Nine things you should never order in a restaurant

Forum users have warned about foods than can pose big health risks to restaurant customers.

Essentially, restaurant goers should practise caution when it comes to ordering any food where the preparation is essential (think the Fu-Gu episode of the Simpsons).

Customers and former restaurateurs have mentioned big menus as something to avoid, because it means a lot of ingredients which may not be fresh because their stocks are rarely replenished.

A smaller menu usually means the kitchen will use up ingredients quickly, and new (fresh) stock will be ordered.

When dining out at a place with a small menu, there are still some things to avoid though:

Restaurant staples

For instance on Quora, Dana Nikolic advises against chicken and shrimp, because of the dangers of salmonella and bad bacteria.

Writing on Food Near, Victoria Vass warns against iceberg lettuce.

Picture: iStock/Getty Images

For one thing, the profit markup on a product that is close to being 100 per cent.

For another, the crevices all over iceberg lettuce can host a myriad of nasty bacteria, and the salad bar can sit out for hours on end, with multiple germ ridden customers handling it.

Picture: iStock/Getty Images

Another health culprit is Water flavoured with a wedge of lemon.

Researchers publishing in Environmental Health, tested 76 lemons from 21 restaurants, and found that 70 per cent had been contaminated with bacteria.

Bar staff usually cut these up in advance to save time, and while they sit in the tupperware box, the wedges are a haven for unwanted microbial flora.

Other frequently cited offenders include:

• Sea food when you are not near the sea.
• Medium-rare burgers, which according to Health can contain more microbes than undercooked stake.
• Any unpopular menu item that might have been left out for a long time.

Rip offs

Picture: iStock/Getty Images

Truffle Oil

Vass notes that 'Truffle oil' as an ingredient which sounds fancy, but often is just a blending of 'cheap olive oil with a chemical synthetic, made in a lab, not in a kitchen.

Ice Cream

Vass also warns about ice cream, which can be easily bought at cheap per serving price from most supermarkets, at the same level of quality as restaurant ice cream.

Wine

Wine is another potential rip off, with some restaurants selling bottles at a huge markup.

Though if you jokingly refer to it as 'vino' then you deserve getting ripped off.

HT Mail Online, Food Near, Quora Health

More: Man claims disgusting photo shows what comes out of a McDonald's McFlurry machine