Myth: It's safe to follow the 5-second rule
Verdict: Fiction. It's probably not safe to eat anything that's been on the floor for even 1 second. In a recent experiment, food scientists contaminated several surfaces with Salmonella. They then dropped pieces of bologna and slices of bread on the floor for as little as 5 seconds (and as long as 60). In 5 seconds, both the bread and the bologna picked up an alarming 1,800 types of bacteria. So unless you sterilize your floors on an hourly basis, don't eat anything your shoes have touched, too. (Here are some speed tips on cleaning.)
Myth: Double-dipping spreads germs from one chip to another
Verdict: Fact. Although this social faux pas may feel dated -- Seinfeld's George Costanza is the most famous double-dipper -- swiping a chip into dip, taking a bite, and then dipping the same chip again, is, in fact, a very effective way to spread germs. Having settled the 5-second rule debate, those same intrepid food scientists, using Wheat Thins and various dips, found that a double-dip deposited thousands of saliva bacteria into the dip. Of those, 50 to 100 were later transferred through the dip to a clean cracker, presumably destined for another guest's mouth. In short: Eating from a dip after someone has dipped twice is basically the same as kissing that person. (Here are some easy, delicious dips that are won't hurt your waistline -- just make sure your guests only dip once!)
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