Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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Golden cookie-style lemon bars with glistening lemon curd sit on a rustic surface. Their edges are slightly dry and cracked, showing signs of age, yet they still look rich and tempting. The vibrant yellow curd contrasts beautifully with the soft, crumbly base, inviting a bite despite their two-week-old appearance.

749. Two Week Old Cookie Style Lemon Bars

March 24, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating two week old cookie style lemon bars.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Easy Lemon Bar Cookies - Cambrea Bakes
  • Recipes - Texas Cottage Food Law
March 24, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Time temperature control for safety food, Lemon curd, Cookies

he image depicts a cheerful Girl Scout at an outdoor cookie-selling booth. Among the cookies on display, one features a bold hazardous-waste symbol, creating an eerie contrast to the otherwise wholesome scene. The background suggests a typical suburban or park setting, reinforcing the unexpected and unsettling detail.

738. Girl Scout Cookies

February 26, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from Girl Scout Cookies

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Girl Scouts of the USA
  • Danger in the Dough: Unveiling the Toxic Contaminants in Girl Scout Cookies - GMOScience
  • Questions and Answers on Glyphosate | FDA


February 26, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Glyphosate, Toxicology, Girl Scouts, Cookies

A festive scene with a plate of cookies, one bitten, and partially drunk milk left for Santa, alongside carrots for the reindeer. Warm light from a fireplace and Christmas decor, including a tree and stockings, set a cozy ambiance. In the background, Santa is glimpsed departing the room.

711. Leaving Cookies and Milk Out for Santa

December 25, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of leaving cookies and milk out for Santa, and carrots for his reindeer.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • How To Celebrate The Winter Solstice
  • How does Santa make it around the world in one night? | HowStuffWorks
  • Is Santa Claus immune to COVID-19? - YouTube
  • Immunologists convinced Santa has a great immune system - News & Events | Trinity College Dublin
December 25, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Milk, Cookies, Santa, Time temperature control for safety food

DALLยทE - A chocolate chip cookie on a sea of bubbling wax

577. Baking Cookies on Wax Paper

February 16, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from baking cookies on wax paper.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Loonies and Toonies Canadian Dollar Coins
  • pre taped call in show - YouTube
  • Ash Wednesday - Wikipedia
  • Can You Bake With Wax Paper? | MyRecipes
  • used wax paper instead of parchment, is my food still safe to eat? : r/Cooking
  • Wax Paper | Reynolds Brands
  • Reynolds Group Holdings - Wikipedia
  • Parchmentising - Wikipedia
  • Twaddell scale - Wikipedia
  • What is wax paper?
February 16, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Cookies, Wax paper, Toxicology

522. Paw Print Sugar Cookies Made With an Actual Dog Paw

October 11, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating paw print sugar cookies made with an actual dog paw.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Cut Out Cookies Recipe - Paw Prints For A Fundraiser
  • Thumbprint Cookies - Sugar Spun Run
  • I can't wait for the office potluck! People always ask me how I make the paw print sugar cookies so perfect! - iFunny
October 11, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Cookies, Dogs

DALLยทE - a black laboratory glove holding a giant chocolate chip cookie background of chemical formulas

476. Worlds Purest Cookie

June 26, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating the "worlds purest cookie".

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Making the World's Purest Cookie - YouTube
  • Baking chocolate NISTยฎ SRMยฎ 2384 | Sigma-Aldrich
  • Baking chocolate SDS
June 26, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Cookies, Chemical safety

282. Sage's Steak Cookies

March 30, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of making cookies with steak chips.

Dr. Don - risky โ˜ฃ๏ธ
Professor Ben - risky โ˜ฃ๏ธ

  • Sage (@SageOlson) / Twitter
  • Glazed Burnt End Chocolate Chip Cookies | Beef Loving Texans
  • Fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella typhimurium during Preparation and Storage of Beef Jerky | Journal of Food Protection
  • Brisket Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe - Barbecuebible.com
  • Home - Texas Cottage Food Law
  • From Jam to Jerky: Water Activity and the Science of Preservation
March 30, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Cookies, Meat
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182. Dashboard Cookies

August 09, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risk of making making cookies on the dashboard of a car.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Andrew H on Twitter
  • An Assessment of Time/Temperature Combinations for Salmonella Lethality Achieved when Baking Cookies in Vehicles (IAFP 2016 Annual Meeting)
  • Starch Gelatinization in the Presence of Emulsifiers. A Morphological Study of Wheat Starch
  • Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella on Sesame-topped Bread during Baking Using High and Low Oven Humidity
  • A Thermal Process Lethality Model for Low Water Activity Food
  • Validation of Baking to Reduce Coliform Counts and Salmonella in Cookie Dough
  • Low water activity refrigerated cookie dough - Google Patents
August 09, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Dashboard, Cookies, Salmonella, E. coli, Flour, Eggs

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