Letting kids lick the spoon

[Trellum]

Yikes, actually when I was little I had the nasty liking for raw eggs! Ugh, when my dad was scrambling eggs for breakfast I'd taste some of that mix! Yikes! Back then things were healthier, no salmonella contamination. I didn't get salmonella until quite recently.

 

[Redribbon]

When I was a child we always liked the bowl with fingers or the spoon never fell Ill from it. My dd does too when I bake and I'm not going to stop her! I hate the we must not do this must not allow that food scare society this has become.

As someone here said my fondest memories of baking at school with friends was doing just this.

 

[Shimus]

I've only rarely heard of someone getting sick from doing this too. Granted, I would let this happen if it was a rare enough event or if it was small amounts. Definitely not gunna let them pig out on left over mixture anyways; that would just be inviting it.

 

[barkingsquirrel]

I've taught my kids to treat raw egg and raw meat the same as putting your hand on a hot stove - don't touch it or handle it properly. Now that they're older, they have a healthy respect for these foods in particular. Handling them properly includes clean cutting boards, hand washing, do not eat raw, etc. It does not mean washing down the entire house with antibacterial cleaning products constantly. If you look in my house, you'll find not a single antibac cleaner. My kids aren't paranoid about the foods (like they're not paranoid of the stove), but they understand that there are some things in life that are bigger than they are and Salmonella is one of them. If you've ever come in contact with it, or know someone who has died from it, you'll understand .....

 

[cupcakechef]

I still remember my mom telling me not to eat the raw mix because of the raw egg, and I'm 30 now! I have a little one who isn't old enough to be helping out in the kitchen just yet, but I'll be saying the same thing, not to lick the spoon because she could get sick because of the uncooked egg. I guess some people might see it as being a paranoid parent, but I think it's better to err on the side of caution with some things. I'd much prefer her to think I was being mean not letting her lick the spoon than see her hospitalized with salmonella!

 

[kammy]

From I was a tot it was always one of my happiest moments whenever I get the chance to lick the spoon whenever my mom was through with mixing the cake batter ; especially when it was fruit cake I was on a high. I do allow my children to lick the batter from the spoon and I have never seen them gotten sick neither have I. I guess this is something we will be doing together for sometime.

 

[ashley0323]

Okay, i'll be the "bad mom" here. Some of my favorite childhood memories were baking in the kitchen with my grandma and I always knew once the cake (or cookies, etc) was put in the oven, I get to lick the spoon, even if the batter contained eggs. Guess what? I survived! Now that I have children of my own, they get to lick the spoons too, they love it and we are creating harmless memories.

 

[Corzhens]

In another thread, I have posted about the homemade candy which was popular when I was a kid. It's a simple sweet thing made from condensed milk and egg yolk. It is cooked in a pan with a wooden spoon to stir. And when done, we kids would be on the side waiting for my mother to let go of that wooden spoon. Yes, it's so nice to lick that spoon especially when my mother would deliberately leave some portions of cooked candy in that spoon. Small delights for the children, huh.

 

[rz3300]

I have some pretty good memories of a kid being in the kitchen with my mother and grandmother, and I was always licking spoons and dipping fingers in stuff and getting in there with them. It was nothing too alarming or anything, but I think it was also a little encouraged and the cooks always want opinions so I was right there. I say no harm no foul here, and lick on, Thanks for sharing.

 

[Clair02]

We all fight over the spoon in my family as we've done for generations, and in all those years not one of us has ever got sick from that. I will continue to let my daughter lick the spoon if she wants to. I don't believe any harm will ever come to her from a bit of barter.

 

[Joel]

If they get used to licking the spoon when they are young then they'll find it hard to stop their behaviour when they grow up. Their behavior might extend to the table where they will start licking spoons as they serve food, which is not recommended.

 

[Clair02]

If they get used to licking the spoon when they are young then they'll find it hard to stop their behaviour when they grow up. Their behavior might extend to the table where they will start licking spoons as they serve food, which is not recommended.

