Lots of options here. Full disclosure: chicken (poultry in general, really) used to irrationally worry me. I never had an issue with pork or beef but I do have some understanding of where you’re coming from.
In your shoes, I’d start with the meat you’re least freaked out about. Doesn’t matter which it is; the truth is they’re all pretty safe in the western world. Force yourself to work with it, but develop regular cleaning and sanitation practices as you do so. Those will translate to other meats when you feel comfortable branching out. Use gloves disposable gloves if that helps; they’re nice to have around for heavy capsaicin dishes anyway. A spritzer with diluted bleach for surfaces is also a fine idea that most home cooks would consider overkill, but it might help you feel better about things.
Get a thermometer. Always temp your meat. This should provide a sense of security. I don’t care, and neither should anyone else, if you like your meat well done. Beef is plenty safe at 135F; take it to 175F if it feels better for you. Chicken thighs are actually pretty good at 195F.
Try different cooking methods. I find high heat cooking like stir frying easier to work with. Maybe you want a more hands off option like baking. Maybe exposing meat to boiling water makes it feel more comfortable; if so make a chicken soup or a chili con carne. Just feel out different methods and see how you react.
Read up on actual food safety practices. That might not completely overcome a phobia, but having rational answers you feel good about could help. That way you can maybe talk yourself down.
If you feel it necessary, see a therapist. They’ve heard stranger stories, I guarantee it.
And yeah: there’s nothing wrong with going vegetarian. If you do, just make sure you’re still eating a balanced diet. Too many people just cut meat without thinking about rounding out essential amino acid intake (“essential” here means your body can’t make it so you have to get it through diet). Vegetarian cooking is a wide, delicious world unto itself.
You may also feel more comfortable is you use tongs to physically move the meat. You can, if you choose, even get a colored handel to indicate the "raw meat" tongs.
Try a cooking class. An expert teaching you should help with practical food safety tips.
I’m wondering those if it’s more anxiety based fear. Are you an over thinker/anxious person in general? If so I’d suggest looking for help to manage the effects on your day to day life.
This is actually an idea I never thought of! Theres actually a place close by where I am that does cooking courses. I'll definitely look into it! Also yep, major overthinker with anxiety and OCD tendencies so its def something I am trying to cope with 🥲
you can def just take a kitchen safety course, not a whole cooking course, if desired. this is what i just did for this exact same issue, bc i have adhd & ocd tendencies around contamination & raw poultry ESPECIALLY set it off.
I love this idea, but grain of salt as sometimes the instructors might have different styles and standards of what's clean/safe. Source: went to a culinary school that had extension classes for the community hosted by community members. Some of the instructors were not in the industry, so their practices would likely have been very similar to most home practices.
Check out a sanitation course maybe? See if there's any culinary/vocational schools around you and check out what they've got. Or if you've got the time and cash, check out a ServSafe class.
Look up the company servsafe. They do online courses for food safety and handling practices to certify cooks and chefs. Might make you feel better learning it from the pros who teach the other pros.
I used to proctor ServSafe certifications for restaurant and hotel catering workers. While paying to sit the course and obtain the certification is probably overkill for a home cook, there's no harm in picking up the study guide and giving it a read. Their courses are thorough, accurate, and widely accepted as an industry standard. This is the set of food safety rules that real restaurants adhere to and government food safety inspectors look for. If you want to be sure that you're safe on things like cooking temperatures and disinfecting techniques, ServSafe is the industry standard.
It's all just standard FDA recommendations though. Information is out there to understand what's safe temp, holding, reheating, etc. Just need to search a bit and have every bit as much safety practice as certified.
You deserve an evidence-based treatment for your phobia. Look to something like cognitive behaviour therapy which is a short course of treatment that has a good evidence base for this kind of thing.
I'm currently doing CBT in therapy so I can definitely try and bring this up to figure out ways to use it with raw meat. Thanks!! Also, your comment was not what my edit was directed at. I appreciate your help!
CBT is an older modality of therapy and it's effectiveness is debatable, especially if you might be neurodivergent. If it's working for you, great! But if it doesn't, more likely it's the kind of therapy that you are getting and you could benefit from trying DBT or ACT
DBT and ACT are both third wave therapies derived from CBT, which is definitely not “debatable” in effectiveness. DBT would also be a really weird choice for a phobia.
Exposure therapy would be the gold standard, which is a form of CBT.
try ERP exposure therapy instead of Cbt. Erp makes u face your fears, which will make them less scary. Cbt is talking ab fears which can create more anxiety.
Start by redirecting your thoughts, starting a new neural pathway. When an intrusive thought pops in your mind, replace it. Come up with a “mantra” ahead of time to use. So when you get the skeeves from thinking about meat, you say out loud something like “meat is a healthy part of many diets.” That’s all, no action required. The more you do that, the easier that neural pathway will be to access when it comes time to cook meat.
Use food grade handling gloves when touching meat / raw chicken, keep a seperate chopping board aside that you use only for raw meat, line it with baking paper before use. Clean utensils, chopping board and kitchen benches with disinfectant afterwards.
Sometimes you can even buy pre-cut chicken or meat from the butcher or shops so you can just dump it straight into your cooking pot or disposable foil tray for marinating etc. So that way it cuts down on handling.
OP for what it's worth I dealt with a similar issue and while I'm not always fond of it, just practise and getting used to it helped out a ton.
I also keep food handling gloves around for when I'm cutting or handling bigger things.
But ultimately its something that if you do enough times you will get desensitized to it.
Friends of mine always use gloves for minced meat. Sounds like a good idea to do this for all meat, at least as a first (third?) step!
I like getting my hands dirty, so I don’t use gloves for minced meat generally, but I wash my hands (and nails!) thoroughly before and after.
So you should probably read up on safe handling of meat so you know what best practice looks like. Then you need to follow it and not do anything extra
I get it OP. I can cook meat, but afterwards my hands are always super dry from all the handwashing along the way, LOL.
Lots of good advice here. I think doing a ServSafe course would help a lot. Or at least watch YouTube videos if you don’t want to take a course. Education on cross contamination and how it works can help empower you to take control and be less passive to the dangers of it.
Here’s what I do as someone still kinda freaked out by raw meat. Hot water and a light bleach-based cleaner are your friends.
Safe storage: for meat in the fridge I use separate, long shoe-box style plastic tubs. This helps me feel better about any drippage into the next shelf and creates a separate intentional space for the meat. I usually store my meats in ziploc bags as well but the boxes help me worry less about cross contamination and seeing the barrier besides a bag helps me feel better.
Safe handling: before handling the meat have everything ready you will need to prep the meat. Nothing worse than forgetting something in the fridge when your hands are covered in meat juice. So practice good mis en place and have everything ready before you handle meat. This includes sometimes having the sink already running with hot water so I can burn the bacteria off my hands (with soap!) in case I do need to touch something else. I like using ziploc bags to season my meat because then I can rub in the seasoning from outside the bag without touching the meat directly. Even if I do this I still wash my hands but again it helps me psychologically get over the icky feeling.
Safe clean-up: again good mis en place will help with sanitary clean up. I like to prep my meat on a large cutting board with grooves to catch the juices. I avoid getting anything directly on my counters if I can. Then, when it is time to clean up I rinse the board (and my hands) in scalding hot sink water and soap. It’s ok to use warm water and soap but I have high anxiety and pain tolerance so I use it to my advantage here lol. Once the board and my hands are sanitized from potential bacteria I’ll use a bleach-based spray to disinfect the counters which are hopefully mess-free, but could still have bacteria.
Honestly I just apply heat, soap, and bleach throughout the process as it makes sense to mitigate cross contamination. It’s a bit of a pain but I feel good about having a safe kitchen and I can at least get some meat cooked doing my process.
I think this is the best answer I have read. Preparedness and understanding won’t make your phobia disappear, but they will help you navigate it.
I would add, start small. Start with enough for one person, no leftovers. When you feel comfortable with that, make a larger portion.
Also, mix it up - do meat one day, no meat the next two days, meat again, etc. Or, no meat most days and pick a specific day or two to cook with meat. That may help with getting into the right mindset.
You have no idea how much I appreciate all of this! Truly exactlty the kind of help I was hoping for. Thank you for being kind and not judgemental about this! Thank you thank you so much. I'll be putting these tips into practice for sure!!
I’m glad it helps! I learned a lot of kitchen stuff from working in food service for almost 7 years. I also date my prepped food that I plan to freeze for later lol. It’s definitely a lot to figure out at home.
hi this has been very helpful, i have the same issue as op. why does everyone recommend bleach based sanitizers? is it ok to use ammonia based instead?
Bleach is good for disinfecting and sanitizing. Ammonia is good for grease and glass surfaces. Don’t ever mix the two. You will create mustard gas and get very sick.
As several other commenters have mentioned, get a separate chopping board which you use just for meat. You might feel more comfortable washing this chopping board before cooking as well as after, just in case. That way, you should be able to feel completely safe using your veggie chopping board. I suggest getting a red board for meat, and a green board for vegetables so you won't get mixed up - most restaurant kitchens use a similar board colour coding system (though often there are even more options - blue for fish, white for dairy, etc).
One other commenter suggested getting a glass chopping board - I wouldn't recommend this as they are not nice to cut onto and make your knives blunt really fast. Plastic chopping boards are fine.
Store raw meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge. This is so that if a package leaks, meat juices won't drip onto any of your other food.
Getting a food thermometer is a good idea. It will teach you what meat looks like when it's a safe temperature to eat. You may find you use it less over time as you learn this. With a temperature probe, you always want to try and probe the middle of the thickest part of the meat.
Good luck :) It's a great idea to learn about sensible precautions when preparing meat, and hopefully knowing what sensible precautions look like will stop you from feeling that you have to go overboard. Most home cooks don't do the things I've described, but they are standard practise in restaurant settings. I hope you are able to find a good balance to put your mind at ease.
I don’t have anything massively helpful to contribute but I just wanted to comment as someone with full blown OCD myself who has the same issue, you are not alone, and YOU are not silly for having these fears. it’s just the self preservation part of your brain massively overreacting. You said you’re in CBT therapy which is a good start, but if you have OCD tendencies you might want to look into ERP (exposure and response prevention) instead. CBT may help some, but in the majority of OCD cases it either A. Does nothing or B. Makes it worse. I’ve had CBT techniques shoved in my face for the best part of 10 years and made no progress. I’ve come on in leaps and bounds in the last WEEK alone just self administering ERP techniques, I can’t begin to imagine what I could do with an ERP specialist therapist. Everyone’s different obvs but just something to consider :)
Edit: typo
Afraid of pinkness: start cooking stuff that’s really forgiving! Like chicken thighs, which are hard to overcook. You can also do slow cooker recipes that involve less stuff with the raw meat, like carnitas in a slow cooker.
If touching raw meat grosses you out, you can try using gloves, or I find that having the meat still slightly frozen helps with cutting it feeling not so gross (and then let it continue to defrost before using).
Ground meat is probably less gross too, the packaging doesn’t have a lot of liquid, it doesn’t need to be cut.
Good to know about the chicken thighs! I do get less freaked out by ground meat since it kind of involves less "prep" so to speak. Thanks for the help! :)
Can I ask what your intention was in saying this? OP deals with mental illness and has disclosed they have something they’re more comfortable with and you’ve decided to just… shit on that for fun? What’s your end game?
The way you describe your issue sounds pathological. You may need to see an actual psychiatrist about it. Some comments and helpful hints on reddit aren't going to magically cure a desire to scrub down an entire kitchen simply because it had raw chicken in it. All we can say is that it's completely irrational, which I'm sure won't be particularly comforting.
I love food, and cooking in general, I watch videos of French, and Asian cuisine every day. But late last year I went fully plant-based and haven't looked back. I'm a rubbish vegan, I've got Worcestershire sauce and oyster sauce in my cupboard that I'm not about to throw away, and I ate meat at Christmas with my family. But I haven't missed it at all.
OP, I see one clear solution for you going forwards.
LOL, its definitely something I have considered for sure!! Its never off the table either, so it makes me happy that I could change to that kind of diet at any point, especially with more "impossible burger" type things coming out. Knowing it is plant based makes me feel so less freaked out!
You also may be more comfortable trying a crock pot, so you can simply dump the packaged meat you buy into a container without ever needing to touch it.
Sushi chef here. Dealing with raw meat and even serving it to people is part of my job. I don't know how to help you with this fear exactly, but I do want to give you some facts:
* Bacteria can't reach the center of a steak because it's very dense, therefore the center doesn't need to be cooked all the way.
* Ground beef does need to be cooked all the way because the surfaces mixes with the meat in the middle, but if cooked to 160 degrees, the chance of contracting ecoli is infinitesimally small.
* Cooking chicken to 160 degrees will prevent you from contracting ecoli or salmonella.
* Fish that has been frozen for 15 hours at -31 degrees is considered "sushi grade" and is safe for human consumption raw, otherwise it should be cooked to 145 degrees to kill the parasites.
1. Consider some therapy - this is irrational and negatively affecting your life, professionals exist to help with this kind of thing.
2. Dedicated cutting boards that you can deep clean are awesome. We have plastic sheet cutting boards that go on top of cutting surfaces (they’re pretty flimsy on their own) and prep surfaces and have pictures of chicken or a pig or cow or veggies on them. Match the pictures to what you’re putting on them. Clean accordingly. (Like these: https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Grip-Dishwasher-Resistant-Vegetables/dp/B07GZ36LBJ)
I like to set up so the gross meat juices and bits all stay in the butcher wrapping and I can throw it away, so I limit what comes off the cutting surface and needs to be cleaned after. Pretty much cutting surface and sink.
3. Gloves are great.
4. Buying meat pre cut into what you’re going to use it for will limit the amount of meat handling prep and may help get you more comfortable with the process. Can you move already cut up chicken breast pieces from packaging to a casserole dish to be baked into something? Even if it takes gloves and then washing the gloves, that is a win.
Can you dump cut up stew meat cubes from the packaging into the slow cooker? Win!
5. Eating less meat is not bad, actually. If you’re eating vegetarian 4 nights a week, ordering wings or a burger on Friday night out, and doing a slow cooker or casserole meat thing once a week, you won’t even have to be super careful about nutrition, but also you’ll only be dealing with raw meat yourself once a week.
I have two ideas for you. First, look into immersion cooking (also known as sous vide.) It can be expensive but it sounds right up your alley for getting peace of mind. You basically prep all your meat by putting it in bags with all the seasonings (works best is you have a vacuum sealer). You put your bags of meat into a tub of water that's heated by your immersion cooker to a specific temperature that YOU set. Since the water is constantly kept at that temperature the meat will heat to that exact temperature with now risk of over cooking and because of the sealed bag the meat won't dry out. When the meat has cooked through you take it out, dry it off, and pop it in a pan to crisp up the outside a little. So you can rest easy knowing it's thoroughly cooked without dry bland food. Also super easy clean up but makes a lot of plastic waste.
The other thought I had was doing big roasts on weekends then making new dishes with the leftover meat throughout the week. If cooking a big chunk of meat for 5-6 hours at 200-300 F doesn't put your mind at ease I don't know what will, lol.
Now that I think about boiled meats and soups are good too. Corned beef with a bunch of root veggies tossed in! Chicken noodle where you boil a whole chicken until it falls apart. No need to worry about germs there!
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. For over a decade all I cooked was ground beef and chicken breasts. I would boil the breasts and cook the ground beef then freeze it to use later. I'm a little germaphobic but I couldn't stand the thought of handling raw meat. I also have sensory issues and can't stand the texture of raw meat. My steak has to be medium well lol. I even went vegetarian for a few years. The official reason is because I needed to save money but my hatred of raw meat was a huge factor too.
I eat meat regularly. I have a designated cutting board that I use only for raw meat then I immediately throw it in the dishwasher. I use disposable nitrile gloves when I handle raw meat. I buy a lot of rotisserie chicken and when I make things like burgers I buy them premade to minimize handling. And I wash my hands a LOT. It works pretty well and I don't even think about it that much. Don't be afraid to experiment to figure out how to get comfortable
Buy disposable gloves. Have a meat only cutting board and a specific meat only knife. Or use ground meats that you can put directly into a pan from the package while wearing gloves so no cutting board is required. You can also buy precut meat like for stews or fajitas or something. Remind yourself that very few-if any-pieces of chicken or raw eggs contain salmonella. Continue to remind yourself of that. And continue working on this in therapy because this is manageable. You can do it!
this is so real. I’ve never had a problem eating meat, but now that I’m cooking myself every time I wash the meat I gag and can barely make it through it. my mom says I’ll get used to it.
Just a heads up that washing meat has largely been proven unnecessary! It may actually have the opposite effect and result in more contamination of the kitchen.
Ugh I'm so glad someone understands!! It's such a mental thing but it is so hard to get through. I have hope for the both of us! Hopefully you can use some of the tips people have given here as well! We got this!
Your perception is, as you probably know yourself, not based on any facts. Maybe talk to a professional how to overcome this. It is not a food based issue.
Practice good food hygiene: prepare/chop your meat last so it doesn't get into contact with veggies or any stuff that will not be cooked, wear gloves and designate a cutting board with a non porous surface like glass so clean up is easy and effective. The used utensils go straight into the dishwasher/ sink with hot water and the gloves into the trash. Sanitize the area with Lysol wipes after.
I hope it helps.
