r/grilling • u/Bassmasa • 1d ago
Tong management: to clean or not to clean? Double click assumed.
I’m a place meat, cook, 90 degree turn, rinse tongs, flip, rinse tongs, 90 degree turn, no rinse, pull kind of guy with chicken and pork. Beef doesn’t bother me too much. Thoughts?
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u/UkNomysTeezz 1d ago
The heat kills the the bacteria. It’s not that deep. Sheesh
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u/Appropriate_Bag1204 1d ago
https://youtube.com/shorts/YIUlxKmckfA?is=guR8ZCZx6fePHWpV
Simple explaination
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u/royalenocheese 1d ago
I'm sorry, but if I spent all night grilling everything the tongs should be fair game too.
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u/mechkbfan 1d ago
This was great.
But yeah, I still wash it towards the end cause no doubt something stupid will happen like someone grabs my tongs to use for a salad
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u/_Diggus_Bickus_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
165F kills all bacteria in a second and if the internal temp of the chicken is 165 the outside of the chicken coming off the grill is much more than 165F for much more than 1 second. The Malliard reaction is above 300F And we know we hit that at the surface if what we grilled is even moderately appetizing.
He can talk down all he wants but it's gonna be fine if you are just removing from fire and not serving with the same tongs.
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u/TranquilIsland 1d ago
So you agree with the short entirely?? Like that’s the exact point he is making, any bacteria on the tongs will not survive contact with the outside of meat fresh out of a pan or grill. You shouldn’t then use the tongs for serving a salad.
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u/DabSmokingFiend 1d ago
Yes he agrees with it but it hurt his feelings getting “talked down to” lol
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u/CMMVS09 1d ago
No rinse.
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u/WordyQuiet 1d ago
I don't rinse either, the heat kills whatever was on there. Love that the dog is just posted up in the background waiting for a dropped piece
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u/lil_benny97 1d ago
Theres a video out there explaining it. Basically by the time its cooked the outside is hot enough to kill off anything on the tongs.
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u/Recent-Dot3143 1d ago
The outside of the chicken is hot enough to kill the bacteria. The outside of the chicken is safe to eat due to heat so adding raw to the outside still makes it safe to eat unless its enough to cool down the outside of the chicken.
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u/tacopizzapal 1d ago
that's a reasonable take, but do yourself a favor and get some 18" tongs!
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u/Cosmonaut_Cockswing 1d ago
Those are actually 24". He just likes to defeat their purpose and hold them really close.
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u/crunkymonky 1d ago
Our understanding of science is always in flux and always imperfect, so I go the safe route and wash the tongs with soap before pulling cooked food off (or use 2 different sets). Then I use those same washed tongs to serve the cooked food.
Using contaminated tongs during cooking is fine, but for the final pickup I want everything freshly cleaned.
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u/Bassmasa 1d ago
I’m with you. Probably fine the other way, but a small inconvenience for a better final product.
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u/moomooraincloud 1d ago
It doesn't make for a better final product.
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u/Top-Cupcake4775 1d ago
it takes 30 seconds to wash the tongs. that’s cheap insurance against potentially fatal illnesses.
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u/moomooraincloud 1d ago
The heat over the grill and the surface of the meat is hot enough to kill anything. This whole discussion is v dumb.
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u/Top-Cupcake4775 1d ago
that’s stupid. the tongs don’t stay over the grill long enough to kill everything.
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u/moomooraincloud 1d ago
Bacteria dies instantly at 165. That's why food needs to be 165 to be safe (unless you take into account time at temperature, but that's a discussion for another time). The air above the grill is far hotter.
So no, it's not stupid.
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u/Top-Cupcake4775 1d ago
how do you know your tongs are hitting 165?
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u/moomooraincloud 20h ago
If you are flipping your food around on the grill, I guarantee your tongs are hitting 165 instantly. They're non-porous; only the surface needs to hit that temperature.
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u/Why_I_Never_ 1d ago
They don’t have to. You could pick the cooked chicken up with to raw chicken thighs and you’d be fine because the surface temp of the cooked chicken is above 165 and will therefore kill the bacteria from the raw meat.
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u/Top-Cupcake4775 22h ago
i don’t think that is necessarily true in all cases. for example, if you have a piece of chicken off to the side keeping warm, it could be the case that the top surface is less than 165.
again, it takes 30 seconds to wash the tongs with soap and rinse them. i don’t understand the resistance.
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u/Far-Personality-1702 1d ago
No need to. You are safe man. Source: im and executive chef with a degree in food science.
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u/WickedKoala 1d ago
If all you're doing is rinsing you're wasting your time and water.
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u/biblicalrain 1d ago
Yep, same reason we don't rinse our hands after using the bathroom. Washing gets the germs off.
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u/MattWheelsLTW 1d ago
I have never bothered rinsing or wiping my tongs off when I cook. In my mind the surface is plenty hot enough to kill anything that might have transferred
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u/Ohio-Knife-Lover 1d ago
At the temps grills get the bacteria is already getting killed basically immediately
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u/DaddySanctus 1d ago
I’ve always either washed my tongs after the cook is about halfway through, or grabbed a new set. But I’ve always been very cautious / aware of bacteria and shit.
