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- Do You Have the Guts to Double-Dip?
by Jamie Reynolds
Updated: Aug. 20, 2015
Originally Published: April 14, 2015
Oh, the horror of it all! Picture this: you’re eyeing that luscious bowl of dip, only to see a gaggle of messy kids making a beeline for it. Or, think back to that iconic moment from a sitcom that we all love. We’ve all been taught that double-dipping is a big no-no. But is it really as bad as we think?
While it might not cause World War III at your next gathering, double-dipping is often considered a social blunder. The common belief is that a chip that’s been in your mouth going back into the communal dip is a recipe for spreading germs—a rather icky thought! But how true is this belief?
The folks at Mythbusters took on this very question, using the ultimate dipper: sterilized chips and a “salsa-like” concoction. They set out to determine whether double-dipping is truly on par with plunging your whole mouth into the dip. This was what one character claimed, and it seems to be a widespread belief, even outside of fictional worlds.
To tackle this, the Mythbusters team created a “clean room” environment, ensuring that both their chips and Petri dishes were perfectly sanitized. They whipped up their salsa-like mixture using agar and water, leaving only one variable: saliva. They tested two scenarios: the dreaded double-dip versus a full mouthful of dip that was then spat back into the bowl. Yikes!
The results were eye-opening. The chips that were double-dipped showed almost no difference in bacterial content—negligible, really. So, if you’re worried about a single bacterial colony, maybe you should be more cautious about riding public transport or dining out instead! In stark contrast, the mouth-spitting scenario resulted in “tons” of bacterial colonies, giving credence to the disgust you feel when witnessing someone spit out dip after a good swig.
Now, we’re left with the social etiquette question. Should people like Joe feel free to dip as they please? Is it rude? If you’re gearing up to grab a chip and someone goes in for a second bite, how do you feel? Parents of toddlers might be immune to these debates after all the mess they’ve seen, but for the rest of us, the feelings may vary.
The conclusions are yours to draw, but now you can at least lean on science for support.
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In summary, while double-dipping may be frowned upon, science suggests it might not be as dangerous as we’ve been led to believe. Just make sure to keep the chips clean!