I learned 50 + yrs ago I need not wear jewelry and cook. My only wedding ring is a solid wide gold band. It would come off when I least expected it to do so....and I did not like it to have meat loaf underneath it. so I got in the habit of removing...had only a couple places I would put it...not to lose...

As time went on I took a dislike of rings etc. mixed with my food....some rings are not a pretty sight to start with and mix with your food? I don't think so....

Dirty rings and fingernails are not sanitary either....

I have a very close friend who is an exceptional good cook and wears old nice expensive rings on most every finger on both hands all the time.... "They just do not go together"... Her and I discused this situation this past summer.

Come time to go out I wear my share of jewelry....usually gold and pearls...

I'm looking forward to further comments on this subject... Good post Lars!

I'm not always good about putting on an apron, but have laundry skills to make up for it ;)

I don't wear jewelry when cooking and assembling food. I have a very pretty jewelry catcher with ring post in my kitchen window (Strongwater) and I use it. I have kind of a Yuck factor entering into my hands in food, even food that will be brought to temperature and cooked, while wearing jewelry, bracelets, with crevices, stones to catch dirt or bacteria.

I do have one ring on my right ring finger that I make an exception, it is a narrow, unadorned thin gold band that my mother was given when she married my father almost 70 years ago. I wash my hands before and after, and never remove that one for any reason.

Lars, watching Lidia wear her bangles all the time is one thing that really gets under my skin. My skin practically crawls, thinking of those bangles in the food preparation.

I see some cooks remove their rings....oh it's Guy Fiera, and Paula Deen! I don't really remember others wearing them mixing meatloaf, dough, etc.

When there is no company here, I wear clothes that I can freely cook in. No jewelry. Actually, I like to wipe my hands on my pants to dry.

Generally, cutoffs and tee shirts when at home with no one to see me.

When I teach art, I have nicer clothes, but remove jewelry, wear an apron and roll my sleeves up.

It's a non-issue for me. I pretty much stopped wearing all jewelry years ago. Might put a bracelet on a couple times a year, but that's it.

I don't always wear an apron, but try to when cooking with tomatoes.

I do not wear rings so it is not an issue for me. I am getting better about wearing an apron because I have some t-shirts that are favorites to wear and chances are pretty good I am not going to remember to treat the grease spots. Chances are also pretty good I will forget I am wearing the shirt with grease spots as I run out the door to get kids from school until I am standing in line at the school, then I become aware. We will not even talk about the dirt on my jeans from gardening or how often I have run into Wal-Mart with a smear of dirt on my face or flour somewhere else.

This REALLY is a to-each-his (her)-own moment....but I do have an opinion about it based on my own experience.

I gave up wearing rings and other jewelry years ago because of my lifestyle - which includes a lot of food preparation, cooking/baking, dehydrating, gardening, housework, home remodeling, woodworking, handwork (knitting/crocheting), sewing, workouts/exercise, etc. Maybe things would have been different if I was the Soap Opera watching - eating bon-bons - kinda' gal. I'm just really hard on them, and I tend to participate in activities where they can be dangerous if caught on/in something. It also seemed pretentious to teach a class on "$1 Meals" at the Food Bank, or a class for SNAP participants (the Government program for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) sporting a lot of jewelry.

The more I worked with my bevy of mills with auger mechanisms in them over the years, it would be dangerous to catch a long necklace in one, or for a ring to slip off my finger when filling it, and ruin the machine. So unless I'm "out for the evening" or a special occasion, I don't wear any kind of jewelry during the day. Hubby and I are secure enough in our love for each other over the last 45-years of marriage (plus 3 years of courting and a 6 month engagement), that the ring isn't what keeps us together :-).

I once knocked the large diamond out of my engagement ring and found it several days later in the carpet (and it was held in place with 6 prongs). Shortly after I had it repaired, I had to have it cut off by the same jeweler when I jammed my finger playing a pick-up game of basketball at the YMCA, and repaired once again. So rather than just let them sit in a drawer any longer, a couple years ago, for my daughter's 40th birthday, I had the diamonds from my wedding set, and my mother's, placed into a necklace for my daughter, and sold the gold to help pay for the pendent and chain.