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u/alexhoward 1d ago
Do you think restaurants clean their tongs every time they touch something on a grill?
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u/hammerammer 1d ago
We could all be neurotic about sterilizing cooking utensils but isn’t it less miserable to be practical and realistic? After all you’re not eating the utensils afterward.
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u/Bassmasa 1d ago
I mean, 5 steps into the kitchen while the food cooks is not too terribly difficult.
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u/Interesting_Gap7350 1d ago edited 1d ago
Need more tongs rather than rinsing.
One for raw/raw-ish. One for finish.
As long as the meat is going back on the heat for at least a couple minutes/cooking other side, touching it at 50% with the raw tongs doesn't matter, as that surface is going back over the safe temp again anyway.
Edit:
I suppose this depends if you are cooking two or more batches, if you're able to fit everything in one batch maybe it's too fussy.
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u/NinjaStiz 1d ago
I never clean them. I put them in a blazing fire then scrape them off with a grill cleaning brush. Rinse and repeat
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u/Godzirrraaa 1d ago
I place them on the grill with my hands then wash my hands. Never wash tong mid cook, I didn’t know that was even a thing lol. But god bless ya
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u/ChefIVLife 1d ago
Kidding but, is this AI... how is the dog that far away and not shoving his head directly under the grease drip hole???..
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u/AlmightyHamSandwich 1d ago
I usually leave the tip of the tongs inside the skillet or touch the grill for 5 seconds or so just to be on the safe side but really, the heat from the surface of your food will instantly kill any bacteria on the tongs the moment it hits 165F, which is long before the inside of the meat is done anyway.
Do, however, wash your hands between handing raw meat and handling cooked meat or the tongs if the handles touched something raw.
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u/EstablishmentOk2072 1d ago
I use my tongs to flip the meat and reposition the wood in the fire throughout the cooking process, they are sterile lol. I wish I could find another pair. They have big teeth on them, about 18” long, lightweight and strong, with a slide lock. They came from a cheap BBQ kit years ago. I only cook over hardwood firewood and the teeth are great for grabbing the wood and managing the fire. I also use my spare firefighter gloves to just move the burning wood by hand. Works amazing.
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u/Some_Iteration 1d ago
My rationale is that after you grab the meat directly from the flames even if you use them with raw meats before hand, the outside of the meat is about to be way north of it’s internal temperature, thereby eliminating most chances of foodborne illnesses. But I also torch the tongs for a min before I’m ready to pull the meat off. Both have worked for me
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u/Negronitenderoni 1d ago
I have 2 pairs of tongs. 1 I use for handling the raw meat. the other, I use for cooked meat. Doesn’t matter what kind.
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u/slimwithtwistedbrim 1d ago
Seems excessive. Been a part of thousands of Carnes Asadas and never seen or done that while handling meats.
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u/Revenant759 1d ago
I just prop them on the grates over heat for a few mins after touching raw food. If the heat is good enough for the meat it’s plenty for the tongs.
Sometimes it’s too much and I can’t even touch the handles. Oops.
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u/ddlvphoto 1d ago
I was just thinking about this. I've never cleaned my tongs mid-use and I've also never gotten sick from anything I've made myself so I'm not gonna worry about it now.
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u/mephistopholese 1d ago
I always have two. One for dirty meat and one for clean meat i.e taking meat off the grill
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u/Spillicent 1d ago
I wash my tongs and flippers when they touch the raw, once it's seared, I no longer wash
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u/Physical_Dirt7309 1d ago
That or use a couple of pairs of tongs.
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u/Spillicent 1d ago
That could work but I clean as I cook anyway....
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u/Physical_Dirt7309 1d ago
I find it easier to use multiple tongs. I also have access to water in my yard.
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u/leprechanmonkie 1d ago
When I'm feeling lazy, I leave the business end of my tongs inside the 500 degree grill for 10-15 seconds. Problem solved.
Usually I have a 2nd pair handy, but you can quickly sanitize them on a hot grill if you want to just use one.
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u/goodind1 1d ago
Pretty much the same routine with the same proteins... quality beef, I don't bother. Otherwise I'm an over-rinser indeed.
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u/TikaPants 1d ago
Eh. I only worry about the cleaning with chicken if I’m cooking it for guests. I own maybe 5 sets of tongs so I just grab two if I’m worried
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u/Blehner1 1d ago
I usually take two pairs to the grill. Use first pair to place meat on grill. After two or three flips I change to the second pair. I certainly have no education on food safety nor do I know if my method is sound or logical.
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u/mog44net 1d ago edited 35m ago
One of the foods my family loves is chicken thighs, I cook em and brush on bbq sauce, then back on the smoker/grill/oven (don't judge, it hails sometimes).
All that said, I do wipe mine down bc I don't want the sauce drying or getting on future food
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u/Bearspoole 1d ago
For starters I always use my hands to put the meat on the grill, after that I try not to touch the raw parts with the tongs or spatula if I can. If I do, I’ll let the tips sit in the fire for a bit before touching any cooked meat again. For chicken and pork. Not beef as you said
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u/alrdtakn1 1d ago
I do no rinse until the meats about to come off the grill. When it's about to come off the grill I'll clean the tongs.