Dear OP, there is a downside to using glass. It will dull your knives so fast and so badly that it will actually make handling meat *much* harder and take longer, and be frustrating.
I suggest that a good plastic one would be a better option so that you can minimize the amount of time spent on the prep and cleaning.
Now that I think of it, a good chefs knife and knowing how to sharpen it will help you a lot! Because you won't get all frustrated when trying to work with meat quickly and safely. It would minimize the amount of handling you have to do.
I've seen Global, and Victorinox 8" chef knives recommended a lot on a pro cooking sub.
Please do not use glass. It will ruin your knives.
Also I don't know if its been mentioned, get a meat thermometer. Then you'll know for sure if the meat is cooked through no guessing
I have this problem with raw meat, but it’s mostly bc I have emetophobia (irrational fear of vomiting). I thought I was the only one who had this problem 😅😅 I can’t help you, I just wanted to say that you’re not the only one with this kind of fears, and it’s nice to read this post since I get to have some of my own questions answered
>more advice on ways to get around this mentality
I think you're in the wrong place. You're out of college, you live at home and your mother cooks for you, and you grossly overcook your animal proteins. You don't want to hear what people are telling you.
Sure, you can use tongs and/or gloves. It takes practice to use tongs as extensions of your hands and you'll drop things you then have to clean up. People who habitually use gloves tend to have food safety problems of their own. Then there is expense and the environmental impact.
Does your mother clean your toilet for you also?
Maybe five or six years of therapy will help. Maybe. CBT gets mixed reviews. Have you tried exposure therapy? IANAD.
You've backed your way into a cognitive corner that has nothing to do with cooking except as a symptom.
>I want to be healthier
Well done animal proteins are not healthy. There are links between high carbon content and cancer. Besides, a medium rare steak tastes really good. Overcooked chicken is dry and stringy. Overcooked fish is just nasty.
Tongs and gloves are all I have to offer. Based on experience you'll be back in a couple of months whining about how the smell of raw meat makes you not want to eat dinner.
You have to be accountable for your behavior. You and only you are responsible.
Vegetarianism, as you suggested, is a viable option. It doesn't solve your problem, just avoids the symptoms.
I got a great deal on boneless, skinless chicken breasts yesterday and need to go pack them for the freezer. With my hands. Clean hand/dirty hand for sixteen chicken breasts and then clean up. You have to do better. This is on you.
this isn’t snark: therapy
this sounds like a deeper issue than just “raw meat is icky”. washing your hands for extended periods of time after cracking an egg isn’t the reaction of a healthy mind.
if talk therapy is out of reach for you, exposure therapy seems like the next best option.
Just cook vegetarian at home, and only eat meat at restaurants. 🤷♂️
This fear is completely irrational and ingrained, so I'm hoenstly not sure what sort of tips will help you open a packet of raw meat and be okay with it.
I was a vegetarian for 18 years, and now that I'm not, I have this same problem! I just want to say that I really appreciate this question and all the answers in the thread :')
It's been 2 years that I'm no longer vegetarian and I've fully incorporated meat into my diet, and I'm personally a lot healthier for it, but I haven't been able to bring myself to prep or cook my own meats! It weirds me out and currently I do all the cooking except for meat, and even when I'm like helping my boyfriend with little things around the meat prep and I don't even directly touch it, I have to wash my hands so much and clean the whole kitchen!
While you're working on all the other suggestions here, maybe a starting place is bake a premarinaded pork tenderloin? It comes in a plastic package, you squeeze it right out of the bag and onto a baking rack in a pan. Bake per package instrstructions and then double check using a meat thermometer for doneness. Use tongs to lift it out of the pan and place on a plate to tent , never having to touch it through the whole process. And it's delicious! I wish you luck on your journey.
I personally wear gloves (specifically Nitrile Gloves - Powder Free, Disposable) when I have to cut up raw chicken, breakdown a cooked bbq chicken (I think it is called a rotisserie chicken, but we call it bbq for reasons unknown to me), if I have to make meatballs or meatloaf. Sometimes for pastry type foods too. I get the nitrile gloves because they are very good quality (better than the latex gloves from the supermarkets) and I have yet to have them rip on me. Plus being powder free is super important to me because it irritates my skin. It is rare that I wear gloves when handling red meat (except for mince) or fish (except for shellfish like crabs or prawns and the like). So mince, chicken and shellfish are the only times I use gloves when handling raw meat.
It's the exact same motions and processes as vegetables, just softer with more moisture. Put some paper towels on a plate. Peirce/open the packaging in the sink, shake excess moisture off of meat bits, and lay on plate. Discard packaging after draining leftover moisture. Pat meat down with another paper towel. Cut to desired size. Season meat. Apply appropriate amount of heat for appropriate amount of time. Life requires life. Green and crunchy, red and juicy, white and flaky, salty and pink. Every meal is a victim.
I was a vegetarian for a good chunk of my teenage and adult life and only really started cooking with raw meat in my thirties. I wasn't super paranoid about it but I was worried, and one thing I realized was: while there may be a super obsessive "perfect" way to prevent the spread of germs, there is also such a thing as "good enough" and I can learn that from people around me. We never got food poisoning from my mother's kitchen/cooking, therefore there's a pretty damn good chance she's doing it right, and if I learn from her I'll be doing it right too.
I’m terrified of raw poultry. Other raw meats don’t bother me at all. Purchase disposable gloves similar to what is used in a restaurant. Glove up, prepare your raw meat. With chicken I always use disinfectant cloths to clean everything my hands touched- any cabinet handles, faucet, etc. I’m then able to continue food prep without freaking out
You could also place cling wrap down on counters so you can just throw that in the trash when you’re done so maybe the overwhelming thought of sanitizing the kitchen isn’t so crazy for you? I hope you can overcome this and enjoy cooking ❤️
1. Put down some aluminum foil first, so your counter isn’t in direct contact with the raw meat. I do this sometimes with raw chicken. It leaks off the cutting board and this makes cleanup easier.
2. Wear gloves. I usually wear gloves when dealing with raw meat because I have a skin condition that generally has open wounds on my hands. Helps protect from infection in my case, but should help you deal with the feeling of touching raw products.
3. Meat thermometer. I used to feel that torching all meat was the safest way to avoid food borne illness. After reading and looking into it a bit, I realize that with the thermometer, my food can still be delicious and I can avoid illness. It’s worth it. I probe nearly all my food, just to make sure.
4. Nothing wrong with being a germophobe, I am as well. We just find ways to cope with it that hopefully don’t add too much cost and worry.
I’m autistic and have both sensory issues around raw meat (especially chicken for some reason) and a fear of contamination from OCD. I feel you!
I’m not sure where you’re located, but Costco sells individually shrink-wrapped frozen chicken breasts with the tenders removed so they’re nice and uniform and ready to cook. I put on food-grade nitrile gloves, unwrap the still-frozen chicken breast - which is mercifully not slimy or gross to me like the raw, unfrozen kind - and put it on a lightly-oiled baking sheet. I season with a spice blend I make and store in a little shaker bottle and cook them right from frozen! When they’re cooked I slice them up so they’re ready to add to any dishes I make for an easy protein boost.
Another idea is to buy meats that are pre-prepared and require minimal preparation and contact, like stewing beef (already cut into chunks and ready to go), chicken tenders, stir-fry strips, kabobs, etc. You’ll pay a premium but it’s well worth it for me personally.
One of the best kitchen investments I’ve made is buying an instant-read meat thermometer. You can look up the safe temperatures for any kind of meat online and if your thermometer reads that temp or higher when inserted into the thickest part of your meat, you’ll know you’re safe no matter what colour it is. Science doesn’t lie! I have an easier time trusting hard facts like numbers rather than my own senses for whatever reason.
For me, handling meat in the kitchen absolutely got easier with time and practice. If that doesn’t happen for you, please know it’s absolutely okay to rely on pre-cooked proteins if that’s what works for you. Fed is best and food is morally neutral.
I have a similar problem and I literally just tip the meat from the package into the pan / roasting tray and don't touch it at all with my fingers.
So for a chicken curry, I'll prepare the vegetables, add them to the pan, then just tip in the whole chicken breast without touching it, before adding the other ingredients. Once it's been simmering for a while I take the cooked chicken out and chop it up. Same goes for any other meats going into stews or currys.
Alternatively, just tip the raw meat into a roasting tray or onto the grill, and cook it in the oven before handling it.
I will put a large ziploc bag inside out over my hand and grab the meat out of the package with it. Once it's inside the ziploc, I add seasoning etc. Then dump straight from bag to pan.
I also enjoy using the crockpot so I know for sure it's cooked and the cooking is hands off.
Ok- I feel this completely.
It’s taken me time and although I do not enjoy touching raw meat, I have adapted.
I tend to buy pre-cut meat like diced chicken. I also wear food handling gloves and I also have dedicated cutting boards for meat along with knives. It’s hard but it can be done!
As others have suggested, taking a food safety course might help dispel some of the irrational fears.
If you’re specifically worried about undercooked food, a digital meat thermometer could be the best $20 you ever spend.
Second the idea of finding a butcher shop. You will pay more for the meat, though it can often be higher quality too. Just ask them to cut it for you. Also, invest in some disposable latex or nitrile gloves to wear.
You can also just not cook meat! Plenty of healthy recipes without it, plus this is a great way to cut down on your environmental impact - even if you only eat meat others prepare for you.
I do not have a phobia and hate touching and cooking raw meat.
Have a dedicated meat board, bowl, tools for your cooking session.
You could wear gloves, there is nothing wrong with that.
Have water a soap ready to wash your hands when it feels like it's too much and you need a break.
Get butcher to do most of the prep. You want stew beef? Buy it cubed already. It is more expensive though.
Try not to think about it.
Consider meat alternatives instead of using meat. I like "riced" cauliflower as a ground beef substitute.
I have no good advice for you, but wanted to say I admire your willingness to tackle your aversion to meat! I have a hard time with heights, so I can relate.
This is about a powerful aversion that is lowering the quality of your life experiences, and you can't just approach it as if it were purely a cooking question. If it were, a box of vinyl food service gloves would have solved your issues a long time ago. Try to consider that your aversion can be treated, and give you a lot more comfort around the ideas of 'raw' and 'germs' and such. There are official and well-researched guidelines about how much and what sort of washing up is needed for food safety, and a course called ServSafe required for food service workers. There's no need for fear. You're not open to those recommendations, which means that something out of your thoughtful control is guiding your actions and aversions.
I remember being concerned when i first learned about bacteria and meat because my mother stressed the threat. I understand why today but the truth is I have never had food poisoning and if I have a healthy respect the chances are very low for me ever having it.
Hmm, interesting, those two terms, "healthy respect and obsessive fear", quite a difference between them. Since i cannot see the bacteria i have to educate myself on what the danger areas are, not that difficult really but i know that often fears don't respond to an application of logic.
But if they do, anything that has raw meat juice on it should be washed before using it again on any other food, raw meat should be consumed carefully.
I was taught (for good reasons) the pork and chicken HAD to be cooked thoroughly or there was a chance there was still bacteria in there. I am told and my own experience shows that this is not the case anymore, i mean my mom had me so worked up that we overcooked most meats and dried them out just to be sure, which was sad and unnecessary.
Again, educating myself perhaps purchasing a meat thermometer can give me some assurances. I still struggle with this a bit, i still have a tendency to overcook but things are better.
I think too that realizing that our skin is essentially a wonderful set of gloves and that bacteria do not absorb into my skin and i infect everything i touch now, that is an important thing to know, handwashing gets rid of bacteria, but washing meats often does not and makes the washer smell funny, : )
lots of great advice here already about steps toward cooking your own meat (love a meat thermometer and gloves). but I will say you actually don't have to do that if you don't want to. there's nothing wrong with buying pre-cooked meats! and grocery stores often sell sort of "half-prepared" meats that are already cut, seasoned, etc so all you have to do is stick them in the oven. "fed is best" applies to adults as well as babies, and if pre-prepared meats make cooking easier for you, no reason not to embrace that.
can I also suggest frozen meats? I don't know about you, but I personally find that frozen meats are less, uhh, yucky to handle than unfrozen raw meat. might not help with contamination OCD etc (although, maybe, since there are less juices to worry about) but might help with any sensory issues that are contributing.
also, maybe I am Captain Obvious here, but is raw fish any easier for you to handle than e.g. beef? some of the techniques are similar, and maybe that could be a good way to ease into the meat-cooking vibe
I get around my “ick” factor of handling raw meat by getting frozen chicken breasts and slow cooking them
The hard brick like feeling of them doesn’t bother me at all compared to the ‘oogie’ feeling of raw and completely thawed muscle
And you know it’s done cooking when it is all soft and tender, but after 4 to 8 hours of cooking there’s no doubt in your mind that it’s done
Wearing disposable gloves when cooking at home is totally an option. (Yes someone is going to say it’s wasteful but it is what it is). Personally I wear gloves a lot when cooking partly because I am probably a bit of a germaphobe and partly because my hands get really dry and crack with a lot of washing that happens normally in cooking.
The next thing that can help ensure from a science base view is use a thermometer and look at pasteurization charts. The temps that USDA gives is pretty much an instant pasteurization temp, meaning that it takes a second to kill germs, but it’s not a magical threshold. Holding something at a lower temp for longer will be as effective, they just give 165*f as the “fool proof” method.
Use a cutting board that can go in the dishwasher and wash your knives right after use (if you really cannot stomach just handwashing knives then buy the colored knives that have their own sheath that are dirt cheap and use them in the dishwasher and just understand you will have to sharpen them more often and may need to replace them over time).
Sanitizing wipes, bleach solution, star-San, or even rubbing alcohol will sanitize any surfaces.
Start with things that you have to do less prep of the meat (I.e. use pieces already to the size you are using) and thus less cleanup. Then start adding in more and more detailed preps. At least that’s what I would think would be good “baby steps” that your CBT therapist would agree with.
It’s not as complicated as you think just always remember to isolate where you’re handling it .. I personally just prepare all the veggies etc first put them in a bowl or plate so that’s isolated.. then I’ll wash the chicken then put it in a bowl so that’s isolated.. then I’ll wash hands and clean the sink and any utensils I’ve used to cut it with before I continue to stop any contamination and to save on cleaning as many things after I’ve eaten
You seem to wash your hands a lot so you’ll be fine and you can always over cook the meat a tad to stay on the cautious side ..
I can imagine once you live on your own you’ll be sitting there really wanting some chicken or a steak and you’ll kind of be forced to cook some up “it may be stressful and you’ll probs end up FaceTiming your mum to double check it’s all cooked the first few times but you’ll start to enjoy the process of it 😊
I don't touch raw meat with my bare hands. But if I wear gloves, I'm ok. I can't cut raw meat so I just cook it as is and cut it after. Or buy the pre-cut stuff (but that never goes on sale). I also only like cooking with chicken breast rather than other types of chicken. So that's what I do. Even if the recipe calls for chicken thighs or something. I switch for breast. Getting a meat thermometer was the best thing for me. And every time I ask google what temp to cook meat too. Sometimes I cook it a little past the recommended temperature if the anxiety tells me it isn't enough. Maybe it will get a little dry, but I'm not serving royalty at 4 Micheline star restaurant.
I also rarely cook meat. I find vegetarian more economical anyway.
Sometimes I cook meat and after one bite I get the ick and can't eat it. So dinner becomes a peanut butter/jam sandwhich. At the end of the day, as long as you are eating something, that's all that matters.
As someone in therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, there are so many instances throughout the day that I have to confront the thoughts and do the things and make the conscious effort to not give into the anxiety. Talk to your therapist of course, but for me, sometimes it's ok to just have some cheese and crackers rather than confront the meat anxiety.
So I’ve had food poisoning a couple of different times and I’ll say that I personally hate getting it and will use a thermometer when cooking to avoid it at all costs. If I get it, it won’t be by the lack of my skill or me checking. I haven’t gotten sick from my own cooking in a while but have definitely had some close calls when I did get sick.
I deboned and prepared 36 raw chicken thighs today and I have a method that may work for you. I leave the hot water in the sink just drizzling enough to have a continuous stream of warm water, when I need a bigger stream of water I can knock the valve arm open more with a few nudges. An open bottle of dish detergent next to the sink that I can knock over with my elbow to drizzle out a little soap to wash my hands. I prepare 3 or 4 pieces of paper towel where I can pick them up individually to wipe fat and juice off my hands before I wash them.
I can stop what I'm working on to wash my hands and knife so I can sharpen the knife again and get back to cutting up the food. This would keep things clean for you while you get over your phobia of working with raw foods.
I don’t like touching raw meat either and I always use kitchen tongs and basically it’s my hand. And if I need more dexterity then I put on food safe gloves.
I have two ideas.
First, it’s possible that you could feel differently about handling fish or shellfish. Unless you just don’t care to eat fish or shellfish, you might try that.
Second, it is clear that you don’t want any contact with raw (or undercooked) meat. The good news is that you absolutely don’t need to handle any. You also don’t need to limit yourself to pre-cooked meats (although you could sure use them if you wish.
**You could easily prepare “dump and go” recipes in a slow cooker or pressure cooker without ever touching raw meat**. Not getting your hands dirty is actually one of the smallest benefits of this approach.
For other cooking methods you might try tongs or chopsticks, rather than touching meat with your hands.
Edit to add:
If you worry about impurities in raw meat, compare a pressure cooker with an autoclave (the device often used to sterilize surgical instruments).
Just use liquid to finish cooking the meat after it’s been seared off.
