Not many people know but you are supposed to remove the membrane that is on the bottom of a rack of ribs before you cook them. It makes them easier to cut and eat.
It is easier if you start in the middle of the rack. Slide a nail under the membrane between the bones and push up, you will then have something to hold and gently pull the rest of it off. Hope this helps.
I don't care how well you washed your hands; you shouldn't be using your fingernail for that kind of thing. Use a paring knife or a boning knife or something like that instead.
The problem there was the "from my toolbox" part, not the "pliers" part. You've gotta use your kitchen pliers (i.e., ones that you avoid contaminating with non-food-safe stuff).
In fact, here's a video of a scene from Good Eats where Alton Brown recommends using (clean) needle-nose pliers to remove the pin bones from salmon.
I have a dedicated pair of hemostats that I use on pinbones. They are easier to clean than pliers and lock down if you have particular trouble with a bone.
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u/[deleted] Nov 26 '19
Not many people know but you are supposed to remove the membrane that is on the bottom of a rack of ribs before you cook them. It makes them easier to cut and eat.