Can scalding tableware with hot water really sterilize it before eating in a hotel?

When eating out, many people have the habit of scalding tableware such as cutlery and cups with boiling water, believing that doing so can sterilize them. But does this approach really work? Is boiling water really effective in sterilizing bowls? The answer may surprise you.

Many regular hotel tableware are taken out of the disinfection cabinet. It is really unnecessary. However, some unscrupulous disinfection companies do not follow the regulations. If so, boiling water can kill some bacteria. The psychological factors will appear cleaner. But it's hard to say that in small workshops, the sanitary conditions are still very poor. There is really no easy way for us as diners to disinfect tableware when eating out. All we can do is choose stores that have tableware disinfection measures, such as ozone disinfection cabinets. If you don't have a flower, carefully choose a store with good hygienic conditions. The methods include: looking at the dynamic hygiene score of the restaurant's food and beverages. Generally, you can feel more at ease if it is B or above, but such stores are in the minority.

To "sterilize" with boiling water, two conditions need to be met: first, the temperature must be high, and second, the time must be long. Boiling water at 100 degrees for tens of minutes can kill or inactivate some bacteria/microorganisms and the like. Most of the hot water used to boil tableware in restaurants before eating is tea on the table, or boiled water provided by the waiter. Using this kind of water, firstly, there is not enough time, and secondly, the temperature is not enough, so it has no sterilizing effect at all; at best, it can only A cleaning function, cleaning floating dust or other foreign objects, and cold water can also be used to complete this task.

We use hot water to scald the dishes and chopsticks. The water flow can only wash away some bacteria, but the effect is very limited! Some media have conducted tests where samples were scalded with 100°C boiling water and then sampled. The test results showed that the bacterial value on the surface was 40RLU (relative light unit), compared with 46RLU before scalding. The tableware was scalded after being scalded in boiling water. , the bacterial value dropped very little, and the effect was very weak. Many people neglect cleaning the bottom of the bowl. When bowls are stacked on top of each other, the bottom of one bowl will come into contact with the inner wall of the other bowl, and dirt and bacteria on the bottom of the bowl may enter the other bowl.