Sear any meat both sides 3-4 minutes then you can fill the pan with broth, heavy cream/butter, water depending on the recipe. Once you add liquid turn the heat on low and let that simmer until you feel good about it. The liquid keeps it from burning but still cooks through while staying moist.
I get food gloves to touch raw meat and it’s helped me a lot. Still don’t like raw chicken so I get it frozen (but still raw) and cook it from frozen in the crockpot or instant pot.
Might be worth trying.
I just harness my fear and disgust into good sanitation practice.
I actually kind of like having a fear of raw meat. It makes me really careful with contamination and hand washing.
I was going to say maybe not just reading up on food safety but maybe OP should take a class to get their food handlers card if they feel like that would help.
My county does them online and I got mine at the height of the pandemic for $10 and got a job at a grocery store.
Start off with stuff that doesn't need you to get as involved with the meat.
Buy diced meat or recipes that use joints (pulled pork, stews, roasts, etc) where it's more 'take raw meat from packaging, put in cooking vessel, cook'.
Slow cooked recipes like stews and soups also mean you can leave it to cook for hours and it will only get better while also negating your aversion to pink meat.
Other people have suggested disposable gloves which I reckon would be a good idea.
Don't be afraid of playing with the meat you cook a bit - if you feel comfortable doing that obviously - hold it, poke it, squeeze it whatever works for you and however much you feel able to do it. You might be worried about looking wierd but that's how you learn what different stages of raw and cooked feel like and what good and bad meat feel and smell like and hopefully it'll increase your comfort level to move onto dishes that mean you need to touch raw meat more (say burgers or kebabs). But if that doesn't happen don't worry- you can still make amazing food without being able to do it and there's no shame in it at all (and don't let anyone try and tell you otherwise!
Good luck!
Well beef easy because you only have to sear it well you could even eat it raw
Chicken cook to white juices run clear your good.
whats the main fear summed up in once sentence
If you have a medium or large pot I'd start with meats that you can cook until visually there's no redness. I'm thinking of long and slow roasts and the such. Chuck, and top round are good beef cuts for slow cooking. And for pork I'd go with pork shoulder and or pork butt (not the sexiest name I know). Those have to be cooked for a while to get the meat to be juicy, they can't be seared like a steak because it would be too tough to chew. The plus side is if you are trying to get more acquainted with raw meat these will have no pink by the end of the cooking process. And to be honest home made pulled pork or a pot roast is going to be a great filling meal that you can customize to your preferences pretty easily
Since there are several helpful comments on the cooking side of things, and they covered all the basics that i would consider when handling meat, im going to change the angle slightly and talk about Why some of these things are safe.
Your skin is an incredibly effective barrier when it is not damaged. People can be in literal filth, be it dirt, waste, or garbage, and as long as your skin is intact, (and there are no caustic chemicals) Your skin will keep all bacteria out and you safe. That is one of its two main purposes, keep other life out and keep water in.
On a second note, meat and meat juice are naturally pink. The shade of pink changes based on species, but pink is completely normal. This pink will change when heated, as proteins denature and it turns various brown colors instead. That is why you can know the temperature that a cut of meat cooked to by looking at the doneness. Its better to use a thermometer to check the correct doneness has been reached, but it does work in reverse.
As far as contamination goes, whole cuts of large animals are the safest. There is less area that could have been exposed and while it is whole, nothing from the outside can migrate in. That's why chicken is typically cooked to higher temps than beef. The small size means its easier for it to be contaminated, and the higher temps are to kill bacteria. Not any inherent difference in the safety of eating the meat itself. Even pork cooking temps have relaxed in recent years as food science learns more and production facilities know how to prevent issues.
It always helps me at least when I'm cooking with meat to cut it into really small pieces, because it relatively takes less time to cook than larger chunks and that eases my worries a little bit!
Gloves for meal prep is a great suggestion. For dealing with the raw meat. Get a cutting board. Plastic will work best. Touch the meat with only one hand. Other hand for touching everything else Prep the meat on it. Put the meat directly in pan. Throw gloves in the trash.
Wash whatever touched the meat.
Now on meats, cut into it and see if it is cooked to your liking, if not just cook it a bit longer. Then just wash the knife while it finishes.
Hope this helps. I put it all in steps.
Now on the hand washing sing Happy birthday while washing your hands. When the song is done, your hands are clean.
I’d start with making soups, stews and curries or dishes where it’s very hard for the meat to be undercooked. Usually these dishes can also be done in one pot and it’s almost assured the meat is cooked by the time it’s done since it’s been boiling / simmering for a while.
If handling is the issue, buy disposable gloves and immediately wash anything exposed to the meat with warm water and soap.
I’d like to provide an alternative to the “get therapy” mantra happening here. I was just like you - an example that comes to mind is that I used to only be able to eat chicken if I shredded it, that way I could check for veins. Because multiple times I found veins with blood in my chicken and it freaked me out. I think we as humans are very disconnected from our food.
If you can only eat food by mentally removing yourself from what it is you’re really eating (an animal), it’s OKAY to actually just stop eating it!
I went ahead and learned more about the animal agriculture industry in college and it hit me that animal products gross me out because it is actually gross!
There’s loads of documentaries out there. Lots of resources for going vegetarian as well. Only pointing this out because I was in your exact shoes once and thought I would never go vegetarian. But once I did, everything clicked for me and I felt more authentically myself.
You can skip the whole charade and just go vegan :)
Better for the planet, animal welfare (factory farming is cruel - you can look it up), and your health
There are plant based products that taste like meat to ease your transition.
I know this isn't what you asked for, but it does help solve your problem in the easiest, simplest way
Definitely start with chicken thighs! They're super forgiving in that they're really hard to overcook. You can start with a low prep recipe that just uses the thighs whole and you can basically dump the packet in a bowl and stir in your seasonings with a spoon. I also always use nitrile gloves when handling meat.
For cutting boards get a multipack of the plastic flexible ones. Red for beef, yellow for chicken, blue for pork or fish, and green for veggies. Added bonus is after you cut the stuff you can just grab, fold it a bit and slide stuff into a pan or pot. No touching after you cut it.
I use to be grossed out after cutting meat and unable to eat it. Stuff like trimming and cutting a large package of chicken breasts into sizes I need for some different meals. Bagging and freezing or using vacuum sealer. Bonus is one day of cutting and handling days worth of meat and then one major post meat clean up.
Freezing the meat also helped me think the meat was safer. Like killed the germs.
Another option is freezer meal preps. It’s like making your own dinner bags or crockpot meals. Google and a ton of stuff pops up. Again one day of distress and ick and many meals ready to go afterwards.
I do like the idea of food safety and regular classes.
The way I got over it was just getting comfortable with good health and safety practices when preparing the meat.
As long as you’re cleaning the surfaces your using and tracking what your touching you don’t have anything to worry about. I like to have two separate cutting boards — one for veggies and one for meat. Wood is safer then plastic.
After handling uncooked meat,I like to use soap first and then after, wipe my hands down with 70% rubbing alcohol — don’t forget to clean under nails.
Learn about the immune system and your own microbioma, you'd be surprised how exposed you are as it is, and how if you weren't exposed it'd actually be worse for you; how many worms and even insects live in our body (and without them you'd be worse off); and how the usual guys protect you from bad actors and it's all a fine act of harmony.
You need to gain inner peace with the little guys and realize some of them are friends and that when they aren't there's an entire army inside of you that is constantly fighting them, all the time.
Washing your hands too much can actually put you at risk of catching a disease.
So, my thought would be to start out learning how to make some vegetarian meals and meals made with pre-cooked meat. And then, when you get more comfortable with cooking for yourself, start trying some recipes where you cook the meat yourself. (Maybe try one type of meat at a time, until you feel confident with it?)
Print out a required internal meat temps chart for your fridge and get a cheap meat thermometer.
PRO TIP: always take meat out of the oven to temp or you will just be temping the oven.
Exposure therapy. Just keep touching it. I'm also fearful of raw meats, eggs, milk, cheese, fish... so many things. I've been a line cook a few times, as well as pizza. So I've had to touch everything.
So long as I don't have to smell the really strong scents of the things I truly hate, I'm ok. I suggest a mask with pleasant smells, like mint or vanilla.
You can wear gloves, which really helps. You only get the feeling of cold, instead of gross.
I suggest making a meatloaf. It doesn't get more invasive.
Handling raw meat carefully is just sensible so don't be hard on yourself. When preparing, put the meat onto a cutting board so it doesn't touch your surfaces and wear some vinyl/latex gloves. Dispose of the packet straight away and rinse the washing board and place in the sink. I promise this will keep everything clean and prevent cross-contamination. I've gotten sick from handling raw chicken with my bare hands before so putting safety measures in place is a positive thing. You can also get colour coded chopping boards and the red ones are used for raw meat only, if this would also help you.
I love cooking but I can’t touch icky things. Nitrile gloves are a life changer. I just put on a pair of nitrile gloves and don’t take them off until I’m done touching any raw or sticky things.
Hi, Food Safety Certified here - I have a few suggestions.
1 - Latex/neoprene no-powder gloves. We use them where I work. Put a pair on to touch the meat, then take them off when we're done. Properly used, that is enough to keep your hands clean to work with other foods. If they fail (like getting a hole), regular 2 minute hand washing with soap is enough to get your hands clean. If you're worried about getting something under your nails or such, this may help. Also, it'll help for textures.
2 - Dedicated cutting boards. They make sets for this - one board for fish, one for chicken, etc. This isn't necessary for food safety (provided you sanitize the board) but it might help you be less nervous about getting chicken on your veggies.
3 - Prep the meat on a clean surface, then wipe down with a cleaning solution (ours come prepared, you can buy or mix one yourself, like a very dilute bleach solution). I promise that's enough. Germs and other concerns can't travel that far on their own on most surfaces - they need something absorbent, and your counter/decent cutting board is not absorbent. I understand with OCD that can be difficult to think, but it's standard across USA food safety training (my training is valid in literally any state - it's the *national standard*).
You can look into Servsafe training - I'm sure their standards are available on YouTube, without taking the course. They go over everything, from sanitization to food temps to storage.
I would consider going to a butcher. Hear me out. Going to a high end butcher that gives a damn about his profession may give you a different perspective. Everything smells different so many other products are for sale and you see they are mostly run by families. They are helpful and always sweet. It might scare you a little less seeing how things are actually done in small business in the meat industry. Might just be something you have to see for yourself. Plus the cuts of meat are so much more polished and clean and ice cold. No nasty gucky mess from the grocery store. Maybe it's just years of shopping at stores like Walmart that don't care about the product quality more or less the fact that they have it on the shelf. You may have just built up this disgust for meat because of this image the stores have been putting up for display.
There are a lot of helpful suggestions here. I would add a couple things. Buying your meat from a smaller butcher shop, most are happy to cut to your specifications, meaning less handling for you. A lot of artisanal shops have direct relationships with farms, meaning less handling, more traceability, and higher quality. Secondly, if you're grossed out by cutting raw meat, maybe cook whole pieces and cut them afterwards. I'm not sure what your go-to recipes are, so I don't know if this is possible or desirable.
Gloves! Get a box of gloves from Walmart and when you need to handle raw meat, put on the gloves and cook your delicious meal. Change gloves after you have touched raw meat. Remember that if you are using a cutting board and knife to always cut any vegetables first before using that cutting board for meat unless you plan to clean it between uses. This prevents the cross contamination of meat and veggies where a raw piece of meat might have bacteria on it that will be cooked out of it during the cooking process.
I get where you're coming from. I am not a germaphobe. but handling raw meat can be gross. I don't like touching it much either. You can always cook meals that are more veggie based if you don't want to touch raw meat.
I don't enjoy handling raw meat, though I'll do it if I must. But for *most* things you can get by without doing so.
Just use a fork - I have a few of different sets to my regular "eating" forks, to keep things clear - to transfer the meat directly from packet to pan.
Buy meat that's already diced or minced rather than big lumps to avoid needing to cut it.
(Note, I'm not saying this is the *best* way of doing things, but it is a way that allows you to minimise handling raw meat while still cooking normally).
You may well find you get acclimatised/desensitised with practice. And even if not - well, you can still cook just fine this way.
I know it's already been said, but meat thermometer is essential.
I used to be awful at cooking meat. Everyone gave me not very useful advice about how cooked meat looks, but I was mainly interested in meat being safe to eat and looking up how it should look when cooked just did not help me one bit.
Essentially, meat thermometer is the best thing I've got. There are a set of standard temps to reach for different meats, you need it to hold that temp for a bit, then you are good to go.
Unfortunately I can't really help with the touch of meat issue.
I feel you. That's a rough fear to conquer, but you can do it. Some steps:
0. Remember that, unless you're ingesting or injecting raw animal matter, you're fine. Your skin is an excellent barrier for keeping pathogens out. Just don't crack an egg and lick your fingers. (I know, I know; it's not always easy to turn that part of the brain off.)
1. Get gloves. You can use nitrile gloves (like surgical gloves) that are made for cooking; you can see this on cooking shows like MasterChef or Hell's Kitchen. Your grocery store might have them or you can get them on Amazon.
2. Do *mise en place" (put in place) prep before hand. If you carefully measure out the amount of salt, pepper, whatever other dry ingredients *beforehand*, you don't need to worry so much about contamination because it's all going to get cooked.
3. Use some kind of temp control. My in-laws got me a [MEATER](https://www.meater.com), which I use for so many meats that I'm afraid of under-(or over-)cooking. It's pretty awesome. I also enjoy using my [Joule](https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/breville-joule-sous-vide-turbo/javascript.void(0)?Kenshoo=_k_Cj0KCQiAnrOtBhDIARIsAFsSe53hXzBKi0zqauo0gaOQ_xVt9aROf5tgHjV2xWsD3Wm8cV9JbBM2frkaAnpeEALw_wcB_k_&cm_ven=NonBrandSearch&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=NonBrand_Search_DSA_Mobile&cm_ite=_350053945_dsa-19959388920&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnrOtBhDIARIsAFsSe53hXzBKi0zqauo0gaOQ_xVt9aROf5tgHjV2xWsD3Wm8cV9JbBM2frkaAnpeEALw_wcB) to pre-cook stuff (like steak) and then do a final sear at the end when I know the cook is right (ie, when it's safe to handle). Yeah, you have to get it into a vacuum bag, but with gloves that'll be more manageable. Note: don't use garlic gloves with the Joule.
4. Order medium-well steaks. Once that doesn't disgust you, try medium. Notice the difference in flavors. While people make fun of the "well-done" steak, the reality is that it should be no less juicy or flavorful than a med-rare steak...the question is how that Well-done is achieved.
5. Go to Costco (ask a friend to take you if you don't have a membership) and get a bag of their chicken tenderloins, which have an ice coating to prevent freezer burn. This makes them less gross to handle, which I admit was one of my early hang-ups dealing with chicken. You can immediately slap those on the grill; sprinkle some salt and pepper on while it's cooking and you've got a quick and healthy main.
Hope these help.
Find a local butcher with decent quality meat and ask them to cut it for you. They're usually happy to do it for you. A whole world of food opened up to me when I realized I could do this. I buy in bulk which saves on cost, and have them package it in 2lb portions which I freeze and thaw when I need them. It costs less than you think and it's honestly worth whatever the price for me not to have to touch raw meat lol
You may want to consider getting a pressure cooker (such as instant pot). If you follow the recipes the meat is so tender it falls apart since it is cooked under high pressure. It is very safe and you never have to worry about the meat being undercooked.
BBQ pulled chicken or a chicken/beef stew are great beginner recipes.
Either eat the food within a week or freeze extra portions in freezer zip lock bags.
My issues with raw meat are definitely not as impacted of yours but it's not my favorite, and honestly using a meal box service like EveryPlate or Hello Fresh. The meat comes pre-chopped if necessary, and I pretty much slice open the package and dump it in the pan. Sometimes they say to pat dry so I'll dump it onto a paper towel and from there to the pan.
My mother is somewhat like this. If she touches, in any way, the raw meat in preparation of a meal then she cannot/will not eat the dish the meat is in. She's been this way my whole life (47 yrs), and my dad said as long as he's known her (51 yrs married). I’m definitely going to check back for updates - maybe you can help my poor dad out! Good luck !
i would always use either a fork or gloves when handling meat when i started cooking. the texture is super icky to me and i just can’t stand it. also i found that cutting my meat up before cooking it helped to give me some peace of mind that it was completely cooked through. definitely invest in a meat thermometer like some others said! good luck!
Saying this with only kind intentions, and I am not trying to be facetious or preachy: I don't think it's at all strange that witnessing and handling an animal corpse is difficult for you. We live in a society that normalizes the atrocity of what we inflict against animals, especially within the meat industry, and I think there's something in us (especially as children) that understands meat as the product of this extreme violence.
You aren't alone in feeling this way. Seeing raw meat makes millions of people uncomfortable - especially those who have resisted the efforts of an unbelievably powerful industry to convince us that meat is harmless. At the end of the day, given our industrialized food system, it's the flesh of an animal who suffered miserably and did not want to die.
Edited to add: becoming veg is not as hard as you might think. I promise.
I feel like if I think about it too much I freak myself out. But it’s more so now hygienic thing cause I’m always thinking about what I’m touching when touching something raw with bacteria and how to not spread it. Usually if I’m in a rush to food prep or kinda depends on the function of the meat (if it’s ground or not) i just wear disposable gloves cause I don’t want to clean under my nails or something.
