A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

ChatGPT image description: A food microbiologist in a lab coat, gloves, and mask carefully examines a caramel apple removed from a mailed package. The apple is wrapped in plastic and studded with nuts. The scientist’s furrowed brow and cautious posture convey concern about the apple’s safety.

895. Caramel Apple That's Been Shipped Priority Mail

February 27, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating a candied or caramel apple that's been shipped priority mail.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

Growth of Listeria monocytogenes within a Caramel-Coated Apple Microenvironment | mBio
Fate of Listeria monocytogenes in Fresh Apples and Caramel Apples - ScienceDirect
Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Commercially Produced, Prepackaged Caramel Apples Made from Bidart Bros. Apples | Listeria | CDC
Listeria and candied and caramel-coated apples | UMN Extension
Gourmet Candy Apples | Kandy Apples by K | Raleigh

ChatGPT image description: A grinning old-time criminal in a black eye mask and striped prison uniform stands behind a pizza counter, slicing and serving pizza. The vintage pizzeria setting includes stacked boxes, condiments, and a retro sign, creating a playful, anachronistic scene where a cartoonish outlaw works as a pizza seller.

894. Pizza Sold by a Person That Broke Into the Restaurant

February 25, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from Eating pizza sold by a person that broke into a pizza restaurant.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Image description: The actual gummy bear in question.

893. Eating an Opened Two-Year-Old 5-Pound Gummy Bear

February 23, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating an opened two-year-old 5-pound gummy bear,

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A grimy warehouse storage area packed with assorted packaged foods sits under severe insanitary conditions. Open bags, jars, and boxes are stacked haphazardly amid rodent droppings, spilled food, and debris. Rats and pigeons are visible among contaminated products, suggesting serious food safety risks. (Note that this is NOT the actual warehouse).

892. Food From a Distribution Center With a Class II Recall

February 20, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from food from a distribution center with a class II recall

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A person lowers a vacuum-sealed bag of raw meat seasoned with fresh garlic, herbs, and spices into a stainless-steel sous vide water bath. The clear plastic shows garlic cloves and rosemary against the meat, while a digital immersion circulator maintains a precise low cooking temperature. (Note that ChatGPT picked the temperature with no input from me).

891. Using Fresh Garlic in Sous Vide Cooking

February 18, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using fresh garlic in sous vide cooking.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: Two bearded, leather-clad bikers crouch over a battered pot, poaching eggs in murky, trash-filled water. Steam rises as grimy hands crack eggs, motorcycles looming behind them in a rough, unsanitary outdoor scene.

890. Hairy Bikers Poached Eggs in Dirty Water

February 16, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using the Hairy Bikers egg poaching method.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A person in a beige apron uses a spatula to scoop glossy, melted chocolate from a stainless steel fondue fountain into a mason jar. Thick chocolate drips down the tiers as the jar fills, suggesting the chocolate is being carefully saved for reuse later.

889. Re-Using Chocolate From a Chocolate Fondue Fountain

February 13, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from re-using chocolate from a chocolate fondue fountain.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A blindfolded woman stands just outside a kitchen, smiling confidently while holding a sign that reads “COOKED.” Steam rises from a pan behind her, suggesting food on the stove. Though she can’t see, the aroma convinces her the meal is properly cooked.

888. Using Smell to Determine When a Food Is Safely Cooked

February 11, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using smell to determine when a food is safely cooked.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

887. Four Year Expired Beef Jerky From a Safe at the Bottom of the Ocean

February 09, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating four year expired beef jerky from a safe at the bottom of the ocean.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Mystery over safe with beef jerky inside recovered from Shark Bay's ocean floor - ABC News

A cheerful group of adults gathers outdoors beneath string lights and a “Pickle Party!” banner, laughing and sharing jars and dishes of colorful pickled foods. A long wooden table overflows with pickled cucumbers, beets, carrots, eggs, and other vegetables, creating a festive, communal atmosphere.

886. Attending a Pickle Party

February 06, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from attending a pickle party.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

A person in a cozy sweater pours sweetened condensed milk into a wooden bowl filled with fresh snow, stirring gently. The scene is set on a warm kitchen countertop with vanilla, milk, sugar, and colorful sprinkles nearby, capturing the nostalgic process of making snow cream indoors.

885. Snowcream

February 04, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from snowcream.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

A screened porch in winter doubles as an improvised refrigerator. Snow-covered trees are visible outside while tables, shelves, and coolers inside hold milk, drinks, produce, jars, and prepared foods. String lights add warmth, contrasting the cold December air of upstate New York.

884. Using a Screen Porch as a Refrigerator in December in Upstate New York

February 02, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using a screen porch as a refrigerator in December in upstate New York.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A clear plastic wine-style bottle filled with pale yellow eggnog stands against a white background. Its label reads “White Wine,” crudely crossed out with black marker, with “eggnog” handwritten underneath in red, giving the bottle a humorous, improvised appearance.

883. Eggnog in a Plastic Wine Bottle

January 30, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eggnog commercially sold in a plastic wine bottle.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

10 of the Best Finger Lakes Wineries You Must Visit

ChatGPT image description: An epidemiologist wearing protective clothing peers into an open home refrigerator with an icemaker in the door, closely inspecting surfaces for contamination. Holding a magnifying glass and a petri dish with visible bacterial colonies, they carefully examine the fridge’s interior and stored food.

882. Ice From the Automatic Ice Maker in a Home Freezer

January 28, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from a home automatic ice maker ice.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: Two identical versions of the same gray-haired, bespectacled man face each other, pointing accusingly. Between them sits a sealed brick of old coffee. Their exaggerated expressions echo the Spider-Man pointing meme, humorously suggesting confusion or self-comparison over the aging coffee.

881. 40 Year Old Dry Aged Coffee

January 26, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming 40 year old dry aged coffee.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A dusty, upright wine bottle with a faded, stained label marked “1979” stands on a wooden surface. The wine inside appears pale and brownish, suggesting oxidation from age and light exposure. The cork and glass look worn, giving the bottle a tired, washed-out appearance.

880. Improperly Stored 44 Year Old Wine

January 23, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming 44 year old wine stored upright.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A mason jar of homemade eggnog sits on a wooden surface, its contents visibly separated after two years in the refrigerator. Pale liquid floats above a dense brown sediment. Condensation dots the glass, and a handwritten label reads “Eggnog (2 years old),” giving the scene an unsettling, festive decay.

879. Homemade Egg Nog Over 2 Years Old

January 21, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of drinking homemade egg nog over 2 years old-

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A coffee barista in a café places a white plastic scoop into a countertop sanitizing box. The open box emits a purple-blue light, illuminating the scoop’s surface. Stainless steel counters and blurred coffee equipment in the background suggest a clean, professional coffee bar setting.

878. Not UV Sterilizing Coffee Scoop After Use

January 19, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of not UV sterilizing coffee scoop after use.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Image description: Actual picture of Fonte Mourisca (Moorish Fountain), note the small sign which says "água não controlada".

877. One Liter of Water From an "Uncontrolled" Sintra Portugal Water Fountain

January 16, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from drinking water from an "uncontrolled" Sintra Portugal water fountain.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

ChatGPT image description: An illustrated instructional diagram titled “How to Use a French Press” shows a circular process: add ground coffee, add hot water, press and brew, then rinse and clean. Arrows emphasize repetition, humorously suggesting the cycle of brewing coffee and cleaning the French press over and over.

876. Continuously Reusing an Unwashed French Press for Coffee and Tea

January 14, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from continuously reusing an unwashed french press for coffee and tea.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