Did You Just Eat That?: Two Scientists Explore Double-Dipping, the Five-Second Rule, and Other Food Myths in the Lab

Is the five-second rule legitimate?
Are electric hand dryers really bacteria blowers?
Am I spraying germs everywhere when I blow on my birthday cake?
How gross is backwash?

When it comes to food safety and germs, there are as many common questions as there are misconceptions. And yet there has never been a book that clearly examines the science behind these important issues―until now. In Did You Just Eat That? food scientists Paul Dawson and Brian Sheldon take readers into the lab to show, for example, how they determine the amount of bacteria that gets transferred by sharing utensils or how many microbes live on restaurant menus. The authors list their materials and methods (in case you want to replicate the experiments), guide us through their results, and offer in-depth explanations of good hygiene and microbiology. Written with candid humor and richly illustrated, this fascinating book will reveal surprising answers to the most frequently debated―and also the weirdest―questions about food and germs, sure to satisfy anyone who has ever wondered: should I really eat that?

Paul Dawson is a professor at Clemson University whose work has been featured on NPR, CNN, and MSNBC, among other media outlets. He lives in Clemson, South Carolina.

Brian Sheldon is a professor emeritus in food microbiology at North Carolina State University. He lives in West Jefferson, North Carolina.