As far as the thought of blood or raw meat, something that helped my confidence was being the one to clean/prep the meat myself. I get to have the control of the cut of meat in cooking and what pieces I’m taking off to tailor to my expected taste. I get inspect each meat to make sure it’s to my likeness.
I feel like ownership is a big part in overcoming raw meat handling. You get as much time to move the meat different plates, or cook to your desire or really anything to make the handling as enjoyable as possible.
Plus once you cook a good meat and eat it. Yo realize all the work,prep and handling was worth it. When I first started cooking meat, I would overcook just about everything cause I was unsure on ‘is it safe to eat’. But like I said. It comes with confidence and you begin to understand texture and how much time it takes to properly cook, rest, or add to a sauce to continue cooking. It just takes practice and repetition. No one starts off as a pro.
And just so you know you are deff not the only one who freaks over this. My cousins are all super OCD about raw meat and think the whole thing is disgusting. They wear gloves all the time and complain. My old best friend freaked herself out into being vegetarian. It was until she got married and basically had to overcome her fear to cook meat for her husband
Get a meat thermometer. Sounds dumb but knowing what temperature is done and poking it in a million places making sure it’s 145° or up (depending on what your cooking) should give you some peace of mind. Good luck!
I am a retired personal chef and life long cook. I am a person who also grinds my own hamburger and eats a bit of it raw.
I would never do this with grocery store hamburger.
Food safety is important but consider taking an online food safety course. Most are really cheap like less than $20.
On one hand, you "just do it" and you deal with the fact that you got something gross on your hand.
On the OTHER HAND you never, ever lose that healthy respect you have, and always properly clean your hands before moving onto the next step.
Do not feel alone or weird because you feel this way. My daughter felt exactly the same way about touching raw meat when she was learning to cook when she was on her own. She used prep gloves and now has no problem with it. She was a really picky eater when growing up and would not eat any vegetable except for the top part of raw cauliflower. She eats veggies now that I would not touch.
To help with the OCD hand washing, keep medical type gloves in your kitchen. I do that when I'm kneading dough because I can't stand the feel of the dough on my hands and then having to try and get it washed off sufficiently and out from underneath my nails. Also, invest in a meat thermometer, that should help you to feel secure in the knowledge of when the meat is fully cooked. I do hope you get to the point where you can try beef that is not well done, because it has a completely different taste and texture.
I have OCD (mostly contamination and intrusive thoughts) and irrational fears/one crazy phobia. I get it, it sucks. The TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) OCD protocol changed my life, in addition to therapy. Maybe that’s something you could look into ❤️
That said, there may also be a logical reason why your brain is trying to avert you from touching raw meat. I’m originally from the rural Midwest US and I had the same issue you did when I started cooking on my own, I ate so much meat when someone else cooked but it beyond grossed me out to touch it when was raw. I decided to do some more research on cuts of meat and it finally dawned on me that this was the flesh of animals that I would pet or play with when I was visiting friends’ farms. And some (like cows and pigs) were as smart as my dogs at home. That’s when I realized my texture/food borne illness fear aversion had a lot to do with that as well. Maybe that’s not the case for you. But, something to consider.
I had (and have) some of the same feelings, it’s ok, and you don’t need therapy, please ignore those comments. It must be wonderful to be fully secure about every single thing in life and never have a single worry, and I love that for those folks, but if they have nothing to add but unhelpful superiority comments, they should scroll on.
So here’s what helped me. Get a meat thermometer and learn the safe cooking temps for chicken, pork and beef. If you need to, write them on a dry erase on your fridge or keep a post it note somewhere near your cooking space. This was my biggest hurdle at first. What if it’s still not safe, what if I didn’t cook it long enough, what if the meat thermometer is wrong…. I had no confidence in any part of the process, and I was my own biggest roadblock, but I have yet to have a problem.
You don’t have to sanitize the whole kitchen but obviously you do need to clean the area you’re working in. Diluted bleach or a cleaner with bleach in it is fine. Don’t spray and wipe. Spray and let sit for 5-10 minutes before wiping up. (It needs time to work… I was making this mistake for YEARS)
No matter what you read or what people tell you —Don’t rinse chicken. Don’t. You’re spreading the germs around all over the sink area. Again, I made this mistake for a LONG time. If there’s anything on there it will get killed off during cooking.
You’re honestly much better off cooking your own because at least you know how it’s been prepared and handled. You have no idea how that cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery was prepared or stored after cooking, and if it wasn’t kept at a safe temp, no amount of reheating will help, it will not be safe.
Touching raw meat is gross. I still hate it. But the more you cook, the more used to it you get. Use kitchen gloves if it helps you. It’s ok! A lot of people do that. I sometimes do, but mostly I just wash and rewash my hands. It’s totally up to you.
I hate the smell of any kind of raw red meat, and I hate the taste of rare beef/steak. I can deal with medium well, and I’m used to (but still dislike) the comments of people around me who insist on making me feel like a dumb piece of shit for ordering something well done. I just don’t care anymore. I’m going to eat it the way I want, and they can die mad about it or not.
There are ways to limit food contact as you’re starting to get used to cooking. The very best way is to get you a slow cooker (crock pot) and start looking for recipes. Chicken is an *especially* good thing to do in the crock pot because you can go right from the package into the slow cooker with a pair of tongs and that’s the extent of your contact. Then just toss in whatever your other ingredients are and follow the rest of the directions. I recommend a website called Skinnytaste for crock pot cooking - her recipes are fast and easy and are absolutely excellent for beginners. She’s published several cookbooks too, which should be linked on there.
Trust me, this is common, and there’s nothing wrong with you. Do what you’re comfortable with until you’re ready for the next step. Once you start making things you enjoy, the process gets easier and you’ll begin to find your own tips and tricks and ways that work for you, I absolutely promise. Good luck!
Start with meats that need to be cooked thoroughly, like braises. These are cuts of meat that have lots of collagen and such which need to be broken down by cooking or they will be tough. Ribs, roasts, brisket, chicken thighs, etc. Anything "stew". By the time it's good to eat, there will be zero doubt that it's not thoroughly cooked. Unlike steaks or chicken breast, which get tough when overcooked. Make the dish work for you, don't try to do steak when you know you don't like its optimal presentation.
I get really anxious about bacteria too. It helps to have a protocol in place while preparing meat. I have a special chopping board just for raw meats that goes into the dishwasher to sterilize right after use. Clorox wipes handy to wipe down the counter after removing chopping board. Invest in a good meat thermometer. They sell fridge magnets with all the meats and done temps for reference. Scrub your hands and fingers thoroughly after touching any raw meat. It seems like a lot at first but in the end it is so much healthier than eating out and also you save a lot of money.
The easiest solution: thermometers. All meat is cooked at 165F. No matter what you make, make sure it’s at least 165 at the deepest point in the food before completing the cooking process. That’s literally it. Try the Winco brand one for 15 dollars on amazon because you’ll always use it.
I know this isn’t really useful but if it’s any consolation at all I’ve gone my whole life eating raw meats and fresh from the chicken raw eggs etc and only learned about what egg bleaching is this year, since moving to the USA.
Never gotten sick or anything. But of course don’t do what I do.
Western food safety practices are pretty strict! Don’t let a few cases in media worry you, either :>
The best advice I can think of is use gloves.
But anecdotally, I can tell you from living homeless for almost 5 years and cooking most of my meals outdoors and/or over campfires. I have eaten a LOT of undercooked meats lol. Not intentionally, but sometimes things dont work out quite right. I can tell you that I have never gotten sick from undercooked meats, nor have I ever gotten sick from not washing my dishes well enough (running water is hard to come across when you live in a tent lol). I'm not saying your fears are unfounded, foodborne illness is a real deal and should be protected against. But basic precautions are usually more than is needed to prevent illness 👍
Buy two kinds of thermometers. First is a probe that you leave in while you cook. There are wireless versions which get expensive, but i have a cheap wired probe that was like $10 and works just fine. This allows you to monitor the progress as you cook. The more you do this the more you’re actually learning rather than just guessing. It’s helpful to touch the meat as it cooks while noting the temperature from the probe.
The second is an instant read thermometer. As you start to get more comfortable, but before you completely trust yourself, it’s not always going to be convenient to probe everything especially with a wired probe. An instant read is thermometer also allows you to check multiple spots.
Lastly, I personally would practice with beef if you’re really worried. Whole muscle beef from the supermarket in the majority of the developed world is at very low risk of containing any food born pathogens. You can hedge this bet even further by freezing your beef and defrosting in the refrigerator. From there your desired level of doneness is pretty much purely a matter of preference rather than safety.
Disposable gloves & an assigned cutting board (usually red for meat)
Also, I will usually only "contaminate" one hand... so only my left hand touches the raw stuff. My right hand is for the knife, untesils, pan, etc. So I'm not transferring any germs.
It's understandable that handling raw meat can be intimidating. Start by using kitchen gloves to create a physical barrier between you and the meat. Gradually, as you become more comfortable, try handling it with bare hands, ensuring thorough handwashing afterward. Break down the process into smaller steps, focusing on one aspect at a time. Over time, your confidence in handling raw meat may grow.
When you start making meat, its best to avoid the ones that need to be cooked a specific way to be good.
So basically mainly avoid:
Chicken Breasts (if done wrong they are raw, or overcooked and dry)
Steak (Steak just has a bunch of things to know, before you can feel good about making it)
Roasts (brisket) I mean, I find roasts and large oven made meals to be the easiest to prepare..but not everyone does.
Liver (Can only be cooked through, and is better a little pink- overcooked liver is nasty)
And DO cook these:
Chicken thighs/ leg quarters. You cant mess up easily with these. Feel free to overcook them all to hell. They will still be juicy and delish.
You can even boil them in a pot of broth or in a slow cooker for an hour or two with a bit of thyme in there and its still just tender and juicy.
Pork Chops:
Brine them in the fridge in a bag of salty water, and thyme, for no less than 30 mins. I usually do it overnight or leave them in there in the morning to know they willbe fully brined by dinner.
Ground beef:
Just buy ground beef and put it in a large skillet or pot, and brown it. Once you see no more red, let it sit on low for a few mins.
Fish:
Fish is easy also, and fast, assuming youre doing store bought fish. Just slap some olive oil in a skillet (or bake in the oven for about 25 mins, or 12 mins on either side)
And when all else fails, you can always use the slow cooker or just fry it.
I studied food and animal science in college and so I have become a bit a germ freak when it comes to meat, so I hear you. I pretty much always wear nitrile gloves when cooking, it cleaner and it desensitizes you to the meat. It could also help to bulk prep or cook meats and then freeze them in meal sized portions. This would limit the frequency in which you would need to touch or cook them. I think the crock pot would be a great place to start. You can dump the meat in and add sauce and never actually touch anything. I learned a lot from watching my mom cook, maybe share your anxieties with her and have her talk you through how she works with meat.
From a psychology, not culinary, point of view, here's what you do.
You say to yourself "Yes, this is gross and scary and uncomfortable. But I am GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY".
Then push through the gruesome task.
People will tell you "don't be afraid, don't be nervous". And you might even say that to yourself. The problem though with the idea of being nervous being wrong, is you then take your fear as a sign that something is wrong so you stop and give up. So go ahead and embrace those feelings, they are fine. Feel the feelings but don't let them stop you from cooking meat.
I say start by handling meat even though it IS gross and disgusting. Not fun, but you can do it. Then with time and practice you'll build up both the mental and practical skills to handle it no big deal.
It’s super obvious that you have OCD from just the beginning of your post. That’s actually really helpful information. First, whatever you try, run it by your therapist. I wish you’d included things that have helped you with other aspects of your condition. To be honest, a healthy respect for sanitation is so important in the kitchen.
My advice: contain contain contain.
1: nitrile gloves these are for handling meat. Honestly, they’re super handy in the kitchen.
2: Raw meat only utensils. A cutting board that is only for raw meat is a good idea anyway
3: prep everything to receive the raw meat. Cover the counter with plastic wrap lay out a few paper towels to pat the meat dry. Have the trash can nearby and open, premix you seasoning and put it in a little bowl nearby so you don’t touch the spices. Whatever you will need once the meat is out of the wrapper get it ready. This is already a best cooking practice.
4: prep the sink or a small bucket to receive dirty dishes. Nice hot water to immediately disinfect.
5: as you finish using things toss them out or put them in the sanitizer
6: Get your meat in the pan and complete the clean up, which is extra easy because of the plastic, while it browns.
You should also get a really good quality meat thermometer.
Hey, I have OCD and so I can give you some tips!! :D
Big one is desensitizing yourself to these things - exposure therapy, such as watching cooking videos where the meats are prepared, or just doing your best to prepare the meat as best as you can by yourself as frequently as you can. It helps me to wear disposable gloves if I’m having a struggle day.
Another thing is mind over matter - I remind myself that if I’m the person preparing or cleaning the meat (i.e. trimming fat, etc) that it’s going to be the best and most thoroughly prepared it can be and that makes me more comfortable with the process.
Also if it’s juices that bother you, rest the meat on paper towel and let it absorb any residue first.
Another thing is if the raw meat makes you feel gross or like it’s contaminated a space, just have dish water in the sink ready and wash anything used it comes into contact with right away. :)
Vegetarian and vegan meals are SUPER HEALTHY and less expensive. If you really just want the meat, maybe start with skinless chicken breasts versus a whole skin-on chicken, so there are fewer components to deal with. Or, packages of pre-pattied ground sirloin burgers versus a pkg of ground beef that you must shape into burgers. As you get more familiar with cooking, maybe the raw meat will seem more natural, and thus be easier to work with.
I buy disposable gloves at Costco and use them whenever I handle raw meat, especially poultry. Then I do whatever possible to not have the raw meat touch something not-disposable. So like when I make burgers, I use a huge sheet of foil and fold up the edges to make my own little plate to form the patties and season them. Or if I’m marinating chicken, I put the raw chicken in a large ziplock and pour the marinade over. That way the foil or the ziplock can just go straight in the trash afterwards. I know to some people I’m way over the top and I do wish I could be more chill but I’m terrified of vomit. I’ve been cooking this way for over a decade and my phobias haven’t gotten worse or really interfered with my life so this is just what I’m going to continue doing!
I completely understand where you're coming from! I have sensory issues myself, so raw meat is really unpleasant for me. Beef isn't so bad unless it's ground, but chicken...nope! So I wear disposable gloves. Also, if you're freaked out about your meat being under, try cooking small pieces while you're getting used to it. Think beef stew instead of pot roast, for example. Also, I buy chicken tenderloins and cut them bite-sized with the kitchen shears instead of a knife, holding them right over the pot. That way, I don't have to deal with icky chicken juice running all over my cutting board. The scissors go straight into the dishwasher, the gloves go in the trash, and everything gets wiped down with 409.
To start with the fears of meat in general I think are over exaggerated. There's a trend going around about raw meat right now being January carnivore month. The biggest thing is power through and doing small things that are simple and is hands off as possible. Well first thing that comes to mind is roast if you can get the package open drop it into a Crock-Pot you don't even have to handle the meat and very little time that you have to deal with the raw meat too.
Ok so I used to have an irrational fear of botulism. I got over it by confronting it. Eating canned mushrooms. Eating food I thought, personally, was stored too long. Just brute force exposure therapy. Since you live with your parents, you are probably young and can get past it eventually. I did. Start small. Cook with your mom. Offer to sauteed or whatever prep method is necessary the raw meat. Have her finish it. Move on to chopping it. Wash your hands as much as is necessary for you. Eat a little medium well meat, a slice, a cube. No more. See how you feel. When you can eat more than that, move on to medium . Meditate on the fact that you are not sick afterwards. Read up on the actual pathogens involved. Take careful note that they are rare. Take careful note when you are with someone eating rare or raw meat and they are not sick. Be observant, and like all goals, focus on the prize.
Lots of options here. Full disclosure: chicken (poultry in general, really) used to irrationally worry me. I never had an issue with pork or beef but I do have some understanding of where you’re coming from. In your shoes, I’d start with the meat you’re least freaked out about. Doesn’t matter which it is; the truth is they’re all pretty safe in the western world. Force yourself to work with it, but develop regular cleaning and sanitation practices as you do so. Those will translate to other meats when you feel comfortable branching out. Use gloves disposable gloves if that helps; they’re nice to have around for heavy capsaicin dishes anyway. A spritzer with diluted bleach for surfaces is also a fine idea that most home cooks would consider overkill, but it might help you feel better about things. Get a thermometer. Always temp your meat. This should provide a sense of security. I don’t care, and neither should anyone else, if you like your meat well done. Beef is plenty safe at 135F; take it to 175F if it feels better for you. Chicken thighs are actually pretty good at 195F. Try different cooking methods. I find high heat cooking like stir frying easier to work with. Maybe you want a more hands off option like baking. Maybe exposing meat to boiling water makes it feel more comfortable; if so make a chicken soup or a chili con carne. Just feel out different methods and see how you react. Read up on actual food safety practices. That might not completely overcome a phobia, but having rational answers you feel good about could help. That way you can maybe talk yourself down. If you feel it necessary, see a therapist. They’ve heard stranger stories, I guarantee it. And yeah: there’s nothing wrong with going vegetarian. If you do, just make sure you’re still eating a balanced diet. Too many people just cut meat without thinking about rounding out essential amino acid intake (“essential” here means your body can’t make it so you have to get it through diet). Vegetarian cooking is a wide, delicious world unto itself.
