Cold Pressed Soap

Keeping food safe

If you follow the news about foodborne illnesses, you might wonder about the safety of our meats, fruits and vegetables.

There's good news and bad news. First, the bad: About 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Taken together, foodborne illnesses result in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths yearly.

Here's the good news: The majority of cases are mild, according to the CDC. Also, improper food handling causes many cases of foodborne illness. That means you can take steps to protect yourself, says Molly Hudson, a food-safety instructor in the Institute of Technology's culinary program in Clovis, Calif.

To minimize your chances of falling ill, we've collected these food-safety tips used in commercial kitchens.

Wash your hands often and properly. Wash them before preparing or serving food, and after touching raw meat, poultry, seafood and produce, Staebler says.

When washing hands, rub soap into them for 15 seconds before rinsing off, Hudson says. Washing your hands for that long "will kill the bacteria," she adds. "If you shorten that time frame, it only makes the bacteria stronger."

Also, if you wash your hands according to these guidelines, anti-bacterial soap is not necessary, she says.

Wash your fruits and veggies, but not your meats. The CDC recommends washing all produce under running water before prepping or eating. Use a brush to scrub off any stubborn dirt, Staebler says.

Keep the running water at about the same temperature as the produce, Hudson says. "Any severe change in temperature opens up the skin (of fruits and vegetables) and allows the bacteria to absorb into the skin."

By contrast, Hudson doesn't recommend washing meat, especially chicken.

"With chicken, there's a lot of salmonella," she says. "People rinse their chicken and they contaminate their sinks. All you're doing is spreading the salmonella around your kitchen."

If you cook meat to proper internal temperatures, the heat will kill salmonella that may have been on the surface.

Clean and sanitize. Here's a typical scenario: A home cook slices poultry or meat on a cutting board, transfers the meat to a plate, then washes the board with soap, water and a sponge before using it to chop vegetables. Does this prevent the spread of bacteria?

My Cold Process Soapmaking Tutorail

I get a lot of curious people downtown who want to know how to make old fashioned, cold process soap. So for anyone who is interested in what making soap is all about, here's an overview of the soapmaking process. It is not meant to be used as a tutorial. Because of the many dangers associated with soapmaking due to the use of lye and the plethora of information to be had, I recommend that you carefully research the process before starting out on your own. Details on where to obtain additional information will be included within this article. Soapmaking involves a chemical process in which sodium hydroxide (lye) reacts with oils to make soap. This process is called saponification. Because this process requires the use of lye, important safety precautions must be taken. Rubber gloves and safety glasses should be worn during the soapmaking process, and vinegar, which neutralizes the lye, should be kept on hand in case of an accidental spill or burn. In addition to the necessary safety equipment needed for the journey into making soap, there is other required equipment you'll need to get started. First and foremost you will need to acquire lye. Because without lye, there is no soap. You should be able to find lye in the plumbing section of your hardware store. I buy Roebic brand at Lowe's. The brand doesn't really matter, but it must say that it is 100% sodium hydroxide. You'll also need a large pot for mixing the soap. This can be any type of pot you like - I use my hubby's old beer making pot - as long as the pot is not aluminum. Lye reacts badly with aluminum so remember to never mix the two. You'll also need an accurate scale, I use a digital postal scale I purchased at Staples. And, you'll need a thermometer or two to measure the temps of your oils and lye solution as well. Additionally, you'll find that a stick blender is your best friend in making soap, and then of course there are the molds, soapmaking oils, and distilled water to be mixed with the lye. There are several types of molds you can use to create cold process soap. You can purchase tray molds that are basically hard plastic molds that will create numerous bars of soap at once. These molds should be marked suitable for cold process soapmaking since the soap gets very hot during the saponification process. You can also easily build a mold from wood, with a bottom and four sides. This type of mold will produce a log of soap that you would then cut into slices.

The soap maker's handbook of materials, processes and receipts for every description of soap ...

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