A simple and really safe way to sample food

While we are in the business of talking about safe food might I suggest keeping the following in mind when sampling food in the kitchen or anywhere for that matter.

Patently if there is a utensil at hand and one you don’t need to share, such as a spoon or fork, and which you can wash or discard afterwards, this is the answer.

But if you have one spoon and want many to taste think of the following: The back of the hand - this is of course washed as a matter of hygiene in many situations but as it's not prehensile it seldom has contact with the unsanitary or toxic situation - also this fact makes it easy to remember if that has not been the case.

Even at lavatory visit, unless one washes the basin  tap handle before turning it off, or wipes the handles of the toilet doors etc fomite connection to the fingertips is certain - whether infection will occur is another matter.

If you wash your hands properly, soaping at least to the wrist crease, the back of your hand is as a clean plate and perfectly nice to eat off.

Now in the kitchen, where tasting is often de rigueur, or in any  other tasting scenario,  a teaspoon or fraction thereof of the warm or cool food in question in the centre of the back of your hand is just fine and of course it can be carefully  licked clean in a second, without any slobbering, and be ready for as many tastings as you like. With care even runny food can be sampled. You must know that the sample is not hot as the skin on the back of the hand is very thin and sensitive, and burns there can be serious!

Mentioning  tasting while cooking, I see chefs sampling from teaspoons etc over or near food and so even this may not be as safe as careful application of what I have described.

As for accepting samples to try in other situations where there is limited or no utensils I think this is pretty foolproof.
Not having to use dirty fingers and worrying about having to clean them afterwards is something to think about!