Personally, I have never understood this current trend to look like a human Christmas tree - dripping with layers of flashy and noisy adornment, especially when cooking/baking where it could be dangerous, or you could spread bacteria from them - long fake fingernails also give me the bacteria willies - and the two seem to go together. Tastefully wearing jewelry as an accessory went out of style. My totally tasteless sister-in-law looks like a K-Mart jewelry counter covered with cheap/flashy jewelry. But as her older sister told the story, that's her "SORRY" jewelry. I didn't know what "sorry" jewelry was, so she explained. Each time her husband was sorry for something he did (which was all the time), he would go to K-Mart or Wal-Mart and buy her a new piece of jewelry, which she would wear cumulatively. It takes her 30-minutes to put on her jewelry every morning, and I don't think there is any more space on her ear lobes for more holes for earrings. Each time you see her she is using her body as a showcase to show off the latest bits and bobbles - like who would know, and even more so, who cares!!! I guess it's not all bad, this is the only weight-lifting program she really participates in, while watching soap operas, munching on bon-bons..... ;-)

-Grainlady

Was all that really necessary?

I think someone needed to vent...sometimes it just feels good! :)

I would not think it makes any common sense to wear rings and bracelets while digging your hands into food. YUCK!

I remember the Worst Cooks In America winner, Amber Brauner, had those long, super-pointy nails. Yuck. Couldn't watch her handle the food.

As soon as I walk in the door my wedding band, watch, and a signet ring on my right hand come off and get placed in a drawer. Sanitary aspects aside, I just don't feel comfortable doing any work with jewelry on my hands. I do wear a short necklace most of the time and small hoop earrings.

And when the hand jewelry comes off, an apron usually comes on. I've collected many over the years but I recently discovered my favorites on this site. They're a pinafore style from Rough Linen. They're comfortable, launder easily, dry quickly. And I think they're flattering. And they protect my clothing.

Those are just my habits and idiosyncrasies. My sister is totally different. I've never seen her in an apron and her long painted nails are a contrast to my short buffed ones. She wears way more jewelry than I do. But she keeps an immaculate kitchen, practices excellent food hygiene, including wearing disposable gloves for food prep.

Different strokes...

I am also one who finds high heels with mud stains and some spent blooms in the pocket of a good jacket, because If I see it, I do it and often forget to change, or remove my rings or shoes or black shirt which often gets flour on it before it's been worn for 20 minutes.

For me, it has to be spotlessly clean nails. Can't stand dirty nails and cooking. I don't remove my wedding ring as I consider that it gets washed as often as my hands. A lot! i tend to wear an apron as I get stuff all over me, otherwise. You rant away, Grainlady if it makes you feel better. You're among friends. (and you did make me laugh at the image of weightlifting).

I'm not a jewelry wearer, but I do have a simple silver band for a wedding ring. I have to admit it never occurred to me to take it off while cooking. The only time I have ever taken it off is when I had eye surgery. They make you take of all jewelry for surgery.

I have several aprons that people have given me, but I seldom remember to put them on until my clothes are already covered in flour.

My pet peeve is hair. TV chefs have their long hair hanging down over the food all the time. It grosses me out.

Sally

This post really touched a nerve for me. I learned long ago, the hard way, that I needed to go through life unadorned. In fact, I can't even really wear nice clothes, I am such an outdoorsy person that I ruin shoes all the time, along with nice skirts, jackets, etc. Some kind of stain always makes its way onto them . . . I lost my high school ring, and that put an end to my ring wearing days. I forget to wear an apron, but it is usually no problem because I'm usually wearing jeans and a sweatshirt around the house. Pretty often at work too, since I work outside. I do clean up nice, but even then, its a problem. I drove Annie nuts looking for my jewelry last summer when I went to visit her and thought I had left my mom's ring at her house. I wore it to my mom's cousin's funeral, and then stopped at Annie's house afterwards. I actually had enough sense to take it off and put it in a "safe" place but I'll be darned if I could remember that afterwards! I'm gonna have that ring made into a necklace, which is kinda ironic because it is a ring my mom had made out of some old clip-on earrings! It's a moonstone.

I have inherited all my mom's lovely, lovely jewelry. But when I wear it, I am awfully prone to losing it. Even necklaces I take off and forget somewhere. I just left one at a friend's house who I visited overnight. I try to look all pretty and stylish wearing my mom's lovely clothes and jewelry, scarves, etc., and it just never works out. That's why I always refused the stuff she tried to give me. She was a librarian and hardly ever went outside and never went out looking informal and not impeccable. I go out looking pretty good, but always come back a little disheveled. I explore, get into thing, get hot or cold, my feet hurt, I fidget. Things get caught and torn while I'm working. I wipe glue on my pants . . . I spill paint, a pen leaks . . . Once I wore a pair of white pants to work, and I looked very good, got a lot of compliments. Until one of my male co-workers said, "I don't want you to think I've been staring at your behind, but you have what appears to be ketchup on the back of your pants." Yes, I somehow managed to find the ONE seat in the college lounge to sit on and eat my lunch that had ketchup on it. On the day I wore the kicker white pants. Yes, they looked great, but they have been consigned to the back of the closet ever since.