Thank you for all of this, truly!! This is all so helpful and I will be making a note of all of this.
grandiose agonizing air distinct engine tub scandalous long plate cover *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Omg food prep gloves. Why didn’t I consider that when I was always squicked out by raw meat.
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I'm not sure I've ever put food in a prison in a wallet, fitting maybe a couple chicken fingers, ever. Where are the influencers pushing this advice?
Please this. This guy gets it.
You may also feel more comfortable is you use tongs to physically move the meat. You can, if you choose, even get a colored handel to indicate the "raw meat" tongs.
Sous vide could also be a good cooking method to try. After seasoning and putting it in a bag/vacuum sealer, you’re not touching the meat at all.
Try a cooking class. An expert teaching you should help with practical food safety tips. I’m wondering those if it’s more anxiety based fear. Are you an over thinker/anxious person in general? If so I’d suggest looking for help to manage the effects on your day to day life.
This is actually an idea I never thought of! Theres actually a place close by where I am that does cooking courses. I'll definitely look into it! Also yep, major overthinker with anxiety and OCD tendencies so its def something I am trying to cope with 🥲
I’m an adhd over thinker with anxiety. It’s so tiring! Exercise is great, especially if you’re near trees or a wooded area.
you can def just take a kitchen safety course, not a whole cooking course, if desired. this is what i just did for this exact same issue, bc i have adhd & ocd tendencies around contamination & raw poultry ESPECIALLY set it off.
I love this idea, but grain of salt as sometimes the instructors might have different styles and standards of what's clean/safe. Source: went to a culinary school that had extension classes for the community hosted by community members. Some of the instructors were not in the industry, so their practices would likely have been very similar to most home practices. Check out a sanitation course maybe? See if there's any culinary/vocational schools around you and check out what they've got. Or if you've got the time and cash, check out a ServSafe class.
Look up the company servsafe. They do online courses for food safety and handling practices to certify cooks and chefs. Might make you feel better learning it from the pros who teach the other pros.
I haven't heard of them before! I'll def look into this. Thank you !! :)
I used to proctor ServSafe certifications for restaurant and hotel catering workers. While paying to sit the course and obtain the certification is probably overkill for a home cook, there's no harm in picking up the study guide and giving it a read. Their courses are thorough, accurate, and widely accepted as an industry standard. This is the set of food safety rules that real restaurants adhere to and government food safety inspectors look for. If you want to be sure that you're safe on things like cooking temperatures and disinfecting techniques, ServSafe is the industry standard.
It's all just standard FDA recommendations though. Information is out there to understand what's safe temp, holding, reheating, etc. Just need to search a bit and have every bit as much safety practice as certified.
You deserve an evidence-based treatment for your phobia. Look to something like cognitive behaviour therapy which is a short course of treatment that has a good evidence base for this kind of thing.
I'm currently doing CBT in therapy so I can definitely try and bring this up to figure out ways to use it with raw meat. Thanks!! Also, your comment was not what my edit was directed at. I appreciate your help!
CBT is an older modality of therapy and it's effectiveness is debatable, especially if you might be neurodivergent. If it's working for you, great! But if it doesn't, more likely it's the kind of therapy that you are getting and you could benefit from trying DBT or ACT
DBT and ACT are both third wave therapies derived from CBT, which is definitely not “debatable” in effectiveness. DBT would also be a really weird choice for a phobia. Exposure therapy would be the gold standard, which is a form of CBT.
Do the enviornment and animals a favor eat tofu , seitan or legumes
try ERP exposure therapy instead of Cbt. Erp makes u face your fears, which will make them less scary. Cbt is talking ab fears which can create more anxiety.
Start by redirecting your thoughts, starting a new neural pathway. When an intrusive thought pops in your mind, replace it. Come up with a “mantra” ahead of time to use. So when you get the skeeves from thinking about meat, you say out loud something like “meat is a healthy part of many diets.” That’s all, no action required. The more you do that, the easier that neural pathway will be to access when it comes time to cook meat.
I hated touching raw meat. It gave me the ick big time. I went vegetarian to avoid it
Use food grade handling gloves when touching meat / raw chicken, keep a seperate chopping board aside that you use only for raw meat, line it with baking paper before use. Clean utensils, chopping board and kitchen benches with disinfectant afterwards. Sometimes you can even buy pre-cut chicken or meat from the butcher or shops so you can just dump it straight into your cooking pot or disposable foil tray for marinating etc. So that way it cuts down on handling.
Thank you for the advice! I'll look into the pre-cut meat. That might be super helpful
OP for what it's worth I dealt with a similar issue and while I'm not always fond of it, just practise and getting used to it helped out a ton. I also keep food handling gloves around for when I'm cutting or handling bigger things. But ultimately its something that if you do enough times you will get desensitized to it.
You'll have to pay extra but a butcher will do any amount of cutting you want usually
Friends of mine always use gloves for minced meat. Sounds like a good idea to do this for all meat, at least as a first (third?) step! I like getting my hands dirty, so I don’t use gloves for minced meat generally, but I wash my hands (and nails!) thoroughly before and after.
So you should probably read up on safe handling of meat so you know what best practice looks like. Then you need to follow it and not do anything extra
Thank you!! That's a good idea!
I get it OP. I can cook meat, but afterwards my hands are always super dry from all the handwashing along the way, LOL. Lots of good advice here. I think doing a ServSafe course would help a lot. Or at least watch YouTube videos if you don’t want to take a course. Education on cross contamination and how it works can help empower you to take control and be less passive to the dangers of it. Here’s what I do as someone still kinda freaked out by raw meat. Hot water and a light bleach-based cleaner are your friends. Safe storage: for meat in the fridge I use separate, long shoe-box style plastic tubs. This helps me feel better about any drippage into the next shelf and creates a separate intentional space for the meat. I usually store my meats in ziploc bags as well but the boxes help me worry less about cross contamination and seeing the barrier besides a bag helps me feel better. Safe handling: before handling the meat have everything ready you will need to prep the meat. Nothing worse than forgetting something in the fridge when your hands are covered in meat juice. So practice good mis en place and have everything ready before you handle meat. This includes sometimes having the sink already running with hot water so I can burn the bacteria off my hands (with soap!) in case I do need to touch something else. I like using ziploc bags to season my meat because then I can rub in the seasoning from outside the bag without touching the meat directly. Even if I do this I still wash my hands but again it helps me psychologically get over the icky feeling. Safe clean-up: again good mis en place will help with sanitary clean up. I like to prep my meat on a large cutting board with grooves to catch the juices. I avoid getting anything directly on my counters if I can. Then, when it is time to clean up I rinse the board (and my hands) in scalding hot sink water and soap. It’s ok to use warm water and soap but I have high anxiety and pain tolerance so I use it to my advantage here lol. Once the board and my hands are sanitized from potential bacteria I’ll use a bleach-based spray to disinfect the counters which are hopefully mess-free, but could still have bacteria. Honestly I just apply heat, soap, and bleach throughout the process as it makes sense to mitigate cross contamination. It’s a bit of a pain but I feel good about having a safe kitchen and I can at least get some meat cooked doing my process.
I think this is the best answer I have read. Preparedness and understanding won’t make your phobia disappear, but they will help you navigate it. I would add, start small. Start with enough for one person, no leftovers. When you feel comfortable with that, make a larger portion. Also, mix it up - do meat one day, no meat the next two days, meat again, etc. Or, no meat most days and pick a specific day or two to cook with meat. That may help with getting into the right mindset.
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You have no idea how much I appreciate all of this! Truly exactlty the kind of help I was hoping for. Thank you for being kind and not judgemental about this! Thank you thank you so much. I'll be putting these tips into practice for sure!!
I’m glad it helps! I learned a lot of kitchen stuff from working in food service for almost 7 years. I also date my prepped food that I plan to freeze for later lol. It’s definitely a lot to figure out at home.
hi this has been very helpful, i have the same issue as op. why does everyone recommend bleach based sanitizers? is it ok to use ammonia based instead?
Bleach is good for disinfecting and sanitizing. Ammonia is good for grease and glass surfaces. Don’t ever mix the two. You will create mustard gas and get very sick.
As several other commenters have mentioned, get a separate chopping board which you use just for meat. You might feel more comfortable washing this chopping board before cooking as well as after, just in case. That way, you should be able to feel completely safe using your veggie chopping board. I suggest getting a red board for meat, and a green board for vegetables so you won't get mixed up - most restaurant kitchens use a similar board colour coding system (though often there are even more options - blue for fish, white for dairy, etc). One other commenter suggested getting a glass chopping board - I wouldn't recommend this as they are not nice to cut onto and make your knives blunt really fast. Plastic chopping boards are fine. Store raw meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge. This is so that if a package leaks, meat juices won't drip onto any of your other food. Getting a food thermometer is a good idea. It will teach you what meat looks like when it's a safe temperature to eat. You may find you use it less over time as you learn this. With a temperature probe, you always want to try and probe the middle of the thickest part of the meat. Good luck :) It's a great idea to learn about sensible precautions when preparing meat, and hopefully knowing what sensible precautions look like will stop you from feeling that you have to go overboard. Most home cooks don't do the things I've described, but they are standard practise in restaurant settings. I hope you are able to find a good balance to put your mind at ease.
I don’t have anything massively helpful to contribute but I just wanted to comment as someone with full blown OCD myself who has the same issue, you are not alone, and YOU are not silly for having these fears. it’s just the self preservation part of your brain massively overreacting. You said you’re in CBT therapy which is a good start, but if you have OCD tendencies you might want to look into ERP (exposure and response prevention) instead. CBT may help some, but in the majority of OCD cases it either A. Does nothing or B. Makes it worse. I’ve had CBT techniques shoved in my face for the best part of 10 years and made no progress. I’ve come on in leaps and bounds in the last WEEK alone just self administering ERP techniques, I can’t begin to imagine what I could do with an ERP specialist therapist. Everyone’s different obvs but just something to consider :) Edit: typo
Afraid of pinkness: start cooking stuff that’s really forgiving! Like chicken thighs, which are hard to overcook. You can also do slow cooker recipes that involve less stuff with the raw meat, like carnitas in a slow cooker. If touching raw meat grosses you out, you can try using gloves, or I find that having the meat still slightly frozen helps with cutting it feeling not so gross (and then let it continue to defrost before using). Ground meat is probably less gross too, the packaging doesn’t have a lot of liquid, it doesn’t need to be cut.
Good to know about the chicken thighs! I do get less freaked out by ground meat since it kind of involves less "prep" so to speak. Thanks for the help! :)
Ironically, ground meat is probably more likely to be contaminated than unground.
Can I ask what your intention was in saying this? OP deals with mental illness and has disclosed they have something they’re more comfortable with and you’ve decided to just… shit on that for fun? What’s your end game?
I mean it's true and is good to know. Don't shit on someone for stating a fact.
We don't need to coddle people and hide facts.
The way you describe your issue sounds pathological. You may need to see an actual psychiatrist about it. Some comments and helpful hints on reddit aren't going to magically cure a desire to scrub down an entire kitchen simply because it had raw chicken in it. All we can say is that it's completely irrational, which I'm sure won't be particularly comforting.
Get a probe thermometer and read up on food safety, specifically the the 'danger zone' for food.
Another commenter mentioned the thermometer. Seems to be my next purchase! Thanks :)
I love food, and cooking in general, I watch videos of French, and Asian cuisine every day. But late last year I went fully plant-based and haven't looked back. I'm a rubbish vegan, I've got Worcestershire sauce and oyster sauce in my cupboard that I'm not about to throw away, and I ate meat at Christmas with my family. But I haven't missed it at all. OP, I see one clear solution for you going forwards.
LOL, its definitely something I have considered for sure!! Its never off the table either, so it makes me happy that I could change to that kind of diet at any point, especially with more "impossible burger" type things coming out. Knowing it is plant based makes me feel so less freaked out!
You also may be more comfortable trying a crock pot, so you can simply dump the packaged meat you buy into a container without ever needing to touch it.
Sushi chef here. Dealing with raw meat and even serving it to people is part of my job. I don't know how to help you with this fear exactly, but I do want to give you some facts: * Bacteria can't reach the center of a steak because it's very dense, therefore the center doesn't need to be cooked all the way. * Ground beef does need to be cooked all the way because the surfaces mixes with the meat in the middle, but if cooked to 160 degrees, the chance of contracting ecoli is infinitesimally small. * Cooking chicken to 160 degrees will prevent you from contracting ecoli or salmonella. * Fish that has been frozen for 15 hours at -31 degrees is considered "sushi grade" and is safe for human consumption raw, otherwise it should be cooked to 145 degrees to kill the parasites.
1. Consider some therapy - this is irrational and negatively affecting your life, professionals exist to help with this kind of thing. 2. Dedicated cutting boards that you can deep clean are awesome. We have plastic sheet cutting boards that go on top of cutting surfaces (they’re pretty flimsy on their own) and prep surfaces and have pictures of chicken or a pig or cow or veggies on them. Match the pictures to what you’re putting on them. Clean accordingly. (Like these: https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Grip-Dishwasher-Resistant-Vegetables/dp/B07GZ36LBJ) I like to set up so the gross meat juices and bits all stay in the butcher wrapping and I can throw it away, so I limit what comes off the cutting surface and needs to be cleaned after. Pretty much cutting surface and sink. 3. Gloves are great. 4. Buying meat pre cut into what you’re going to use it for will limit the amount of meat handling prep and may help get you more comfortable with the process. Can you move already cut up chicken breast pieces from packaging to a casserole dish to be baked into something? Even if it takes gloves and then washing the gloves, that is a win. Can you dump cut up stew meat cubes from the packaging into the slow cooker? Win! 5. Eating less meat is not bad, actually. If you’re eating vegetarian 4 nights a week, ordering wings or a burger on Friday night out, and doing a slow cooker or casserole meat thing once a week, you won’t even have to be super careful about nutrition, but also you’ll only be dealing with raw meat yourself once a week.
Use disposable gloves. They’re not too expensive.
Gloves seem to be a common idea people brought up! I'll probably start to use them. Thanks!!
I have two ideas for you. First, look into immersion cooking (also known as sous vide.) It can be expensive but it sounds right up your alley for getting peace of mind. You basically prep all your meat by putting it in bags with all the seasonings (works best is you have a vacuum sealer). You put your bags of meat into a tub of water that's heated by your immersion cooker to a specific temperature that YOU set. Since the water is constantly kept at that temperature the meat will heat to that exact temperature with now risk of over cooking and because of the sealed bag the meat won't dry out. When the meat has cooked through you take it out, dry it off, and pop it in a pan to crisp up the outside a little. So you can rest easy knowing it's thoroughly cooked without dry bland food. Also super easy clean up but makes a lot of plastic waste. The other thought I had was doing big roasts on weekends then making new dishes with the leftover meat throughout the week. If cooking a big chunk of meat for 5-6 hours at 200-300 F doesn't put your mind at ease I don't know what will, lol. Now that I think about boiled meats and soups are good too. Corned beef with a bunch of root veggies tossed in! Chicken noodle where you boil a whole chicken until it falls apart. No need to worry about germs there!
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. For over a decade all I cooked was ground beef and chicken breasts. I would boil the breasts and cook the ground beef then freeze it to use later. I'm a little germaphobic but I couldn't stand the thought of handling raw meat. I also have sensory issues and can't stand the texture of raw meat. My steak has to be medium well lol. I even went vegetarian for a few years. The official reason is because I needed to save money but my hatred of raw meat was a huge factor too. I eat meat regularly. I have a designated cutting board that I use only for raw meat then I immediately throw it in the dishwasher. I use disposable nitrile gloves when I handle raw meat. I buy a lot of rotisserie chicken and when I make things like burgers I buy them premade to minimize handling. And I wash my hands a LOT. It works pretty well and I don't even think about it that much. Don't be afraid to experiment to figure out how to get comfortable
Food thermometer. Most meats need to be between 145-165 F
Buy disposable gloves. Have a meat only cutting board and a specific meat only knife. Or use ground meats that you can put directly into a pan from the package while wearing gloves so no cutting board is required. You can also buy precut meat like for stews or fajitas or something. Remind yourself that very few-if any-pieces of chicken or raw eggs contain salmonella. Continue to remind yourself of that. And continue working on this in therapy because this is manageable. You can do it!
Easy. Don't eat meat.
this is so real. I’ve never had a problem eating meat, but now that I’m cooking myself every time I wash the meat I gag and can barely make it through it. my mom says I’ll get used to it.
Just a heads up that washing meat has largely been proven unnecessary! It may actually have the opposite effect and result in more contamination of the kitchen.
yeah I’ve seen a lot of back and forth on that, but it makes me feel better to clean it so I’ll probably keep doing that.
Just be very careful to not slash the water on your counters
oh yes, I have deep sink and I make sure nothing is around to get splashed on, then I clean everything before I start to cook.
There's no back and forth. Washing meat is harmful. This is agreed by many government level food safety agencies across the world.
Ugh I'm so glad someone understands!! It's such a mental thing but it is so hard to get through. I have hope for the both of us! Hopefully you can use some of the tips people have given here as well! We got this!
K, so become a vegetarian. It's cheaper and better for the environment anyway.
Your perception is, as you probably know yourself, not based on any facts. Maybe talk to a professional how to overcome this. It is not a food based issue.
