cheez-Its
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming ~20 year old Cheez-Its. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Home | Cheez-Itยฎ Sunshine Biscuits - Wikipedia Getting cheesy in Cary: Cheez-It bakery produces 14 million crackers per hour WRAL.com In the Region/New Jersey; Transforming a Plant From Hydrox to High Tech - The New York Times Bon Jovi - Wikipedia
Published: May 4, 2026Duration: 13m 28s
Episode 922
Thawing Frozen Fish in a Plastic Bag in a Fithy Sink
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks thawing frozen fish in a plastic bag in a fithy sink. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Hannaford (supermarket) - Wikipedia Cook It Frozen! Cooking Techniques | Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute The Do's and Don'ts of Thawing Frozen Fish! Preserving Your Catch & Purchase: A Guide to Freezing and Thawing Seafood at Home | NC State Extension Publications
Published: May 1, 2026Duration: 10m 55s
Episode 921
Cottage Cheese With Bubbles In
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating cottage cheese that shows visible bubbles when opened. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ What's Going On With Cottage Cheese? US20120114794A1 - System and method for making organic cottage cheese - Google Patents Production of soft unripened cheeses using acidic and salty coagulants: Investigation of technological and sensory characteristics - PMC Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere: What Your Bubbly Cottage Cheese is Trying to Tell You - Cheese Lover Heaven Cottage Cheese - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Published: Apr 29, 2026Duration: 13m 28s
Episode 920
Eating Easter Eggs Dyed in the Toilet Bowl
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating Easter eggs dyed in the toilet bowl Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผย Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Woman Dyes Easter Eggs in Her Toilet and Attracts Angry Comments on Her Video Staphylococcal Food Poisoning Associated With an Easter Egg Hunt | JAMA | JAMA Network Easter eggs can be dyed and still eaten. Just follow these tips to make sure it's safe | ABC22 & FOX44
Published: Apr 27, 2026Duration: 10m 36s
Episode 919
Homemade Unrefrigerated Hot Sauce From Heavy Metal Band at Their Merch Table
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from consuming homemade unrefrigerated hot sauce purchased from a heavy metal band at their merch table. Listen for Ben's asterisk. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - risky โฃ๏ธ Occurrence of Salmonella in Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Product Samples from U.S. Department of AgricultureโRegulated Producing Establishments. II. Salmonella in Ready-to-Eat Pork Barbecue Products, from 2005 to 2012 - ScienceDirect Models for the Inactivation of Foodborne Pathogens in Salad Dressing from Challenge Studies - ScienceDirect
Published: Apr 24, 2026Duration: 18m 2s
Episode 918
Naked Fruit on the Seat of a Grocery Cart
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from placing a fresh fruit on the seat of a grocery cart without a bag. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Durham Bulls | MiLB.com Bull Durham - Wikipedia How the 'Glengarry Glen Ross' "Coffee Is for Closers" Scene Got Made | Vanity Fair Bulls So Far Raise Over $16,000 for United Way with Wash Your Horns Shirt โ Capitol Broadcasting Company NACS Food Safety Forum | NACS Bacterial contamination of shopping carts and approaches to control The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal Odds ratio - Wikipedia
Published: Apr 22, 2026Duration: 19m 2s
Episode 917
Making Butter While Running
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of making butter while running. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Making butter - YouTube Dead Internet theory - Wikipedia
Published: Apr 20, 2026Duration: 11m 50s
Episode 916
Tasting the Sauce Before the Meat Is Cooked
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of tasting the sauce before the meat is cooked. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Why do thicker sauces simmer at lower temperatures? : r/AskCulinary
Published: Apr 17, 2026Duration: 9m 36s
Episode 915
Letting Patrons Use the Handwash Sink in a Sushi Restaurant Kitchen
