Skip to content
Artwork for Risky or Not?
ScienceLife SciencesHealth & Fitness

Risky or Not?

Don Schaffner and Ben Chapman

Risky or Not is a short podcast from Professor Ben Chapman from North Carolina State University, and Dr. Don Schaffner from Rutgers University. Dr. Don and Professor Chapman promise to do their best not to waffle, dither, dissemble or equivocate, and to give straight up answers about whether something is risky or not.

Play
  • 59 episodes
  • a few times a week
  • Avg 14 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • #1001
    Monday · 15 min

    1001. Eating Pasta Sauce Made With a Cursed Baseball

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating pasta sauce made with a cursed baseball. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Left Field | MLB.com: News Curse of the Billy Goat - Wikipedia This 3,200 Year Old Egyptian Cheese Is Cursed With a Deadly Pathogen Steve Bartman incident - Wikipedia (20+) Chicago Cubs HQ | Someone dressed up Steve Bartman | Facebook These 11 major leaguers don't wear batting gloves, preferring to grin and 'bare' it | FOX Sports Moisés Chiullán

  • #1000
    October 30 · 16 min

    1000. Baby-Stuffed Pumpkin

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from placing a baby in a pumpkin. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 halloween - Risky or Not? Ma Nishtana - Wikipedia Facebook post Doctors warn pumpkin patches could pose salmonella risk, especially for young children | Local News | local3news.com Eurosurveillance | Nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis linked to consumption of pumpkin seeds, France, 2026 Survival of Salmonella during Production of Partially Sprouted Pumpkin, Sunflower, and Chia Seeds Dried for Direct Consumption - ScienceDirect Starting from this episode we will only post once a week. We both love doing the show, but we need time for other (less fun) administrative tasks.

  • #999
    October 28 · 18 min

    999. Washing Produce With the Sticker On

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from washing produce without first removing the sticker. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 banana - Risky or Not? Microbiological safety evaluations and recommendations on fresh produce - ScienceDirect - C. De Roever Microbiological safety evaluations and recommendations on fresh produce - ScienceDirect - National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods Natural-Light Labeling of Tomatoes Does Not Facilitate Growth or Penetration of Salmonellainto the Fruit - ScienceDirect CO2 Laser-labeling on Fresh Produce: Evaluating Postharvest Quality, Microbial Safety, and Economic Analysis - ScienceDirect

  • #998
    October 26 · 16 min

    998. Eating Off Dishes Washed by a Scrub Brush Previously Used to Wash Raw Chicken Dishes

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating off dishes washed by a scrub brush previously used to wash raw chicken dishes, with no sanitation step in between. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Natural Tampico Fiber — Caddy Supply Company The survival of foodborne pathogens during domestic washing-up and subsequent transfer onto washing-up sponges, kitchen surfaces and food - ScienceDirect Quantifying the Effect of Hand Wash Duration, Soap Use, Ground Beef Debris, and Drying Methods on the Removal of Enterobacter aerogenes on Hands - ScienceDirect

  • #997
    October 23 · 8 min

    997. Cutting Carrots With Your Mouth for a Slow Cooker Meal

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from "cutting" carrots with your mouth for a slow cooker meal. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Instagram The Kingsmen - Louie Louie - YouTube 'Louie Louie': The story behind the song everyone knows but no one understands : NPR

  • #996
    October 21 · 18 min

    996. Two Decade Old Fish Sauce

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating two decade old fish sauce. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - risky ☣️ Let Me And A Food Scientist Sample The Abandoned Fish Sauce Terrorizing A Small Canadian Town | Defector Gordon Lightfoot - Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald (Official Audio) - YouTube Saint Pierre and Miquelon - Wikipedia Saint Pierre and Miquelon in France - Saint Pierre and Miquelon - Wikipedia Newfoundland and Labrador - Wikipedia Homemade Fish Sauce – Fermenters Club About | Mendo Food Consulting FISH SAUCE PRODUCTS AND MANUFACTURING: A REVIEW: Food Reviews International: Vol 17 , No 1 - Get Access Food Safety Myths You Need To Stop Believing, According To An Expert

  • #995
    October 19 · 13 min

    995. Canning Corn in Hand-Soldered Tins

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating canned corn in hand-soldered tins. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - risky ☣️ To Can Corn (soldered tins) — Don't Cook That Synergistic Inactivation of Spores of Proteolytic Clostridium botulinum Strains by High Pressure and Heat Is Strain and Product Dependent - PMC heat resistance of the spores of B. botulinus and allied anaerobes. XI | The Journal of Infectious Diseases | Oxford Academic Food Safety Talk 319: I'm Feeling Botchy Today — Food Safety Talk