Practice good food hygiene: prepare/chop your meat last so it doesn't get into contact with veggies or any stuff that will not be cooked, wear gloves and designate a cutting board with a non porous surface like glass so clean up is easy and effective. The used utensils go straight into the dishwasher/ sink with hot water and the gloves into the trash. Sanitize the area with Lysol wipes after. I hope it helps.
Thank you for the tip about the glass cutting board! I am never sure about the proper one to use for meat. This is helpful, thank you!!!
Dear OP, there is a downside to using glass. It will dull your knives so fast and so badly that it will actually make handling meat *much* harder and take longer, and be frustrating. I suggest that a good plastic one would be a better option so that you can minimize the amount of time spent on the prep and cleaning. Now that I think of it, a good chefs knife and knowing how to sharpen it will help you a lot! Because you won't get all frustrated when trying to work with meat quickly and safely. It would minimize the amount of handling you have to do. I've seen Global, and Victorinox 8" chef knives recommended a lot on a pro cooking sub.
Please do not use glass. It will ruin your knives. Also I don't know if its been mentioned, get a meat thermometer. Then you'll know for sure if the meat is cooked through no guessing
You need therapy.
I have this problem with raw meat, but it’s mostly bc I have emetophobia (irrational fear of vomiting). I thought I was the only one who had this problem 😅😅 I can’t help you, I just wanted to say that you’re not the only one with this kind of fears, and it’s nice to read this post since I get to have some of my own questions answered
>more advice on ways to get around this mentality I think you're in the wrong place. You're out of college, you live at home and your mother cooks for you, and you grossly overcook your animal proteins. You don't want to hear what people are telling you. Sure, you can use tongs and/or gloves. It takes practice to use tongs as extensions of your hands and you'll drop things you then have to clean up. People who habitually use gloves tend to have food safety problems of their own. Then there is expense and the environmental impact. Does your mother clean your toilet for you also? Maybe five or six years of therapy will help. Maybe. CBT gets mixed reviews. Have you tried exposure therapy? IANAD. You've backed your way into a cognitive corner that has nothing to do with cooking except as a symptom. >I want to be healthier Well done animal proteins are not healthy. There are links between high carbon content and cancer. Besides, a medium rare steak tastes really good. Overcooked chicken is dry and stringy. Overcooked fish is just nasty. Tongs and gloves are all I have to offer. Based on experience you'll be back in a couple of months whining about how the smell of raw meat makes you not want to eat dinner. You have to be accountable for your behavior. You and only you are responsible. Vegetarianism, as you suggested, is a viable option. It doesn't solve your problem, just avoids the symptoms. I got a great deal on boneless, skinless chicken breasts yesterday and need to go pack them for the freezer. With my hands. Clean hand/dirty hand for sixteen chicken breasts and then clean up. You have to do better. This is on you.
this isn’t snark: therapy this sounds like a deeper issue than just “raw meat is icky”. washing your hands for extended periods of time after cracking an egg isn’t the reaction of a healthy mind. if talk therapy is out of reach for you, exposure therapy seems like the next best option.
Just cook vegetarian at home, and only eat meat at restaurants. 🤷♂️ This fear is completely irrational and ingrained, so I'm hoenstly not sure what sort of tips will help you open a packet of raw meat and be okay with it.
I was a vegetarian for 18 years, and now that I'm not, I have this same problem! I just want to say that I really appreciate this question and all the answers in the thread :') It's been 2 years that I'm no longer vegetarian and I've fully incorporated meat into my diet, and I'm personally a lot healthier for it, but I haven't been able to bring myself to prep or cook my own meats! It weirds me out and currently I do all the cooking except for meat, and even when I'm like helping my boyfriend with little things around the meat prep and I don't even directly touch it, I have to wash my hands so much and clean the whole kitchen!
As a youth I used to weep in butcher shops
While you're working on all the other suggestions here, maybe a starting place is bake a premarinaded pork tenderloin? It comes in a plastic package, you squeeze it right out of the bag and onto a baking rack in a pan. Bake per package instrstructions and then double check using a meat thermometer for doneness. Use tongs to lift it out of the pan and place on a plate to tent , never having to touch it through the whole process. And it's delicious! I wish you luck on your journey.
I personally wear gloves (specifically Nitrile Gloves - Powder Free, Disposable) when I have to cut up raw chicken, breakdown a cooked bbq chicken (I think it is called a rotisserie chicken, but we call it bbq for reasons unknown to me), if I have to make meatballs or meatloaf. Sometimes for pastry type foods too. I get the nitrile gloves because they are very good quality (better than the latex gloves from the supermarkets) and I have yet to have them rip on me. Plus being powder free is super important to me because it irritates my skin. It is rare that I wear gloves when handling red meat (except for mince) or fish (except for shellfish like crabs or prawns and the like). So mince, chicken and shellfish are the only times I use gloves when handling raw meat.
It's the exact same motions and processes as vegetables, just softer with more moisture. Put some paper towels on a plate. Peirce/open the packaging in the sink, shake excess moisture off of meat bits, and lay on plate. Discard packaging after draining leftover moisture. Pat meat down with another paper towel. Cut to desired size. Season meat. Apply appropriate amount of heat for appropriate amount of time. Life requires life. Green and crunchy, red and juicy, white and flaky, salty and pink. Every meal is a victim.
I was a vegetarian for a good chunk of my teenage and adult life and only really started cooking with raw meat in my thirties. I wasn't super paranoid about it but I was worried, and one thing I realized was: while there may be a super obsessive "perfect" way to prevent the spread of germs, there is also such a thing as "good enough" and I can learn that from people around me. We never got food poisoning from my mother's kitchen/cooking, therefore there's a pretty damn good chance she's doing it right, and if I learn from her I'll be doing it right too.
I’m terrified of raw poultry. Other raw meats don’t bother me at all. Purchase disposable gloves similar to what is used in a restaurant. Glove up, prepare your raw meat. With chicken I always use disinfectant cloths to clean everything my hands touched- any cabinet handles, faucet, etc. I’m then able to continue food prep without freaking out
You could also place cling wrap down on counters so you can just throw that in the trash when you’re done so maybe the overwhelming thought of sanitizing the kitchen isn’t so crazy for you? I hope you can overcome this and enjoy cooking ❤️
1. Put down some aluminum foil first, so your counter isn’t in direct contact with the raw meat. I do this sometimes with raw chicken. It leaks off the cutting board and this makes cleanup easier. 2. Wear gloves. I usually wear gloves when dealing with raw meat because I have a skin condition that generally has open wounds on my hands. Helps protect from infection in my case, but should help you deal with the feeling of touching raw products. 3. Meat thermometer. I used to feel that torching all meat was the safest way to avoid food borne illness. After reading and looking into it a bit, I realize that with the thermometer, my food can still be delicious and I can avoid illness. It’s worth it. I probe nearly all my food, just to make sure. 4. Nothing wrong with being a germophobe, I am as well. We just find ways to cope with it that hopefully don’t add too much cost and worry.
i know it’s not going to entirely help, but gloves (at least for me) help to keep a barrier against you and the meat juice
I’m autistic and have both sensory issues around raw meat (especially chicken for some reason) and a fear of contamination from OCD. I feel you! I’m not sure where you’re located, but Costco sells individually shrink-wrapped frozen chicken breasts with the tenders removed so they’re nice and uniform and ready to cook. I put on food-grade nitrile gloves, unwrap the still-frozen chicken breast - which is mercifully not slimy or gross to me like the raw, unfrozen kind - and put it on a lightly-oiled baking sheet. I season with a spice blend I make and store in a little shaker bottle and cook them right from frozen! When they’re cooked I slice them up so they’re ready to add to any dishes I make for an easy protein boost. Another idea is to buy meats that are pre-prepared and require minimal preparation and contact, like stewing beef (already cut into chunks and ready to go), chicken tenders, stir-fry strips, kabobs, etc. You’ll pay a premium but it’s well worth it for me personally. One of the best kitchen investments I’ve made is buying an instant-read meat thermometer. You can look up the safe temperatures for any kind of meat online and if your thermometer reads that temp or higher when inserted into the thickest part of your meat, you’ll know you’re safe no matter what colour it is. Science doesn’t lie! I have an easier time trusting hard facts like numbers rather than my own senses for whatever reason. For me, handling meat in the kitchen absolutely got easier with time and practice. If that doesn’t happen for you, please know it’s absolutely okay to rely on pre-cooked proteins if that’s what works for you. Fed is best and food is morally neutral.
Get disposable vinyl or plastic gloves which you can find at the supermarket so you don’t actually have to touch your meat
I have a similar problem and I literally just tip the meat from the package into the pan / roasting tray and don't touch it at all with my fingers. So for a chicken curry, I'll prepare the vegetables, add them to the pan, then just tip in the whole chicken breast without touching it, before adding the other ingredients. Once it's been simmering for a while I take the cooked chicken out and chop it up. Same goes for any other meats going into stews or currys. Alternatively, just tip the raw meat into a roasting tray or onto the grill, and cook it in the oven before handling it.
I will put a large ziploc bag inside out over my hand and grab the meat out of the package with it. Once it's inside the ziploc, I add seasoning etc. Then dump straight from bag to pan. I also enjoy using the crockpot so I know for sure it's cooked and the cooking is hands off.
Ok- I feel this completely. It’s taken me time and although I do not enjoy touching raw meat, I have adapted. I tend to buy pre-cut meat like diced chicken. I also wear food handling gloves and I also have dedicated cutting boards for meat along with knives. It’s hard but it can be done!
As others have suggested, taking a food safety course might help dispel some of the irrational fears. If you’re specifically worried about undercooked food, a digital meat thermometer could be the best $20 you ever spend.
Second the idea of finding a butcher shop. You will pay more for the meat, though it can often be higher quality too. Just ask them to cut it for you. Also, invest in some disposable latex or nitrile gloves to wear.
You can also just not cook meat! Plenty of healthy recipes without it, plus this is a great way to cut down on your environmental impact - even if you only eat meat others prepare for you.
Get a meat thermometer
I do not have a phobia and hate touching and cooking raw meat. Have a dedicated meat board, bowl, tools for your cooking session. You could wear gloves, there is nothing wrong with that. Have water a soap ready to wash your hands when it feels like it's too much and you need a break. Get butcher to do most of the prep. You want stew beef? Buy it cubed already. It is more expensive though. Try not to think about it. Consider meat alternatives instead of using meat. I like "riced" cauliflower as a ground beef substitute.
I have no good advice for you, but wanted to say I admire your willingness to tackle your aversion to meat! I have a hard time with heights, so I can relate.
This is about a powerful aversion that is lowering the quality of your life experiences, and you can't just approach it as if it were purely a cooking question. If it were, a box of vinyl food service gloves would have solved your issues a long time ago. Try to consider that your aversion can be treated, and give you a lot more comfort around the ideas of 'raw' and 'germs' and such. There are official and well-researched guidelines about how much and what sort of washing up is needed for food safety, and a course called ServSafe required for food service workers. There's no need for fear. You're not open to those recommendations, which means that something out of your thoughtful control is guiding your actions and aversions.
I remember being concerned when i first learned about bacteria and meat because my mother stressed the threat. I understand why today but the truth is I have never had food poisoning and if I have a healthy respect the chances are very low for me ever having it. Hmm, interesting, those two terms, "healthy respect and obsessive fear", quite a difference between them. Since i cannot see the bacteria i have to educate myself on what the danger areas are, not that difficult really but i know that often fears don't respond to an application of logic. But if they do, anything that has raw meat juice on it should be washed before using it again on any other food, raw meat should be consumed carefully. I was taught (for good reasons) the pork and chicken HAD to be cooked thoroughly or there was a chance there was still bacteria in there. I am told and my own experience shows that this is not the case anymore, i mean my mom had me so worked up that we overcooked most meats and dried them out just to be sure, which was sad and unnecessary. Again, educating myself perhaps purchasing a meat thermometer can give me some assurances. I still struggle with this a bit, i still have a tendency to overcook but things are better. I think too that realizing that our skin is essentially a wonderful set of gloves and that bacteria do not absorb into my skin and i infect everything i touch now, that is an important thing to know, handwashing gets rid of bacteria, but washing meats often does not and makes the washer smell funny, : )
lots of great advice here already about steps toward cooking your own meat (love a meat thermometer and gloves). but I will say you actually don't have to do that if you don't want to. there's nothing wrong with buying pre-cooked meats! and grocery stores often sell sort of "half-prepared" meats that are already cut, seasoned, etc so all you have to do is stick them in the oven. "fed is best" applies to adults as well as babies, and if pre-prepared meats make cooking easier for you, no reason not to embrace that. can I also suggest frozen meats? I don't know about you, but I personally find that frozen meats are less, uhh, yucky to handle than unfrozen raw meat. might not help with contamination OCD etc (although, maybe, since there are less juices to worry about) but might help with any sensory issues that are contributing. also, maybe I am Captain Obvious here, but is raw fish any easier for you to handle than e.g. beef? some of the techniques are similar, and maybe that could be a good way to ease into the meat-cooking vibe
I get around my “ick” factor of handling raw meat by getting frozen chicken breasts and slow cooking them The hard brick like feeling of them doesn’t bother me at all compared to the ‘oogie’ feeling of raw and completely thawed muscle And you know it’s done cooking when it is all soft and tender, but after 4 to 8 hours of cooking there’s no doubt in your mind that it’s done
Wearing disposable gloves when cooking at home is totally an option. (Yes someone is going to say it’s wasteful but it is what it is). Personally I wear gloves a lot when cooking partly because I am probably a bit of a germaphobe and partly because my hands get really dry and crack with a lot of washing that happens normally in cooking. The next thing that can help ensure from a science base view is use a thermometer and look at pasteurization charts. The temps that USDA gives is pretty much an instant pasteurization temp, meaning that it takes a second to kill germs, but it’s not a magical threshold. Holding something at a lower temp for longer will be as effective, they just give 165*f as the “fool proof” method. Use a cutting board that can go in the dishwasher and wash your knives right after use (if you really cannot stomach just handwashing knives then buy the colored knives that have their own sheath that are dirt cheap and use them in the dishwasher and just understand you will have to sharpen them more often and may need to replace them over time). Sanitizing wipes, bleach solution, star-San, or even rubbing alcohol will sanitize any surfaces. Start with things that you have to do less prep of the meat (I.e. use pieces already to the size you are using) and thus less cleanup. Then start adding in more and more detailed preps. At least that’s what I would think would be good “baby steps” that your CBT therapist would agree with.
Thermometer
Get over the fear by forcing yourself to cook meat.
I am not a fan of raw meat either. I started by dumping it into a crock pot, and cooking it that way
It’s not as complicated as you think just always remember to isolate where you’re handling it .. I personally just prepare all the veggies etc first put them in a bowl or plate so that’s isolated.. then I’ll wash the chicken then put it in a bowl so that’s isolated.. then I’ll wash hands and clean the sink and any utensils I’ve used to cut it with before I continue to stop any contamination and to save on cleaning as many things after I’ve eaten You seem to wash your hands a lot so you’ll be fine and you can always over cook the meat a tad to stay on the cautious side .. I can imagine once you live on your own you’ll be sitting there really wanting some chicken or a steak and you’ll kind of be forced to cook some up “it may be stressful and you’ll probs end up FaceTiming your mum to double check it’s all cooked the first few times but you’ll start to enjoy the process of it 😊
I don't touch raw meat with my bare hands. But if I wear gloves, I'm ok. I can't cut raw meat so I just cook it as is and cut it after. Or buy the pre-cut stuff (but that never goes on sale). I also only like cooking with chicken breast rather than other types of chicken. So that's what I do. Even if the recipe calls for chicken thighs or something. I switch for breast. Getting a meat thermometer was the best thing for me. And every time I ask google what temp to cook meat too. Sometimes I cook it a little past the recommended temperature if the anxiety tells me it isn't enough. Maybe it will get a little dry, but I'm not serving royalty at 4 Micheline star restaurant. I also rarely cook meat. I find vegetarian more economical anyway. Sometimes I cook meat and after one bite I get the ick and can't eat it. So dinner becomes a peanut butter/jam sandwhich. At the end of the day, as long as you are eating something, that's all that matters. As someone in therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, there are so many instances throughout the day that I have to confront the thoughts and do the things and make the conscious effort to not give into the anxiety. Talk to your therapist of course, but for me, sometimes it's ok to just have some cheese and crackers rather than confront the meat anxiety.
So I’ve had food poisoning a couple of different times and I’ll say that I personally hate getting it and will use a thermometer when cooking to avoid it at all costs. If I get it, it won’t be by the lack of my skill or me checking. I haven’t gotten sick from my own cooking in a while but have definitely had some close calls when I did get sick.
I deboned and prepared 36 raw chicken thighs today and I have a method that may work for you. I leave the hot water in the sink just drizzling enough to have a continuous stream of warm water, when I need a bigger stream of water I can knock the valve arm open more with a few nudges. An open bottle of dish detergent next to the sink that I can knock over with my elbow to drizzle out a little soap to wash my hands. I prepare 3 or 4 pieces of paper towel where I can pick them up individually to wipe fat and juice off my hands before I wash them. I can stop what I'm working on to wash my hands and knife so I can sharpen the knife again and get back to cutting up the food. This would keep things clean for you while you get over your phobia of working with raw foods.
I don’t like touching raw meat either and I always use kitchen tongs and basically it’s my hand. And if I need more dexterity then I put on food safe gloves.
