With all the concern about this month's E. coli outbreak caused by fresh spinach, I have been operating under the assumption that one should avoid all spinach both cooked and raw. Given my meat intake, avoiding Popeye's favorite veggie in all its forms is no big deal for me.I was ordering dinner at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants the other night when I found myself craving some greens to go with my short ribs. Without a second thought, I asked the waiter for a side of baby spinach with garlic. As he returned to the kitchen it dawned on me that I had ordered greens that might be harboring E. coli. Rather than change my order, I threw caution to the wind. The bright green baby spinach leaves studded through with tiny pieces of garlic and sitting atop a shallow pool of their cooking liquid were delicious.
As I walked home I was more than a little concerned that I might fall ill with cramps and perhaps worse. As you may now have guessed nothing of the sort occurred. The reason, as I just learned from an article in The Boston Globe this morning is that cooking destroys E. coli in spinach. So eat your greens with gusto, as long as they're cooked, that is.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-25-2006 @ 4:02PM
B said...
Just be sure to cook it thoroughly.
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9-25-2006 @ 4:13PM
TheMatt said...
I have to ask, why don't they just use cobalt-60 to irradiate the spinach? I'm pretty sure none of the E. coli will survive it.
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9-25-2006 @ 4:17PM
Punisher2K said...
"Are you avoiding cooked spinach?"
Yeah, because it stinks and I don't like it.
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9-25-2006 @ 4:40PM
Dmnkly said...
I'm not avoiding it at all.
Roughly 100 infections across 19 states still means that the drive home is by far the most dangerous part of dinner, I believe... though I'm sure somebody's crunched the numbers on that.
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9-25-2006 @ 4:40PM
Peter said...
Yes. Why take the chance? There are plenty of other vegetables to eat.
I was on vacation last week and every entree that included spinach was being replaced with something else (usually broccoli rabe).
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9-25-2006 @ 4:51PM
Mia said...
Oh my gosh thanks for the link. I'm pregnant and have had cravings for spinach, and then all this recall stuff happened. I've been watching the news wondering when it will be safe to eat it again. THANKS!
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9-25-2006 @ 4:52PM
Villarreal said...
Yes you can irradiate it, but its a very expensive method compared to using a sanitizer and it can become risky if radiation is not meticulously controlled.
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9-25-2006 @ 5:00PM
guest1234567 said...
The FDA has already stated that cooking fresh spinach will not get rid of any e-coli, because it is in the cells and got there probably from growing in soil that was fertilized in manure. Growing leafy foods in manure is categorized as a bad agricultual practice.
If you want spinach, buy it frozen or canned.
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9-25-2006 @ 6:00PM
Spitzmaus said...
Like Dmnkly, I'm not avoiding spinach either -- but I *am* careful in that I only buy produce from trusted vendors at my local farmers' market. In any given year, thousands of cases of e-coli are reported, almost none of which result in liver failure/death. Agreeing with Dmnkly again, the odds of dying during one's daily commute are astronomical compared to succumbing to e-coli infection; indeed, influenza is far more lethal, routinely killing upwards of 35,000 yearly. Proceed with caution, yes, but don't run screaming naked in the street. And KNOW YOUR FOOD SOURCES!
As to canned spinach, which someone else mentioned, the less said the better . . .
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9-25-2006 @ 6:40PM
Dmnkly said...
"the odds of dying during one's daily commute are astronomical compared to succumbing to e-coli infection"
Heh... I did once take a friend to task for this. She was a pack a day smoker, but ordered all of her burgers "burnt to a crisp" because she feared e coli. And I wonder how many of those who are currently avoiding spinach like the plague don't think twice about licking the bowl after mixing up a batch of cookie dough (which I also do... with gusto :-)
I don't mean to suggest food safety isn't extremely important... it absolutely is. But every day, I feel more and more as though a short unit on risk assessment in schools would do wonders. I think the one good thing that has come out of the recent hubbub is that many people who previously thought food poisoning was exclusive to raw oysters, eggs and undercooked hamburger are learning that this couldn't be further from the truth. There are inherent risks in eating just about anything. Thankfully, said risks are very, very, very small... even amidst a sensationalized outbreak.
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9-25-2006 @ 7:57PM
itsme said...
Cooking does kill the bacteria, but the concern is in the washing and handling of the spinach. The bacteria spreads as you handle the raw spinach/try to wash it. Just be sure to wash your hands and anything that the spinach/wash-water touches very thoroughly!
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9-26-2006 @ 8:34AM
Punisher2K said...
We live in such a zip-lock bag germ free world anymore that the slightest thing can kill us.
When you were a kid, do you remember ANYONE dying from a peanut allergy? No. Why? Because back then processing plants did everything in the same machine. The result was small quantities of peanut oil made it into many many foods. A tolerance was built up. The FDA, in it's attempt to "protect" people, made them use seperate equipment causing more people to die then anything.
Eggs are another example. Because the FDA requires them cleaned buffed and polished they must be kept refrigerated. Across the pond they don't was the eggs so the natural seal isn't broken.
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9-26-2006 @ 10:29AM
MJ said...
Yes i am !!! They said throw it out! Cooking will not kill it and you cant wash it enough. Use frozen spinch they said or canned. Me I m stying clear for a good while. Do you not realize how many people got sick and will have long term health problems? This was really serious and they had I beleieve 1 death and a few more cases i heard yesterday. Better safe than sorry, this is not a litte thing. Lord there are other things to eat dear ones........your a foodie I know.......... LOL.. I miss creamed spinach! Be safe all!!!
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9-26-2006 @ 4:59PM
kathryn said...
I thought the problems were only with pre-packaged spinach and that it was a food processing hygiene issue? While I know the FDA has made a blanket statement about avoiding spinach, my understanding is that the presence of e. coli is because of incorrect safety procedures during harvesting and processing. Contaminated spinach is then put in a bag, which is a wonderful breeding ground for the little critters, which leads to the problems.
This does not apply to fresh spinach, which you buy in a bunch and and store, wash and handle yourself.
There's a good article on this issue at chez pim: http://chezpim.typepad.com/blogs/2006/09/spinach.html
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9-27-2006 @ 1:59PM
angelique said...
I haven't had a choice to avoid it or not. There isn't a grocery store in the area selling it, bagged or loose, and restaurants have pulled it off the menu. I'm hoping that I can get some locally grown next weekend at a farmer's market. Now that they know the source of the contamination, I'm okay buying the local produce since I'm on the other side of the country.
I did throw some packed spinach away when the story first hit. The way I understood it is that the particular strain of e coli is particularly hardy. It survives things that most of its cousins don't, like stomach acid. I try to be safe about food, but I've never been hysterical. I like rare burgers and raw oysters. But this gave me pause. This wasn't a bunch of people with upset tummys..people were loosing kidney function facing life-altering consequences. The chances always seem astronomical when you're not the one on a slab.
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