  • #994
    October 16 · 13 min

    994. Reheated Buffalo Wings That Fell Into a Clean Sink

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating reheated Buffalo wings that fell into a clean sink. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 hockey - Risky or Not? The Rise & Fall … & Rise of Midget Hockey - Total Package Hockey MYHockey Rankings - MYHockey Minor ice hockey - Wikipedia Warren Zevon – Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song) Lyrics | Genius Lyrics North Carolina 16U Rankings - MYHockey Rutgers Researchers Debunk 'Five-Second Rule': Eating Food off the Floor Isn't Safe | Rutgers University Longer Contact Times Increase Cross-Contamination of Enterobacter aerogenes from Surfaces to Food - PubMed

  • #993
    October 14 · 26 min

    993. Cooking Stuffing in a Turkey Without a Thermometer

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from cooking stuffing in a turkey without a thermometer. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - risky ☣️ Thanksgiving (Canada) - Wikipedia Texas Environmental Health Association Stuffing and Food Safety | Food Safety and Inspection Service Turkey Basics: Stuffing | Food Safety and Inspection Service Stuffing the turkey and other Thanksgiving food-safety mistakes | Penn State University Stuffing Your Turkey Could Make You Sick—Here's What Our Editors Do Instead

  • #992
    October 12 · 11 min

    992. Wegman's Deli Meat and Cheese Left on the Counter for 10 Hours

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks to a teenage boy from consuming deli meat and cheese left on the counter for 10 hours Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼| Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Wegmans Oven Roasted Off The Bone Turkey Breast | Wegmans ComBase Retail Deli Slicer Inspection Practices: An EHS-Net Study Retail Deli Slicer Inspection Practices: An EHS-Net Study - PMC

  • #991
    October 9 · 11 min

    991. Toothpaste From Kristin's Split Toothpaste Tube

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using toothpaste that came from a tube split during the packaging process. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Contents of toothpaste - safety implications - Australian Prescriber US7135163B2 - Prevention of crystal formation in toothpaste - Google Patents Antimicrobial Efficacy of Different Toothpastes and Mouthrinses: An In Vitro Study - PMC Antimicrobial Effect of Newly Formulated Toothpastes and a Mouthrinse on Specific Microorganisms: An In Vitro Study - PMC

  • #990
    October 7 · 17 min

    990. Bacon With a Pinhole Leak in the Package

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating bacon with a pinhole leak in the package. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Great Value Hickory Smoked Sliced Bacon, 12 oz Naturally Smoked Pork Bacon Slices - Walmart.com Bacon Prices Set to Surge Anew in Threat to More Meat Inflation - Bloomberg Use of Optical Oxygen Sensors in Non-Destructively Determining the Levels of Oxygen Present in Combined Vacuum and Modified Atmosphere Packaged Pre-Cooked Convenience-Style Foods and the Use of Ethanol Emitters to Extend Product Shelf-Life Bacon and Food Safety | Food Safety and Inspection Service Toss Your Bacon Immediately If You Notice These Signs Bacon Method Accidental Tech Podcast

  • #989
    October 5 · 9 min

    989. Eating Re-cooked Store Bought Lasagna Left Out Over Night

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - risky ☣️ Fulminant Bacillus cereus food poisoning with fatal multi-organ failure | BMJ Case Reports Predictive Model for Growth of Bacillus cereus at Temperatures Applicable to Cooling of Cooked Pasta - Juneja - 2019 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library Heat-stable toxin production by strains of Bacillus cereus, Bacillus firmus, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus simplex and Bacillus licheniformis | FEMS Microbiology Letters | Oxford Academic

  • #988
    October 2 · 14 min

    988. Consuming or Preparing Vichy Squirrel

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from consuming or preparing Vichy squirrel. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - risky ☣️ Vichy - Wikipedia Mortar and pestle - Wikipedia Monty Python - The French Taunter - HD WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES - YouTube Native and introduced squirrels in Italy host different Cryptosporidium spp. - ScienceDirect A Peek into the Bacterial Microbiome of the Eurasian Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) What Diseases Can Squirrels Carry? - Varmint Gone All About Squirrels: 6 Common Questions - Waltham Pest Services Bucknell University EHS/Risk Compliance Guide Eastern Grey Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis)

