Don't they wash those apples?
http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Friday, December 19, 2014 2:19:03 PM UTC-8, sf wrote:
> Don't they wash those apples?
> http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths
>

I suspect those were windfalls that pickers put in their boxes anyways.

On 12/19/2014 6:09 PM, wrote:
> On Friday, December 19, 2014 2:19:03 PM UTC-8, sf wrote:
>> Don't they wash those apples?
>> http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths
>>
>
> I suspect those were windfalls that pickers put in their boxes anyways.

Right. Still, drops or not, they should have been washed.

I have bought some expensive pre-made caramel apples by mail.
You like to think they were washed before the other stuff is
added.

nancy

On 2014-12-19 23:43:06 +0000, Nancy Young said:

> On 12/19/2014 6:09 PM, wrote:
>> On Friday, December 19, 2014 2:19:03 PM UTC-8, sf wrote:
>>> Don't they wash those apples?
>>> http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths
>>>
>>
>> I suspect those were windfalls that pickers put in their boxes anyways.
>
> Right. Still, drops or not, they should have been washed.
>
> I have bought some expensive pre-made caramel apples by mail.
> You like to think they were washed before the other stuff is
> added.
>
> nancy

Can you wash away all traces of a bacteria? Somehow I doubt it.

Everything is a risk.

On 12/19/2014 9:28 PM, Oregonian Haruspex wrote:
> On 2014-12-19 23:43:06 +0000, Nancy Young said:

>> Right. Still, drops or not, they should have been washed.
>>
>> I have bought some expensive pre-made caramel apples by mail.
>> You like to think they were washed before the other stuff is
>> added.

> Can you wash away all traces of a bacteria? Somehow I doubt it.
>
> Everything is a risk.

Of course, but there shouldn't be several people dying from
eating a product. Can't say as I wash apples that I buy all
that carefully, and I don't hear about people routinely getting
very ill from eating them, either.

But I'd expect a commercial place to be putting the apples
through a bath of some sort that would kill germs before processing
them. Otherwise we'd be hearing a lot more stories like that apple
juice business, and these caramel apples.

nancy

On 12/19/2014 9:44 PM, Nancy Young wrote:

>
> But I'd expect a commercial place to be putting the apples
> through a bath of some sort that would kill germs before processing
> them. Otherwise we'd be hearing a lot more stories like that apple
> juice business, and these caramel apples.
>
> nancy

I saw how they are made on Food Factory. The apples had a couple of
cleanings. Maybe this outfit took a shortcut or the bacteria was
introduced at a later point. Plenty of possibilities.

In article >,
says...
>
> On 2014-12-19 23:43:06 +0000, Nancy Young said:
>
> > On 12/19/2014 6:09 PM, wrote:
> >> On Friday, December 19, 2014 2:19:03 PM UTC-8, sf wrote:
> >>> Don't they wash those apples?
> >>> http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths
> >>>
> >>
> >> I suspect those were windfalls that pickers put in their boxes anyways.
> >
> > Right. Still, drops or not, they should have been washed.
> >
> > I have bought some expensive pre-made caramel apples by mail.
> > You like to think they were washed before the other stuff is
> > added.
> >
> > nancy
>
> Can you wash away all traces of a bacteria? Somehow I doubt it.
>
> Everything is a risk.

Listeria is easily killed by heat. If you're making toffee apples the
trad way by dipping them in boiling sugar at caramelisation
temperature, that should kill any bacteria on the apple skin.


Janet UK

On Sat, 20 Dec 2014 11:26:14 -0000, Janet > wrote:



>
> Listeria is easily killed by heat. If you're making toffee apples the
>trad way by dipping them in boiling sugar at caramelisation
>temperature, that should kill any bacteria on the apple skin.
>
>
> Janet UK

At caramelization temperature of 338 degrees, yes, but I'm sure the
coating is applied to a soft caramel that may be at a lower
temperature.

Pasteurization occurs at 72C or 161F.

The potential problem is the shape of the apple and the stick. The
stick is inserted in the stem end of the raw apple. It can literally
inject the bacteria tot he inside. Next is the shape of the apple at
the ends. The thick caramel could leave an air pocked and not heat it
to 161 degrees in that spot.

On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:18:57 -0800, sf > wrote:

>
>Don't they wash those apples?
>http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths

I gather from the article that the caramel is the problem. 'Cause the
CDC says to continue eating apples.
Janet US

On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 18:12:52 -0700, Janet B >
wrote:

> On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:18:57 -0800, sf > wrote:
>
> >
> >Don't they wash those apples?
> >http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths
>
> I gather from the article that the caramel is the problem. 'Cause the
> CDC says to continue eating apples.
> Janet US

It says: "He said there is no reason at this point to stop eating
plain apples or other caramel products" - which doesn't explain the
caramel apple product problem.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Friday, December 19, 2014 5:19:03 PM UTC-5, sf wrote:
> Don't they wash those apples?
> http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths

My wife got an alert from a candy trade organization about this yesterday. They were recommending pulling all caramel apples from the shelves. Of course, she makes her own caramel and doesn't buy prepackaged caramel apples for her store, and she's sold out of caramel apples anyway.

