Stay healthy: Get rid of your sponge

The new Idaho Food Code, adopted by restaurants this month, has a few changes you might consider for your own kitchen, says food safety specialist Sandy McCurdy.

Toss out that kitchen sponge, says McCurdy, who is with the University of Idaho Extension office in Moscow.

The new restaurant rules prohibit using sponges on utensils, equipment and other surfaces that have been sanitized. That’s because sponges “are difficult, if not impossible, to clean once they’ve been in contact with food residue and other contaminants found in the kitchen,” McCurdy says in a news release.

She believes many restaurants will simply banish sponges from the kitchen, altogether. (If they haven’t already.) Do the same thing at home, she says. “My recommendation is to replace sponges with dish cloths that can be changed daily and laundered,” she says.

Another food code change will require restaurants to tell customers of the risk of eating raw or undercooked foods, using signs, brochures, placards or through verbal warnings.

It’s important advice to remember at home too, McCurdy says. Children, the elderly, pregnant women or anyone with a compromised immune system should avoid raw or undercooked animal products.

There were also slight adjustments in the temperatures required for keeping cold food cold and hot food hot. Cold foods must be kept below 41 degrees Fahrenheit and hot foods should be kept at 135 degrees to prevent food-borne illnesses at bay.

Here’s the Scoop

Watch out for The Scoop Truck. The ice-cream parlor in Spokane’s Perry Street neighborhood has new owners and a new ride.

Andrew Sackville-West, of Far West Billiards fame, and Patrick Sullivan, a former Far West manager, have taken over The Scoop and built a new delivery truck, in a 1965 International Harvester Metro delivery van. The Scoop Truck will be used to deliver ice cream to special events.

When the truck isn’t booked for parties, the Scoop owners plan to park it at farmers markets, festival and other outdoor events to serve ice cream cones.

The Scoop serves Brain Freeze brand ice cream, which is locally made.

The Scoop, 1002 S. Perry St., is open Monday though Friday from 1 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 3 to 9 p.m. Call 535-7171 for more details.

Washington vineyards to watch

Two Washington vineyards to watch are Dusted Valley Vintners and Nicholas Cole Cellars, both of Walla Walla.

Critics picked Dusted Valley Vintners over 18 other wineries in their first or second vintage at WAVE last month, Washington’s Arriving Vintners Event. Consumers picked Nicholas Cole Cellars as a top new vintner.

Two wineries tied for second place behind Nicholas Cole for the Consumers’ Choice Award including Spokane’s own Barrister Winery and Willis Hall of Marysville, Wash.

Barrister also was recognized with two other awards for favorite wines by grape variety. Barrister was noted for its merlot and cabernet franc.