  • September 30 · 16 min

    987. Ant Yogurt

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating ant yogurt. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - risky ☣️ Rob Dunn | Applied Ecology Making yogurt with the ant holobiont uncovers bacteria, acids, and enzymes for food fermentation: iScience Ant Yogurt Is a Traditional Recipe That Crawls on 6 Legs - The New York Times

  • #986
    September 28 · 18 min

    986. Eating an Unopened Package of Live It Up® Super Greens That Was Recalled Due to Potential Salmonella Contamination

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating Super Greens recalled for Salmonella contamination. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - risky ☣️ Actual distribution of Cronobacter spp. in industrial batches of powdered infant formula and consequences for performance of sampling strategies - ScienceDirect Superfoods Inc. dba Live it Up. Recalls Live it Up Super Greens Because of Possible Health Risk | FDA Survival of Salmonella enterica in Military Low-Moisture Food Products during Long-Term Storage at 4, 25, and 40°C - ScienceDirect Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Moringa Leaf Powder | Salmonella Infection | CDC Models for factors influencing pathogen survival in low water activity foods from literature data are highly significant but show large unexplained variance - ScienceDirect Live it Up | Natural Nutrition That Fits Your Life What kind of probiotics are in Super Greens?

  • #985
    September 25 · 11 min

    985. Eating Untouched Leftovers From the Previous Patron at a Restaurant

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating apparently untouched leftovers from a previous patron at an outdoor restaurant. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 An Outbreak of staphylococcal food poisoning in a commercially catered buffet | Communicable Diseases Intelligence An Outbreak of gastroenteritis linked to a buffet lunch served at a Canberra restaurant | Communicable Diseases Intelligence A cohort study investigating a point source outbreak of Clostridium perfringens associated with consumption of roasted meat and gravy at a buffet on Mothering Sunday 2018, South West, England - ScienceDirect Mothering Sunday - Wikipedia Bank of Canada unveils new vertical $20 bill featuring King Charles | CBC News

  • #984
    September 23 · 13 min

    984. Sharing a Tissue With a Dog

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using a tissue used for a dog (but not for a big snot glob). Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Bacterial microbiome of the nose of healthy dogs and dogs with nasal disease | PLOS One The Surprising Reason Your Nose Runs When You Eat | Banner Is Kennel Cough Contagious to Humans: Symptoms and Treatment Review of bacterial and viral zoonotic infections transmitted by dogs - PMC About Dog Flu | Influenza in Animals | CDC Elton John - Bennie And The Jets (Official Music Video) - YouTube Enteric Campylobacteriosis in Animals - Digestive System - Merck Veterinary Manual

  • #983
    September 21 · 18 min

    983. Reheating Milk From Nespresso Aeroccino Left in the Refrigerator for a Few Days

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from reheating milk from Nespresso Aeroccino left in the refrigerator for a few days. Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼 Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼 Amazon.com: TASSIMO Single Serve Coffeemaker, T45: Single Serve Brewing Machines: Home & Kitchen Nespresso Aeroccino Milk Frother Black : Target Amazon.com: Baratza Virtuoso - Conical Burr Coffee Grinder : Home & Kitchen Development of Molecular Typing Methods for Bacillus spp. and Paenibacillus spp. Isolated from Fluid Milk Products - Durak - 2006 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library Ebay - Nespresso Aeroccino 3 Milk Frother Black Model 3594 - Open Box Tyndallization - Wikipedia

  • #982
    September 18 · 19 min

    982. Casey's Leftover Tailgate Mac and Cheese

    Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating Casey's* Leftover Tailgate Mac and Cheese. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - risky ☣️ Food Safety Talk 254: Bridge-Tunnel-Bridge-Tunnel — Food Safety Talk Accidental Tech Podcast Is you taking notes? 😂 (The Wire) #stringerbell #thewire #youtubeshorts - YouTube Emetic food poisoning caused by Bacillus cereus - PubMed https://www.co.monmouth.nj.us/documents/118/TimeasaPublicHealthControlApplication1.pdf Cheese sauce linked to Clostridium perfringens outbreak | Food Safety News The Worst Person in the World - Wikipedia * who the hell is that guy in the middle of the image? No seriously, that's not Casey. I mean, the other two are recognizable as vaguely Marco and vaguely John, but that guy in the middle?

Showing 1–20 of 59 episodes