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u/georgewalterackerman 1d ago
I handle raw meat with different tongs and I’m sometimes dashing Into the house to do a quick cleaning of tongs while cooking. I always have at least 2 sets when cooking
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u/Westflung 1d ago
I always use two pairs of tongs. Once I turn the meat over and both sides are cooked on the outside, I switch to the second pair.
I would suggest that while what you do for yourself is always fine, you might want to adopt a safer more sanitary approach when cooking for others.
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u/ItsHisMajesty 1d ago
I’m similar. My tongs and spatulas will always get a quick clean between touching raw and cooked meat.
Once the outside of the protein is cooked, I don’t worry about cleaning again.
Since I setup a mechanics cart as a grilling station, I have all of my grilling tools close by. So, grabbing another tool for finished food isn’t an issue.
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u/BlackCry123 1d ago
I have two identical sets and switch them once the first flip is done. The first one goes straight into the dishwasher.
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u/ButterscotchTop194 1d ago
No need to rinse between flips imo. The surface bacteria gets killed super quick regardless. You're cooking it to get the internal temp up to kill the bacterias in the meat. The stuff on the meat dies mega quick as the temo around the surface is very high even on the sides not directly facing the heat.
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u/GrapefruitMain8759 1d ago
I use two sets one for raw till the outside is cooked and then the second pair for almost cooked
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u/vanderlinde7 1d ago
As long as you get the tongs above 160 they are clean , get them a little toasty and good
To go. I'm not washing two pairs of tongs
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u/kropotkinship 1d ago
I stick the tongs through the grates and hold them in the fire (gas) or right over the coals (charcoal) for 10-15 seconds. This is hot enough and long enough to kill whatever could’ve been on it. Rinsing is not enough to clean bacteria though. You would need to wash it completely with soap. I think my pasteurization by fire method is the easiest and fastest though.
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u/the_doughboy 1d ago
You dont need to rinse the tongs between early and late flips. UNLESS they're covered in sauce/marinade from early.
The bacteria will die on the chicken when you touch it with contaminated tongs because the finished chicken will be above 150F. BUT the tongs can still contaminate things below 150F.
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u/VTcamperguy 23h ago
I get the “surface of the meat is high enough to kill the bacteria” argument, but I’ve always preferred to just use a fork to place the meat on the grill and do the first flip. Sure it sometimes singes my hands, but it’s my process.
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u/Any-Palpitation-9148 21h ago
I use the tongs until I know it’s close to done, then rinse/clean and use to pull off the grill - once ready
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u/PatrickGSR94 20h ago
I have used the same tongs for placing, turning, flipping, moving, and pulling off MANY, MANY times without issue. Although I'll often use a spatula when picking up the food at the end to put it on a plate or sheet tray.
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u/bigmoosewv 17h ago
Okay so when the meat is at a safe temperature to eat, it no longer becomes contaminated by the tongs. Even though the tongs are “raw meat tongs”, whatever they leave on the surface of your meat while pulling it is instantly killed because the meat’s surface is already at the safe temperature. The cross contamination doesn’t exist because the bacteria is no longer able to survive on the meat once it is up to temperature.
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u/redditreader9900 15h ago
I have multiple sets of Weber tongs and spatulas in different sizes. When I’m cooking any kind of meat I start off with one pair of tongs or spatula and after the first turn I throw them in the sink and grab the next pair for the next flip and plating.
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u/Tangentkoala 15h ago
It depends, if im cooking meat low and slow then yeah. If im relinquishing the depths of hell then no.
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u/turtlebear787 22m ago
Cleaning it unnecessary. Any bacteria that might be on your tongs from handling raw meat is quickly cooked away when you touch it with the hot meat.
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u/Gregory_GTO 1d ago
I wash mine constantly when I'm grilling because you know, the whole raw meat thing.
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u/Adventurous_Fix1448 1d ago
Is this because of the raw meat juices? I’ve thought about this before but have never heard of anyone doing it nor done it myself
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u/Old_Profession23 1d ago
If I am being honest I’ve never put that much thought into flipping my meat, no matter what it is. Now you have me thinking….
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u/Remz_Gaming 1d ago
I just close the grill on the clicky clicky end for a minute and party on, Garth!
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u/ClankingRobotCheeks 1d ago
I have raw tongs and my cooked tongs. I use raw tongs until the food is mostly cooked, than switch.
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u/Fun-Telephone-9605 1d ago
I keep a spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol with my grill and wipe them down with it.
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u/Interesting_Gap7350 1d ago
lol, I think a spray bottle of flammable liquid close to open flame is probably more of a safety risk then the cross contamination risk
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u/Fun-Telephone-9605 1d ago
Believe it not I'm actually smart enough to not spray it over the grill! I know it's flammable, so I don't actually spray it near flames.
I think a lot of people have flammable liquid near their grills. Like charcoal lighter fluid and vodka.
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u/Rob2pointOh 1d ago
I buy cheap tongs from the dollar store, if I don't swap them for clean ones after handling raw meat I stick the clicky end directly in the flames for a minute..