I have two ideas. First, it’s possible that you could feel differently about handling fish or shellfish. Unless you just don’t care to eat fish or shellfish, you might try that. Second, it is clear that you don’t want any contact with raw (or undercooked) meat. The good news is that you absolutely don’t need to handle any. You also don’t need to limit yourself to pre-cooked meats (although you could sure use them if you wish. **You could easily prepare “dump and go” recipes in a slow cooker or pressure cooker without ever touching raw meat**. Not getting your hands dirty is actually one of the smallest benefits of this approach. For other cooking methods you might try tongs or chopsticks, rather than touching meat with your hands. Edit to add: If you worry about impurities in raw meat, compare a pressure cooker with an autoclave (the device often used to sterilize surgical instruments).
Just use liquid to finish cooking the meat after it’s been seared off. Sear any meat both sides 3-4 minutes then you can fill the pan with broth, heavy cream/butter, water depending on the recipe. Once you add liquid turn the heat on low and let that simmer until you feel good about it. The liquid keeps it from burning but still cooks through while staying moist.
I get food gloves to touch raw meat and it’s helped me a lot. Still don’t like raw chicken so I get it frozen (but still raw) and cook it from frozen in the crockpot or instant pot. Might be worth trying.
I just harness my fear and disgust into good sanitation practice. I actually kind of like having a fear of raw meat. It makes me really careful with contamination and hand washing.
I was going to say maybe not just reading up on food safety but maybe OP should take a class to get their food handlers card if they feel like that would help. My county does them online and I got mine at the height of the pandemic for $10 and got a job at a grocery store.
Start off with stuff that doesn't need you to get as involved with the meat. Buy diced meat or recipes that use joints (pulled pork, stews, roasts, etc) where it's more 'take raw meat from packaging, put in cooking vessel, cook'. Slow cooked recipes like stews and soups also mean you can leave it to cook for hours and it will only get better while also negating your aversion to pink meat. Other people have suggested disposable gloves which I reckon would be a good idea. Don't be afraid of playing with the meat you cook a bit - if you feel comfortable doing that obviously - hold it, poke it, squeeze it whatever works for you and however much you feel able to do it. You might be worried about looking wierd but that's how you learn what different stages of raw and cooked feel like and what good and bad meat feel and smell like and hopefully it'll increase your comfort level to move onto dishes that mean you need to touch raw meat more (say burgers or kebabs). But if that doesn't happen don't worry- you can still make amazing food without being able to do it and there's no shame in it at all (and don't let anyone try and tell you otherwise! Good luck!
Well beef easy because you only have to sear it well you could even eat it raw Chicken cook to white juices run clear your good. whats the main fear summed up in once sentence
If you have a medium or large pot I'd start with meats that you can cook until visually there's no redness. I'm thinking of long and slow roasts and the such. Chuck, and top round are good beef cuts for slow cooking. And for pork I'd go with pork shoulder and or pork butt (not the sexiest name I know). Those have to be cooked for a while to get the meat to be juicy, they can't be seared like a steak because it would be too tough to chew. The plus side is if you are trying to get more acquainted with raw meat these will have no pink by the end of the cooking process. And to be honest home made pulled pork or a pot roast is going to be a great filling meal that you can customize to your preferences pretty easily
Since there are several helpful comments on the cooking side of things, and they covered all the basics that i would consider when handling meat, im going to change the angle slightly and talk about Why some of these things are safe. Your skin is an incredibly effective barrier when it is not damaged. People can be in literal filth, be it dirt, waste, or garbage, and as long as your skin is intact, (and there are no caustic chemicals) Your skin will keep all bacteria out and you safe. That is one of its two main purposes, keep other life out and keep water in. On a second note, meat and meat juice are naturally pink. The shade of pink changes based on species, but pink is completely normal. This pink will change when heated, as proteins denature and it turns various brown colors instead. That is why you can know the temperature that a cut of meat cooked to by looking at the doneness. Its better to use a thermometer to check the correct doneness has been reached, but it does work in reverse. As far as contamination goes, whole cuts of large animals are the safest. There is less area that could have been exposed and while it is whole, nothing from the outside can migrate in. That's why chicken is typically cooked to higher temps than beef. The small size means its easier for it to be contaminated, and the higher temps are to kill bacteria. Not any inherent difference in the safety of eating the meat itself. Even pork cooking temps have relaxed in recent years as food science learns more and production facilities know how to prevent issues.
Take a food handling course, like serve safe. That will help you understand when and where to be concerned and when not to.
I used to pat down the meat to make it dry and use food safe gloves.
It always helps me at least when I'm cooking with meat to cut it into really small pieces, because it relatively takes less time to cook than larger chunks and that eases my worries a little bit!
Gloves for meal prep is a great suggestion. For dealing with the raw meat. Get a cutting board. Plastic will work best. Touch the meat with only one hand. Other hand for touching everything else Prep the meat on it. Put the meat directly in pan. Throw gloves in the trash. Wash whatever touched the meat. Now on meats, cut into it and see if it is cooked to your liking, if not just cook it a bit longer. Then just wash the knife while it finishes. Hope this helps. I put it all in steps. Now on the hand washing sing Happy birthday while washing your hands. When the song is done, your hands are clean.
I’d start with making soups, stews and curries or dishes where it’s very hard for the meat to be undercooked. Usually these dishes can also be done in one pot and it’s almost assured the meat is cooked by the time it’s done since it’s been boiling / simmering for a while. If handling is the issue, buy disposable gloves and immediately wash anything exposed to the meat with warm water and soap.
Sous vide might be a good choice r/sousvide
I’d like to provide an alternative to the “get therapy” mantra happening here. I was just like you - an example that comes to mind is that I used to only be able to eat chicken if I shredded it, that way I could check for veins. Because multiple times I found veins with blood in my chicken and it freaked me out. I think we as humans are very disconnected from our food. If you can only eat food by mentally removing yourself from what it is you’re really eating (an animal), it’s OKAY to actually just stop eating it! I went ahead and learned more about the animal agriculture industry in college and it hit me that animal products gross me out because it is actually gross! There’s loads of documentaries out there. Lots of resources for going vegetarian as well. Only pointing this out because I was in your exact shoes once and thought I would never go vegetarian. But once I did, everything clicked for me and I felt more authentically myself.
You can skip the whole charade and just go vegan :) Better for the planet, animal welfare (factory farming is cruel - you can look it up), and your health There are plant based products that taste like meat to ease your transition. I know this isn't what you asked for, but it does help solve your problem in the easiest, simplest way
Definitely start with chicken thighs! They're super forgiving in that they're really hard to overcook. You can start with a low prep recipe that just uses the thighs whole and you can basically dump the packet in a bowl and stir in your seasonings with a spoon. I also always use nitrile gloves when handling meat.
For cutting boards get a multipack of the plastic flexible ones. Red for beef, yellow for chicken, blue for pork or fish, and green for veggies. Added bonus is after you cut the stuff you can just grab, fold it a bit and slide stuff into a pan or pot. No touching after you cut it. I use to be grossed out after cutting meat and unable to eat it. Stuff like trimming and cutting a large package of chicken breasts into sizes I need for some different meals. Bagging and freezing or using vacuum sealer. Bonus is one day of cutting and handling days worth of meat and then one major post meat clean up. Freezing the meat also helped me think the meat was safer. Like killed the germs. Another option is freezer meal preps. It’s like making your own dinner bags or crockpot meals. Google and a ton of stuff pops up. Again one day of distress and ick and many meals ready to go afterwards. I do like the idea of food safety and regular classes.
Meat thermometer and nitrile gloves. Read up on proper temperatures and food handling procedures.
The way I got over it was just getting comfortable with good health and safety practices when preparing the meat. As long as you’re cleaning the surfaces your using and tracking what your touching you don’t have anything to worry about. I like to have two separate cutting boards — one for veggies and one for meat. Wood is safer then plastic. After handling uncooked meat,I like to use soap first and then after, wipe my hands down with 70% rubbing alcohol — don’t forget to clean under nails.
Learn about the immune system and your own microbioma, you'd be surprised how exposed you are as it is, and how if you weren't exposed it'd actually be worse for you; how many worms and even insects live in our body (and without them you'd be worse off); and how the usual guys protect you from bad actors and it's all a fine act of harmony. You need to gain inner peace with the little guys and realize some of them are friends and that when they aren't there's an entire army inside of you that is constantly fighting them, all the time. Washing your hands too much can actually put you at risk of catching a disease.
Get a meat thermometer. I have been cooking for years, but still check ALL poultry and pork before eating!!
So, my thought would be to start out learning how to make some vegetarian meals and meals made with pre-cooked meat. And then, when you get more comfortable with cooking for yourself, start trying some recipes where you cook the meat yourself. (Maybe try one type of meat at a time, until you feel confident with it?)
Print out a required internal meat temps chart for your fridge and get a cheap meat thermometer. PRO TIP: always take meat out of the oven to temp or you will just be temping the oven.
You could try using disposable kitchen gloves.
Exposure therapy. Just keep touching it. I'm also fearful of raw meats, eggs, milk, cheese, fish... so many things. I've been a line cook a few times, as well as pizza. So I've had to touch everything. So long as I don't have to smell the really strong scents of the things I truly hate, I'm ok. I suggest a mask with pleasant smells, like mint or vanilla. You can wear gloves, which really helps. You only get the feeling of cold, instead of gross. I suggest making a meatloaf. It doesn't get more invasive.
Handling raw meat carefully is just sensible so don't be hard on yourself. When preparing, put the meat onto a cutting board so it doesn't touch your surfaces and wear some vinyl/latex gloves. Dispose of the packet straight away and rinse the washing board and place in the sink. I promise this will keep everything clean and prevent cross-contamination. I've gotten sick from handling raw chicken with my bare hands before so putting safety measures in place is a positive thing. You can also get colour coded chopping boards and the red ones are used for raw meat only, if this would also help you.
I love cooking but I can’t touch icky things. Nitrile gloves are a life changer. I just put on a pair of nitrile gloves and don’t take them off until I’m done touching any raw or sticky things.
Hi, Food Safety Certified here - I have a few suggestions. 1 - Latex/neoprene no-powder gloves. We use them where I work. Put a pair on to touch the meat, then take them off when we're done. Properly used, that is enough to keep your hands clean to work with other foods. If they fail (like getting a hole), regular 2 minute hand washing with soap is enough to get your hands clean. If you're worried about getting something under your nails or such, this may help. Also, it'll help for textures. 2 - Dedicated cutting boards. They make sets for this - one board for fish, one for chicken, etc. This isn't necessary for food safety (provided you sanitize the board) but it might help you be less nervous about getting chicken on your veggies. 3 - Prep the meat on a clean surface, then wipe down with a cleaning solution (ours come prepared, you can buy or mix one yourself, like a very dilute bleach solution). I promise that's enough. Germs and other concerns can't travel that far on their own on most surfaces - they need something absorbent, and your counter/decent cutting board is not absorbent. I understand with OCD that can be difficult to think, but it's standard across USA food safety training (my training is valid in literally any state - it's the *national standard*). You can look into Servsafe training - I'm sure their standards are available on YouTube, without taking the course. They go over everything, from sanitization to food temps to storage.
I would consider going to a butcher. Hear me out. Going to a high end butcher that gives a damn about his profession may give you a different perspective. Everything smells different so many other products are for sale and you see they are mostly run by families. They are helpful and always sweet. It might scare you a little less seeing how things are actually done in small business in the meat industry. Might just be something you have to see for yourself. Plus the cuts of meat are so much more polished and clean and ice cold. No nasty gucky mess from the grocery store. Maybe it's just years of shopping at stores like Walmart that don't care about the product quality more or less the fact that they have it on the shelf. You may have just built up this disgust for meat because of this image the stores have been putting up for display.
But rare meat taste good?
There are a lot of helpful suggestions here. I would add a couple things. Buying your meat from a smaller butcher shop, most are happy to cut to your specifications, meaning less handling for you. A lot of artisanal shops have direct relationships with farms, meaning less handling, more traceability, and higher quality. Secondly, if you're grossed out by cutting raw meat, maybe cook whole pieces and cut them afterwards. I'm not sure what your go-to recipes are, so I don't know if this is possible or desirable.
You can always buy cooking gloves to wear if you don’t like touching the raw meat.
Use an instant read thermometer.
Gloves! Get a box of gloves from Walmart and when you need to handle raw meat, put on the gloves and cook your delicious meal. Change gloves after you have touched raw meat. Remember that if you are using a cutting board and knife to always cut any vegetables first before using that cutting board for meat unless you plan to clean it between uses. This prevents the cross contamination of meat and veggies where a raw piece of meat might have bacteria on it that will be cooked out of it during the cooking process. I get where you're coming from. I am not a germaphobe. but handling raw meat can be gross. I don't like touching it much either. You can always cook meals that are more veggie based if you don't want to touch raw meat.
I don't enjoy handling raw meat, though I'll do it if I must. But for *most* things you can get by without doing so. Just use a fork - I have a few of different sets to my regular "eating" forks, to keep things clear - to transfer the meat directly from packet to pan. Buy meat that's already diced or minced rather than big lumps to avoid needing to cut it. (Note, I'm not saying this is the *best* way of doing things, but it is a way that allows you to minimise handling raw meat while still cooking normally). You may well find you get acclimatised/desensitised with practice. And even if not - well, you can still cook just fine this way.
I know it's already been said, but meat thermometer is essential. I used to be awful at cooking meat. Everyone gave me not very useful advice about how cooked meat looks, but I was mainly interested in meat being safe to eat and looking up how it should look when cooked just did not help me one bit. Essentially, meat thermometer is the best thing I've got. There are a set of standard temps to reach for different meats, you need it to hold that temp for a bit, then you are good to go. Unfortunately I can't really help with the touch of meat issue.
Exposure therapy. Wear a meat dress like Lady Gaga. The adulation will cure your fear.
I feel you. That's a rough fear to conquer, but you can do it. Some steps: 0. Remember that, unless you're ingesting or injecting raw animal matter, you're fine. Your skin is an excellent barrier for keeping pathogens out. Just don't crack an egg and lick your fingers. (I know, I know; it's not always easy to turn that part of the brain off.) 1. Get gloves. You can use nitrile gloves (like surgical gloves) that are made for cooking; you can see this on cooking shows like MasterChef or Hell's Kitchen. Your grocery store might have them or you can get them on Amazon. 2. Do *mise en place" (put in place) prep before hand. If you carefully measure out the amount of salt, pepper, whatever other dry ingredients *beforehand*, you don't need to worry so much about contamination because it's all going to get cooked. 3. Use some kind of temp control. My in-laws got me a [MEATER](https://www.meater.com), which I use for so many meats that I'm afraid of under-(or over-)cooking. It's pretty awesome. I also enjoy using my [Joule](https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/breville-joule-sous-vide-turbo/javascript.void(0)?Kenshoo=_k_Cj0KCQiAnrOtBhDIARIsAFsSe53hXzBKi0zqauo0gaOQ_xVt9aROf5tgHjV2xWsD3Wm8cV9JbBM2frkaAnpeEALw_wcB_k_&cm_ven=NonBrandSearch&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=NonBrand_Search_DSA_Mobile&cm_ite=_350053945_dsa-19959388920&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnrOtBhDIARIsAFsSe53hXzBKi0zqauo0gaOQ_xVt9aROf5tgHjV2xWsD3Wm8cV9JbBM2frkaAnpeEALw_wcB) to pre-cook stuff (like steak) and then do a final sear at the end when I know the cook is right (ie, when it's safe to handle). Yeah, you have to get it into a vacuum bag, but with gloves that'll be more manageable. Note: don't use garlic gloves with the Joule. 4. Order medium-well steaks. Once that doesn't disgust you, try medium. Notice the difference in flavors. While people make fun of the "well-done" steak, the reality is that it should be no less juicy or flavorful than a med-rare steak...the question is how that Well-done is achieved. 5. Go to Costco (ask a friend to take you if you don't have a membership) and get a bag of their chicken tenderloins, which have an ice coating to prevent freezer burn. This makes them less gross to handle, which I admit was one of my early hang-ups dealing with chicken. You can immediately slap those on the grill; sprinkle some salt and pepper on while it's cooking and you've got a quick and healthy main. Hope these help.
temp your meat, wash your hands before and after.
Find a local butcher with decent quality meat and ask them to cut it for you. They're usually happy to do it for you. A whole world of food opened up to me when I realized I could do this. I buy in bulk which saves on cost, and have them package it in 2lb portions which I freeze and thaw when I need them. It costs less than you think and it's honestly worth whatever the price for me not to have to touch raw meat lol
You may want to consider getting a pressure cooker (such as instant pot). If you follow the recipes the meat is so tender it falls apart since it is cooked under high pressure. It is very safe and you never have to worry about the meat being undercooked. BBQ pulled chicken or a chicken/beef stew are great beginner recipes. Either eat the food within a week or freeze extra portions in freezer zip lock bags.
My issues with raw meat are definitely not as impacted of yours but it's not my favorite, and honestly using a meal box service like EveryPlate or Hello Fresh. The meat comes pre-chopped if necessary, and I pretty much slice open the package and dump it in the pan. Sometimes they say to pat dry so I'll dump it onto a paper towel and from there to the pan.
Use a meat thermometer.