By the luck of genetics, I am able to grow long strong nails. People always remark on them. "How do you get those long nails?" they ask. The reply is, "I forget to cut them." Long nails are not a plus in my line of outdoor work. Also I like to think someday I will pick up my guitar again, and long nails aren't for that. In fact, long nails aren't for much of anything other than scratching. I can't type with them either, or play my clarinet. And they are a pain to keep clean, I"m always having to scrub them down, even when they are short.

I remove rings when cooking and I don't usually wear bracelets or a watch so they don't create a problem. I hate watching people cooking laden down with rings when they are making anything that involves handling with their hands for mixing. There's one man on TV that I can't stand to watch because of all the heavy rings he never takes off. I have a real thing about sanitations and I can just picture all the germs in the etchings and crevices of those rings. I have longer nails, but I always scrub them really good before and after handling food. Its just a hang-up I have. Oh, yeah, the hair hanging down. I remember when I worked in the food industry you were required to wear some type of hair covering, but in this day and age, no one is expected to do so.

I'm a minimal jewelry & bare nails person as well - never thought about my silver wedding band - isn't silver antibacterial?

I agree about the TV people being inappropriately attired - & the thing that skeeves me out the most is long hair. I still recall watching a show & cringing @ the young woman's long mane swinging over the food...

I don't wear jewelry, other than my wedding ring, which I never take off. I used to wear a watch at work, but I can't find it now and it's been so long since I wore earrings that I think the holes in my ear lobes have just closed up. Jewelry gets in my way and I get annoyed. If it was expensive I'm afraid to wear it for fear I'd lose it, so it's pointless. I once had a male friend tell me that I was the only woman he'd ever met that didn't want diamonds, I just wanted electric fence, LOL.

Nails? Um.....I got a manicure. Once. I about went batty sitting still while someone messed with my nails. Never again and my nails were chipped before I even got home. I pry and tap and scrape things and fiddle. My nails break far before they ever get long enough to worry about, but I'm diligent about keeping them clean, even with the farm and garden.

As for L's Mom's ring, I tore this house apart. (grin) I was so happy she found it that I didn't even mind looking for it, I was just glad she got it back safely. And like L, it's pointless to try to dress up. I get all ready to go somewhere and the horse is by the fence so I have to scratch his ears and he has to slobber all over me. Or I need to stop and check the eggs. What's that on my sleeve? No one really wants to know. Oh, I think I'll just grab a tomato from the garden, it's right there. And so, I'm dirty before I leave home...

Annie

I like jewelry on other people, but can't stand bits of metal or plastic close to my skin. I've enough trouble sometimes trying not to jump out of my clothes, which are bothersome enough without added jewelry.

Got a heavy gold choker necklace for my 20th birthday. Never wore it except to please the giver - for about 15 minutes. Kept it for several years, then gave to a friend. Not surprisingly, that choker choked.

When I was a city girl I grew long nails (mine are very strong), painted them with transparent varnish to enhance the natural colour. Not that I'm back to gardening, I trim them as short as possible. i have a special toothbrush that's for nail scrubbing before cooking.

Not = now.

I keep doing typos even with short nails. Dang

LPink, I think you and I are practically the same person! You described me perfectly.

Sally

Interesting thread! While reading I had to check the three rings I wear to see if they would even come off. They do! I had my engagement ring and wedding ring put together, that's one. I also wear the very first ring DH ever gave me and a ring from our 5 year anniversary. I never take them off except to occasionally clean them. I don't have a lot of jewelry but usually always wear earrings as I noticed it makes a big difference in my appearance even if I'm just wearing a Tshirt and jeans. If I put on a necklace I may leave it on for days. For years I showered with a cross necklace on. Too much trouble to take it on and off. I don't think I do enough cleaning or cooking that my jewelry is an issue ; )

Mom passes away years ago and I have a lovely ring to remember her with. . . because I remembered a story about it. That story is also why I don't wear rings when cooking .