I'm guessing this will trace back to some particular processing plant, probably down to a specific machine. Is it going to be the caramel or the apples? Apples seem more likely, but it might be some packaging machine that was contaminated.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, VA

On Sat, 20 Dec 2014 06:36:10 -0800 (PST), "
> wrote:

> On Friday, December 19, 2014 5:19:03 PM UTC-5, sf wrote:
> > Don't they wash those apples?
> > http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths
>
> My wife got an alert from a candy trade organization about this yesterday. They were recommending pulling all caramel apples from the shelves. Of course, she makes her own caramel and doesn't buy prepackaged caramel apples for her store, and she's sold out of caramel apples anyway.

All this talk about caramel apples has me jonesing for one now. I
pretty much stopped buying them after they soared past $5 for the hand
dipped candy store variety. How much does your wife charge for the
plain one? As much as I love them, it's just an apple with sweet
brown sticky stuff on it and a few nuts if you want to pony up a
little more.
>
> I'm guessing this will trace back to some particular processing plant, probably down to a specific machine. Is it going to be the caramel or the apples? Apples seem more likely, but it might be some packaging machine that was contaminated.
>
I hope they figure it out, but I'm pretty sure nothing will be
concluded and the situation will just quietly fade away. That's the
usual scenario.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Saturday, December 20, 2014 12:03:43 PM UTC-5, sf wrote:
> On Sat, 20 Dec 2014 06:36:10 -0800 (PST), "
> All this talk about caramel apples has me jonesing for one now. I
> pretty much stopped buying them after they soared past $5 for the hand
> dipped candy store variety. How much does your wife charge for the
> plain one? As much as I love them, it's just an apple with sweet
> brown sticky stuff on it and a few nuts if you want to pony up a
> little more.

It varies because she charges by weight. $5 is about right for big ones. Smaller ones are like $3.50 or so. Of course the more "stuff" the more weight.

> > I'm guessing this will trace back to some particular processing plant,
> >
> I hope they figure it out, but I'm pretty sure nothing will be
> concluded and the situation will just quietly fade away. That's the
> usual scenario.

Oh the CDC and Dept. of Agriculture will almost certainly come to a conclusion. Just because the mainstream media doesn't mention it, doesn't mean they didn't figure it out. The trade publications will cover it.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, VA

On Sat, 20 Dec 2014 11:26:00 -0800 (PST), "
> wrote:

Thanks for the response.
> > >
> > I hope they figure it out, but I'm pretty sure nothing will be
> > concluded and the situation will just quietly fade away. That's the
> > usual scenario.
>
> Oh the CDC and Dept. of Agriculture will almost certainly come to a conclusion. Just because the mainstream media doesn't mention it, doesn't mean they didn't figure it out. The trade publications will cover it.
>
If you ever see the conclusion mentioned in a trade magazine, would
you please let us know? I'm curious.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Friday, December 19, 2014 5:19:03 PM UTC-5, sf wrote:
> Don't they wash those apples?
> http://wn.ktvu.com/story/276713

I've never had one. I always wondered what kept the apple from turning rotten under all that coating.

And yet, Mrs. Prindabble's seen to sell well on QVC over the years.

On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 18:23:29 -0400, wrote:

> On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:18:57 -0800, sf > wrote:
>
> >
> >Don't they wash those apples?
> >http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths
>
> That's definitely something you make yourself - can't imagine buying
> them ~

I have seen them premade - all year long, so somebody is buying them.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Friday, December 19, 2014 2:23:35 PM UTC-8, wrote:
> On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:18:57 -0800, sf > wrote:
>
> >
> >Don't they wash those apples?
> >http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths
>
> That's definitely something you make yourself - can't imagine buying
> them ~

Very big when I was a kid:

http://www.affytapple.com/

On 12/19/2014 5:23 PM, wrote:
> On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:18:57 -0800, sf > wrote:
>
>>
>> Don't they wash those apples?
>> http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths
>
> That's definitely something you make yourself - can't imagine buying
> them ~
>

I eat one every two years. Can't imagine making one apple.

On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 23:26:31 -0500, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On 12/19/2014 5:23 PM, wrote:
> > On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:18:57 -0800, sf > wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> Don't they wash those apples?
> >> http://wn.ktvu.com/story/27671390/pr...ed-to-5-deaths
> >
> > That's definitely something you make yourself - can't imagine buying
> > them ~
> >
>
> I eat one every two years. Can't imagine making one apple.

Me either. I made my own caramel when I make caramel apples and doing
all that just for one is silly.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room