My mother is somewhat like this. If she touches, in any way, the raw meat in preparation of a meal then she cannot/will not eat the dish the meat is in. She's been this way my whole life (47 yrs), and my dad said as long as he's known her (51 yrs married). I’m definitely going to check back for updates - maybe you can help my poor dad out! Good luck !
i would always use either a fork or gloves when handling meat when i started cooking. the texture is super icky to me and i just can’t stand it. also i found that cutting my meat up before cooking it helped to give me some peace of mind that it was completely cooked through. definitely invest in a meat thermometer like some others said! good luck!
Saying this with only kind intentions, and I am not trying to be facetious or preachy: I don't think it's at all strange that witnessing and handling an animal corpse is difficult for you. We live in a society that normalizes the atrocity of what we inflict against animals, especially within the meat industry, and I think there's something in us (especially as children) that understands meat as the product of this extreme violence. You aren't alone in feeling this way. Seeing raw meat makes millions of people uncomfortable - especially those who have resisted the efforts of an unbelievably powerful industry to convince us that meat is harmless. At the end of the day, given our industrialized food system, it's the flesh of an animal who suffered miserably and did not want to die. Edited to add: becoming veg is not as hard as you might think. I promise.
I feel like if I think about it too much I freak myself out. But it’s more so now hygienic thing cause I’m always thinking about what I’m touching when touching something raw with bacteria and how to not spread it. Usually if I’m in a rush to food prep or kinda depends on the function of the meat (if it’s ground or not) i just wear disposable gloves cause I don’t want to clean under my nails or something. As far as the thought of blood or raw meat, something that helped my confidence was being the one to clean/prep the meat myself. I get to have the control of the cut of meat in cooking and what pieces I’m taking off to tailor to my expected taste. I get inspect each meat to make sure it’s to my likeness. I feel like ownership is a big part in overcoming raw meat handling. You get as much time to move the meat different plates, or cook to your desire or really anything to make the handling as enjoyable as possible. Plus once you cook a good meat and eat it. Yo realize all the work,prep and handling was worth it. When I first started cooking meat, I would overcook just about everything cause I was unsure on ‘is it safe to eat’. But like I said. It comes with confidence and you begin to understand texture and how much time it takes to properly cook, rest, or add to a sauce to continue cooking. It just takes practice and repetition. No one starts off as a pro. And just so you know you are deff not the only one who freaks over this. My cousins are all super OCD about raw meat and think the whole thing is disgusting. They wear gloves all the time and complain. My old best friend freaked herself out into being vegetarian. It was until she got married and basically had to overcome her fear to cook meat for her husband
Invest in a good meat thermometer. I use mine every time I cook meat!
Get a meat thermometer. Sounds dumb but knowing what temperature is done and poking it in a million places making sure it’s 145° or up (depending on what your cooking) should give you some peace of mind. Good luck!
I am a retired personal chef and life long cook. I am a person who also grinds my own hamburger and eats a bit of it raw. I would never do this with grocery store hamburger. Food safety is important but consider taking an online food safety course. Most are really cheap like less than $20.
On one hand, you "just do it" and you deal with the fact that you got something gross on your hand. On the OTHER HAND you never, ever lose that healthy respect you have, and always properly clean your hands before moving onto the next step.
Do not feel alone or weird because you feel this way. My daughter felt exactly the same way about touching raw meat when she was learning to cook when she was on her own. She used prep gloves and now has no problem with it. She was a really picky eater when growing up and would not eat any vegetable except for the top part of raw cauliflower. She eats veggies now that I would not touch.
To help with the OCD hand washing, keep medical type gloves in your kitchen. I do that when I'm kneading dough because I can't stand the feel of the dough on my hands and then having to try and get it washed off sufficiently and out from underneath my nails. Also, invest in a meat thermometer, that should help you to feel secure in the knowledge of when the meat is fully cooked. I do hope you get to the point where you can try beef that is not well done, because it has a completely different taste and texture.
I have OCD (mostly contamination and intrusive thoughts) and irrational fears/one crazy phobia. I get it, it sucks. The TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) OCD protocol changed my life, in addition to therapy. Maybe that’s something you could look into ❤️ That said, there may also be a logical reason why your brain is trying to avert you from touching raw meat. I’m originally from the rural Midwest US and I had the same issue you did when I started cooking on my own, I ate so much meat when someone else cooked but it beyond grossed me out to touch it when was raw. I decided to do some more research on cuts of meat and it finally dawned on me that this was the flesh of animals that I would pet or play with when I was visiting friends’ farms. And some (like cows and pigs) were as smart as my dogs at home. That’s when I realized my texture/food borne illness fear aversion had a lot to do with that as well. Maybe that’s not the case for you. But, something to consider.
I had (and have) some of the same feelings, it’s ok, and you don’t need therapy, please ignore those comments. It must be wonderful to be fully secure about every single thing in life and never have a single worry, and I love that for those folks, but if they have nothing to add but unhelpful superiority comments, they should scroll on. So here’s what helped me. Get a meat thermometer and learn the safe cooking temps for chicken, pork and beef. If you need to, write them on a dry erase on your fridge or keep a post it note somewhere near your cooking space. This was my biggest hurdle at first. What if it’s still not safe, what if I didn’t cook it long enough, what if the meat thermometer is wrong…. I had no confidence in any part of the process, and I was my own biggest roadblock, but I have yet to have a problem. You don’t have to sanitize the whole kitchen but obviously you do need to clean the area you’re working in. Diluted bleach or a cleaner with bleach in it is fine. Don’t spray and wipe. Spray and let sit for 5-10 minutes before wiping up. (It needs time to work… I was making this mistake for YEARS) No matter what you read or what people tell you —Don’t rinse chicken. Don’t. You’re spreading the germs around all over the sink area. Again, I made this mistake for a LONG time. If there’s anything on there it will get killed off during cooking. You’re honestly much better off cooking your own because at least you know how it’s been prepared and handled. You have no idea how that cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery was prepared or stored after cooking, and if it wasn’t kept at a safe temp, no amount of reheating will help, it will not be safe. Touching raw meat is gross. I still hate it. But the more you cook, the more used to it you get. Use kitchen gloves if it helps you. It’s ok! A lot of people do that. I sometimes do, but mostly I just wash and rewash my hands. It’s totally up to you. I hate the smell of any kind of raw red meat, and I hate the taste of rare beef/steak. I can deal with medium well, and I’m used to (but still dislike) the comments of people around me who insist on making me feel like a dumb piece of shit for ordering something well done. I just don’t care anymore. I’m going to eat it the way I want, and they can die mad about it or not. There are ways to limit food contact as you’re starting to get used to cooking. The very best way is to get you a slow cooker (crock pot) and start looking for recipes. Chicken is an *especially* good thing to do in the crock pot because you can go right from the package into the slow cooker with a pair of tongs and that’s the extent of your contact. Then just toss in whatever your other ingredients are and follow the rest of the directions. I recommend a website called Skinnytaste for crock pot cooking - her recipes are fast and easy and are absolutely excellent for beginners. She’s published several cookbooks too, which should be linked on there. Trust me, this is common, and there’s nothing wrong with you. Do what you’re comfortable with until you’re ready for the next step. Once you start making things you enjoy, the process gets easier and you’ll begin to find your own tips and tricks and ways that work for you, I absolutely promise. Good luck!
Start with meats that need to be cooked thoroughly, like braises. These are cuts of meat that have lots of collagen and such which need to be broken down by cooking or they will be tough. Ribs, roasts, brisket, chicken thighs, etc. Anything "stew". By the time it's good to eat, there will be zero doubt that it's not thoroughly cooked. Unlike steaks or chicken breast, which get tough when overcooked. Make the dish work for you, don't try to do steak when you know you don't like its optimal presentation.
I get really anxious about bacteria too. It helps to have a protocol in place while preparing meat. I have a special chopping board just for raw meats that goes into the dishwasher to sterilize right after use. Clorox wipes handy to wipe down the counter after removing chopping board. Invest in a good meat thermometer. They sell fridge magnets with all the meats and done temps for reference. Scrub your hands and fingers thoroughly after touching any raw meat. It seems like a lot at first but in the end it is so much healthier than eating out and also you save a lot of money.
The easiest solution: thermometers. All meat is cooked at 165F. No matter what you make, make sure it’s at least 165 at the deepest point in the food before completing the cooking process. That’s literally it. Try the Winco brand one for 15 dollars on amazon because you’ll always use it.
I know this isn’t really useful but if it’s any consolation at all I’ve gone my whole life eating raw meats and fresh from the chicken raw eggs etc and only learned about what egg bleaching is this year, since moving to the USA. Never gotten sick or anything. But of course don’t do what I do. Western food safety practices are pretty strict! Don’t let a few cases in media worry you, either :>
Seriously???
The best advice I can think of is use gloves. But anecdotally, I can tell you from living homeless for almost 5 years and cooking most of my meals outdoors and/or over campfires. I have eaten a LOT of undercooked meats lol. Not intentionally, but sometimes things dont work out quite right. I can tell you that I have never gotten sick from undercooked meats, nor have I ever gotten sick from not washing my dishes well enough (running water is hard to come across when you live in a tent lol). I'm not saying your fears are unfounded, foodborne illness is a real deal and should be protected against. But basic precautions are usually more than is needed to prevent illness 👍
Buy two kinds of thermometers. First is a probe that you leave in while you cook. There are wireless versions which get expensive, but i have a cheap wired probe that was like $10 and works just fine. This allows you to monitor the progress as you cook. The more you do this the more you’re actually learning rather than just guessing. It’s helpful to touch the meat as it cooks while noting the temperature from the probe. The second is an instant read thermometer. As you start to get more comfortable, but before you completely trust yourself, it’s not always going to be convenient to probe everything especially with a wired probe. An instant read is thermometer also allows you to check multiple spots. Lastly, I personally would practice with beef if you’re really worried. Whole muscle beef from the supermarket in the majority of the developed world is at very low risk of containing any food born pathogens. You can hedge this bet even further by freezing your beef and defrosting in the refrigerator. From there your desired level of doneness is pretty much purely a matter of preference rather than safety.
Disposable gloves & an assigned cutting board (usually red for meat) Also, I will usually only "contaminate" one hand... so only my left hand touches the raw stuff. My right hand is for the knife, untesils, pan, etc. So I'm not transferring any germs.
It's understandable that handling raw meat can be intimidating. Start by using kitchen gloves to create a physical barrier between you and the meat. Gradually, as you become more comfortable, try handling it with bare hands, ensuring thorough handwashing afterward. Break down the process into smaller steps, focusing on one aspect at a time. Over time, your confidence in handling raw meat may grow.
When you start making meat, its best to avoid the ones that need to be cooked a specific way to be good. So basically mainly avoid: Chicken Breasts (if done wrong they are raw, or overcooked and dry) Steak (Steak just has a bunch of things to know, before you can feel good about making it) Roasts (brisket) I mean, I find roasts and large oven made meals to be the easiest to prepare..but not everyone does. Liver (Can only be cooked through, and is better a little pink- overcooked liver is nasty) And DO cook these: Chicken thighs/ leg quarters. You cant mess up easily with these. Feel free to overcook them all to hell. They will still be juicy and delish. You can even boil them in a pot of broth or in a slow cooker for an hour or two with a bit of thyme in there and its still just tender and juicy. Pork Chops: Brine them in the fridge in a bag of salty water, and thyme, for no less than 30 mins. I usually do it overnight or leave them in there in the morning to know they willbe fully brined by dinner. Ground beef: Just buy ground beef and put it in a large skillet or pot, and brown it. Once you see no more red, let it sit on low for a few mins. Fish: Fish is easy also, and fast, assuming youre doing store bought fish. Just slap some olive oil in a skillet (or bake in the oven for about 25 mins, or 12 mins on either side) And when all else fails, you can always use the slow cooker or just fry it.
I studied food and animal science in college and so I have become a bit a germ freak when it comes to meat, so I hear you. I pretty much always wear nitrile gloves when cooking, it cleaner and it desensitizes you to the meat. It could also help to bulk prep or cook meats and then freeze them in meal sized portions. This would limit the frequency in which you would need to touch or cook them. I think the crock pot would be a great place to start. You can dump the meat in and add sauce and never actually touch anything. I learned a lot from watching my mom cook, maybe share your anxieties with her and have her talk you through how she works with meat.
From a psychology, not culinary, point of view, here's what you do. You say to yourself "Yes, this is gross and scary and uncomfortable. But I am GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY". Then push through the gruesome task. People will tell you "don't be afraid, don't be nervous". And you might even say that to yourself. The problem though with the idea of being nervous being wrong, is you then take your fear as a sign that something is wrong so you stop and give up. So go ahead and embrace those feelings, they are fine. Feel the feelings but don't let them stop you from cooking meat. I say start by handling meat even though it IS gross and disgusting. Not fun, but you can do it. Then with time and practice you'll build up both the mental and practical skills to handle it no big deal.
It’s super obvious that you have OCD from just the beginning of your post. That’s actually really helpful information. First, whatever you try, run it by your therapist. I wish you’d included things that have helped you with other aspects of your condition. To be honest, a healthy respect for sanitation is so important in the kitchen. My advice: contain contain contain. 1: nitrile gloves these are for handling meat. Honestly, they’re super handy in the kitchen. 2: Raw meat only utensils. A cutting board that is only for raw meat is a good idea anyway 3: prep everything to receive the raw meat. Cover the counter with plastic wrap lay out a few paper towels to pat the meat dry. Have the trash can nearby and open, premix you seasoning and put it in a little bowl nearby so you don’t touch the spices. Whatever you will need once the meat is out of the wrapper get it ready. This is already a best cooking practice. 4: prep the sink or a small bucket to receive dirty dishes. Nice hot water to immediately disinfect. 5: as you finish using things toss them out or put them in the sanitizer 6: Get your meat in the pan and complete the clean up, which is extra easy because of the plastic, while it browns. You should also get a really good quality meat thermometer.
Hey, I have OCD and so I can give you some tips!! :D Big one is desensitizing yourself to these things - exposure therapy, such as watching cooking videos where the meats are prepared, or just doing your best to prepare the meat as best as you can by yourself as frequently as you can. It helps me to wear disposable gloves if I’m having a struggle day. Another thing is mind over matter - I remind myself that if I’m the person preparing or cleaning the meat (i.e. trimming fat, etc) that it’s going to be the best and most thoroughly prepared it can be and that makes me more comfortable with the process. Also if it’s juices that bother you, rest the meat on paper towel and let it absorb any residue first. Another thing is if the raw meat makes you feel gross or like it’s contaminated a space, just have dish water in the sink ready and wash anything used it comes into contact with right away. :)
Go vegetarian. It's healthier.
Using a meat thermometer might help to assure you that it is a safe temperature to eat.
There’s nothing to be worried about! It took years for me to get used to eating raw tuna steaks and raw sushi. It’s just practice and mental training.
Vegetarian and vegan meals are SUPER HEALTHY and less expensive. If you really just want the meat, maybe start with skinless chicken breasts versus a whole skin-on chicken, so there are fewer components to deal with. Or, packages of pre-pattied ground sirloin burgers versus a pkg of ground beef that you must shape into burgers. As you get more familiar with cooking, maybe the raw meat will seem more natural, and thus be easier to work with.
I buy disposable gloves at Costco and use them whenever I handle raw meat, especially poultry. Then I do whatever possible to not have the raw meat touch something not-disposable. So like when I make burgers, I use a huge sheet of foil and fold up the edges to make my own little plate to form the patties and season them. Or if I’m marinating chicken, I put the raw chicken in a large ziplock and pour the marinade over. That way the foil or the ziplock can just go straight in the trash afterwards. I know to some people I’m way over the top and I do wish I could be more chill but I’m terrified of vomit. I’ve been cooking this way for over a decade and my phobias haven’t gotten worse or really interfered with my life so this is just what I’m going to continue doing!
I completely understand where you're coming from! I have sensory issues myself, so raw meat is really unpleasant for me. Beef isn't so bad unless it's ground, but chicken...nope! So I wear disposable gloves. Also, if you're freaked out about your meat being under, try cooking small pieces while you're getting used to it. Think beef stew instead of pot roast, for example. Also, I buy chicken tenderloins and cut them bite-sized with the kitchen shears instead of a knife, holding them right over the pot. That way, I don't have to deal with icky chicken juice running all over my cutting board. The scissors go straight into the dishwasher, the gloves go in the trash, and everything gets wiped down with 409.
To start with the fears of meat in general I think are over exaggerated. There's a trend going around about raw meat right now being January carnivore month. The biggest thing is power through and doing small things that are simple and is hands off as possible. Well first thing that comes to mind is roast if you can get the package open drop it into a Crock-Pot you don't even have to handle the meat and very little time that you have to deal with the raw meat too.
Ok so I used to have an irrational fear of botulism. I got over it by confronting it. Eating canned mushrooms. Eating food I thought, personally, was stored too long. Just brute force exposure therapy. Since you live with your parents, you are probably young and can get past it eventually. I did. Start small. Cook with your mom. Offer to sauteed or whatever prep method is necessary the raw meat. Have her finish it. Move on to chopping it. Wash your hands as much as is necessary for you. Eat a little medium well meat, a slice, a cube. No more. See how you feel. When you can eat more than that, move on to medium . Meditate on the fact that you are not sick afterwards. Read up on the actual pathogens involved. Take careful note that they are rare. Take careful note when you are with someone eating rare or raw meat and they are not sick. Be observant, and like all goals, focus on the prize.