I'm guessing you never used to do that when you were little, maybe that's why you might not get what fun it is to do that. I grew up doing that, and my kids do it too, but none of us lick spoons when serving food... ( I promise!) We just got a lot of fun memories of baking days at home.

 

[Liandra]

Licking the spoon and the rest of the batter is just fun. yes it's impossible to get out of that habit. My mom still does it, whenever I bake at home. But it's fun. Really.

 

[ChesterV]

You run the risk of food poisoning from anything you get from the stores nowadays......

Fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, dried beans, meats, and even prepackaged/manufactured foods.
Food poisoning is not limited to just "raw" anymore.


Most of us grew up getting sick from things when we were little, without our parents obsessing over pumping us full of anti-biotics and such, which would have dulled our immune systems to not cope with eating something like raw eggs.

Today, most kids are pumped full of anti-biotics from the day they are born, resulting in low immune systems and intolerant immune responses to outside germs and viruses.

If your kids have never been sick in their lives, then yes, I would not be allowing something like licking the spoons with anything that contains "raw" ingredients. If they have never been sick, then more than likely their immune systems would be incapable of handling something like this if they are not used to it.


Then again, 3 eggs mixed into a cake batter would be diluted to some extent, and that little bit would more than likely be rendered useless by their stomach acid.


I've never known anyone or anyone with kids, who got sick from licking the spoon.
But thats just me.

 

[Javier Tan]

I have never dared to try the batter from a spoon. Which also explains why I do not go for food containing raw eggs such as some mousses along with cookie dough!

No matter how credible the source of eggs is, I always feel paranoid to consume it. Afterall, I will be the one whom will be bearing the consequences should I end up with a nasty tummy ache!

This once, out of curiousity where I did try the batter of a cookie, I felt really wary for days! Thankfully, nothing happened in the end, but still, it can be unpleasant when the thoughts linger!

 

[Alex]

I work with children in a nursery and we are not allowed to let the children lick the spoon - I always sneak a lick or two when they're not looking as I am washing up from baking!

I used to love licking the bowl/spoons when I used to bake with my mum.

 

[-Daniel-]

What an interesting thread!

I do not taste any mixtures with raw eggs in them. I have had salmonella before and it is something I do not want to repeat ever.

I will smell my mixtures to see if the flavour seems good and estimate if they need any changes, but I'm not a fan of actually tasting them.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I’m with you 100% on not eating raw egg Daniel.

The risk is just not worth it. While most people will recover from salmonella, it’s not a pleasant experience. My sister, my son, and I were stricken with salmonella from cheese. Even though we were infected from a purchased product, the experience made me neurotic about proper food handling in my kitchen.

The doctor told me one of the biggest concerns for my son was dehydration. He said if we could not get the vomiting under control, my son could end up hospitalized for dehydration.

Salmonella can be quite serious in children.

Last week I baked a couple of batches of cookies with my five-year-old niece. I would not let her eat the cookie dough. As much as she wanted to eat it, I would not let her have it.

Some 200,000 people are stricken with salmonella every year in the US. And that number only counts those that go to the doctor. Salmonella from contaminated food is not a rare occurrence.

 

[-Daniel-]

The doctor told me one of the biggest concerns for my son was dehydration. He said if we could not get the vomiting under control, my son could end up hospitalized for dehydration.

This is exactly what happened to me. I needed to be given fluids two separate times at a hospital A&E department.
I was off work for more than 2 weeks. I also lost about half a stone in that time.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

This is exactly what happened to me. I needed to be given fluids two separate times at a hospital A&E department.
I was off work for more than 2 weeks. I also lost about half a stone in that time.

Wow, that goes to show you how serious salmonella can be even in healthy adults. I know it made me so sick at a certain point I collapsed on the floor and couldn’t get up. I thought to myself, if it gets any worse, I’d rather die than suffer like this.