A friend of my brother (and his college classmate) was stationed in Key West and took to driving up to visit me (silly girl I didn't at the time ask WHY??? I just thought he was wanting "family" feeling) and would stay a night or two with my folks then drive back to Key West. On one trip we made burritos and as we all sat down to dinner Mom discovered the sapphire from her ring was gone, right as Chris ask what did we put in the burrito meat mix that was hard?

He offered to "watch" for the gem but dad decided to get a new stone.

Funny. I'm glad he didn't break a tooth!

Sally

I love admiring others' jewelry and manicures. I mean that. My daughter just simpley has beautiful hands. I recognize that I don't and am okay with it.

That said, I do kind of have a thing about sanitation and require people go "surgical" if they are participating in my kitchen:)

@susan_in_nc -- that's really funny.

Cathy in SWPA

I don't take rings off unless messing with dough. However I was frantic 10 years ago when I looked down at my ring while cooking and saw a stone was missing...was it in the food I was preparing?? I mushed through all the food and didn't find it so no dinner that night. But what if it was in the trash or the ball park, airport, or vacuum cleaner? I gave up on it and couldn't afford to replace it.

Fast forward 10 years...I was remodeling the guest bath and decided to check each drawer in the vanity rather that just dump the contents in the trash, certainly not looking for a diamond.

HERE IS WHAT I FOUND:

:-)...What a nice surprise!!!!

I always wear nitrile exam gloves when I am cooking.

Angel, why?

I have two engagement rings and a wedding band that I wear all the time. I only take them off if I'm making something where they might touch the food as I don't think it's hygienic.

I take them off before I cook, mostly for hygiene. I once lost a three carat red spinel in the kitchen and have never found it. A very, very expensive loss.

@mustang. That really puts things in perspective; like the bay leaf I couldn't find in my pinto beans this morning. Woo hoo! Almost like winning the lottery!

Cathy in SWPA

I should have said prepping, not so much cooking. My mom was here a few years ago and bought a couple of boxes. I thought she was crazy. I use them all the time now for working with raw meat, making meatballs, mixing meatloaf, making kabobs, working with dough, pie crust, mixing fruit for pies, tossing vegetables for roasted vegetables, etc.

I've thought of using them, but they always seem a little dusty.

Once I saw a lady that was giving out samples at a store (of the whole paycheck variety) take a taste of her samples while wearing gloves. The gloved fingers went into her mouth. Someone then approached her for a sample and she, with the same gloved fingers that had been in her mouth, handed the person the sample. Ewww. I still regret not saying anything, but it happened so fast and I was so stunned I was speechless. So, to me, gloves do not necessarily equal sanitary.

Sally

I wear gloves when handling hot peppers, or when mixing meatloaf, but of course I have to remove any rings before donning the gloves.
I certainly wear rings when grilling meat, chopping onions mixing salad dressing or slicing potatoes....but I do remove them when kneading 3 or 4 loaves of bread, bread dough is hard to remove from ring settings.
But I don't get "skeeved" by people cooking with jewelry on....but I do at people who put condiments in a bowl for serving and put the leftovers back into the jar.

@sally2_gw -- that would have been so off-putting. I know that a lot of unsanitary things go on in restaurants, etc., but that is just incredibly poor. Not to digress, but I guess I should be grateful that at some establishments they have the "employees must wash hands" signs in restrooms, but, oh my, really?

Cathy in SWPA

Cathyinpa, here in Michigan it's a law that food service establishments have to post those signs that "employees must wash hands". It doesn't mean that the employees don't, only that the state thinks they might not, LOL.

Annie

@annie -- yep, yep!!!! I could actually spiral, cause then I look at that restroom doorknob;) HA!

Cathy in SWPA

My main concern (which I stated in my original post) is that the jewelry (especially rings) will tear the dough and therefore not be practical - mixing meatloaf while wearing rings is a different story and merely requires a bit more washing up afterwards.

But I also do not like to see people getting nice clothes dirty, when it is so easy to put on an apron to protect them. I put on aprons to protect even the most casual clothes that I wear when cooking, but then I particularly like aprons.

I've tried wearing gloves and just feel clumsy when I do. When chopping hot chilies (and I frequently chop Habanero and Scotch Bonnet chilies), I pour olive oil on the fingers of my left hand, which I use to hold the chilies, and then I wash that hand with a lot of soap after putting the chilies into the recipe. If I am making hot sauce and will be using a lot of chilies, then I will wear gloves - and also a swim mask and snorkel, to avoid breathing the fumes and also turn on the vent or a fan to blow the fumes out of a window. Since my stove vent only recirculates air, I'm not sure how good it would be at removing chili fumes.