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks associated with letting patrons use the handwash sink in a sushi restaurant kitchen. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ What's the Deal With Tuna Scrape? A closer look at theโฆ | Marler Clark Microbial Biogeography of Public Restroom Surfaces | PLOS One Quantifying the Effect of Hand Wash Duration, Soap Use, Ground Beef Debris, and Drying Methods on the Removal of Enterobacter aerogenes on Hands - ScienceDirect
Published: Apr 15, 2026Duration: 20m 11s
Episode 914
Using Toaster After Splashing Raw Chicken Juice Inside if You Are Immunocompromised
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using toaster after splashing raw chicken juice inside if you are immunocompromised. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Sleepless in Seattle - Wikipedia Scoring of Toast and Factors Which Affect Its Quality 1 - Cathcart - 1940 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library Toast (food) - Wikipedia
Published: Apr 13, 2026Duration: 13m 29s
Episode 913
Using the Top Paper Plate
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using the top paper plate in a package of plates. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ How Dirty Are Paper Plates? Science Explored | TikTok Streaking (microbiology) - Wikipedia
Published: Apr 10, 2026Duration: 13m 11s
Episode 912
Only Rinsing a Plastic Microwave Food Cover
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using a plastic microwave food cover that you only rinse and do not wash. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Trump Freaks Out After Tucker Carlson Implies He's the Antichrist | The New Republic Amazon.com: Galleyby Silicone Microwave Splatter Cover Dishwasher Safe - Pack of 2 Microwave Cover for food- Space Sving design 10.5 Inch BPA Free: Home & Kitchen When it comes to balloons, size matters | Pat Beall โ Sun Sentinel Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series) - Wikipedia Scrambled Eggs in a Mug Recipe
Published: Apr 8, 2026Duration: 13m 43s
Episode 911
Mixing People and Giardia Infected Dog Dishes in the Dishwater
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from mixing dishes from people and from Giardia infected dogs in the dishwater. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ The Recipe for Real Chicago Style Giardiniera Giardia in Dogs: Symptoms & Treatment Giardia: Infection, treatment and prevention | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Impact of Environmental Conditions on the Survival of Cryptosporidium and Giardia on Environmental Surfaces - PMC M.C. Hammer - U Can't Touch This - YouTube Amazon.com: TempPro TP30 Infrared Thermometer Gun TempPro Temperature Gun and Meat Thermometer Digital with Super L
Published: Apr 6, 2026Duration: 10m 59s
Episode 910
Eating at a Two Star Michelin Restaurant With a One Star Hygiene Rating
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating at a two star Michelin restaurant with a one star hygiene rating Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Two-star Michelin restaurant in Wales handed one-star hygiene rating | Wales | The Guardian Food Hygiene Rating Scheme | Food Standards Agency Ynyshir restaurant & rooms | Rating Business Details | Food Hygiene Ratings
Published: Apr 3, 2026Duration: 12m 14s
Episode 909
Bulging Yogurt at Elevation
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from consuming yogurt that was bulging after transport to a higher elevation. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Inflated yogurt safe to eat? Bursted air out when opened, looks and smells fine : r/isthissafetoeat If You See Bloated Food Packaging, This Is What It Means | Taste of Home Dull Men's Clubยฎ | I live at 6400 feet elevation | Facebook Is Food Safe If Its Package Is Bulging? | HuffPost Life
Published: Apr 1, 2026Duration: 9m 21s
Episode 908
Using Butter Rubbed on a Dirty Pan
Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using butter that was rubbed on a dirty pan. Dr. Don - not risky ๐๐ผ Professor Ben - not risky ๐๐ผ Applied Dairy Microbiology - Google Books Outbreak of Listeria Monocytogenes Serotype 3a Infections from Butter in Finland | The Journal of Infectious Diseases | Oxford Academic Amazon.com | Popcorn & Butter Matching His & Hers Couples Stainless Steel Insulated Tumbler: Tumblers & Water Glasses
Published: Mar 30, 2026Duration: 13m 13s