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I only wear latex gloves when handling raw chicken. There's just something about it that totally freaks me out. We have it pounded into our heads that raw chicken is covered in all of this disgusting bacteria and that cross-contamination can make you deathly ill. I, of course, believe these things, but I mostly wear the gloves because I can't stand touching raw chicken. Especially when I'm roasting a whole one. The idea of having to touch butter (Which I also hate. You know how it coats your fingers? Yuck.) and push it under the skin of raw chicken is not a good one for me.

Lately I've been prone to dry, chapped hands which then has led to an annoying allergy that I've been fighting for quite some time. So, when I know I'm going to be doing things in the kitchen that will require a lot of hand-washing (or dish washing) I put on gloves.

BUT...since latex is one thing people can develop an allergy to (and I don't need another thing making me itchy) I use nitrile gloves. They're a little more expensive than latex, but they're also a little thicker, and I can get several uses out of each pair, which is good. The latex ones I've used, I have to peel off and throw away, and depending on what else I'm doing in between cooking, that can mean throwing out a lot of pairs of gloves.

If I ever get this allergy in check, I'll probably just use the gloves for things like working with hot peppers.

I just looked at the box in my pantry and it is indeed nitrile. I buy them at Costco and I admit I do throw them out after each use. I also know that is wasteful, but I must also admit to being lazy. Oh Boy, I am NOT making a good impression as a new posting member to this site!! Sorry All! Just typing this is giving me a case of conscience. I must add, I recycle everything I possibly can.

I don't use them for poultry, but I do use them for especially hot peppers.

Washing your hands properly and scrubbing under your nails is just as effective as wearing gloves for preventing the spread of germs. Remember, if you get any juices on your hands inside those gloves, the germs will breed in there, since your warm, moist hands provide a nice environment for them.
I'm a professional cook in Seattle, where we're required to wear gloves when handling ready-to-eat food, but I'm sensitive to latex, so I wear nitrile gloves for that. But at home, I just use proper food handling techniques to prevent cross-contamination.

I keep a box of surgical gloves in my kitchen. I use them for three things - chopping hot peppers, as I never seem to get all the habanero off my fingers, no matter how long I wash them, chopping large amounts of garlic - ditto, and highlighting my hair. For the most part, I like to actually feel my food. With flesh stuff, I figure if there's any danger in it, it's in cross contamination, so for me it's more about making sure my hands are clean when I hit the spices. Very often, I'll get out the spices that get rubbed into the meat first and put it a little dish. That way I don't have to worry about it.

If I cooked with hot peppers, I might use them.

I keep a box in the garage and use when I'm handling harsh chemicals for the pool or weed killers (those damn weeds are breaking up my driveway).

They come in the boxes for hair color and I use them for that.

Never for food prep. When I'm cooking I like the feel of the food.
When I'm gardening, I like the feel of the soil.
I'm tactile and don't want latex changing the feel of anything I'm enjoying. ;)

Just wanted to add another comment ...
Most of the danger in cooking is NOT always in preparation.

The first problem people have is not having a sound education about proper storage. This would be the storage prior to preparation. Improper temperatures - not correct for certain foods. Moisture levels - not correct. If you want to see this in action any large food Supermarket will be a fair example. Take note of how veggies, frozen foods, meats, fruits are displayed. They are being stored in the manner that provides the safest and yields the most longevity for each product.

The second problem is preparation related. This is when you have a large item like a turkey that has not been thawed correctly. When the item is being cooked parts are still frozen. This can affect the internal temperature and cause some parts to be undercooked ... this can result in food poisoning.

The third problem is cooking. A lack of knowledge regarding proper cooking techniques (for certain meats) and internal temperatures required for them to be safe.
Ground beef is less safe than a roast. A roast can be cooked very rare and be perfectly safe. Where ground beef, unless you can really trust the source and it has had proper storage, is less safe when rare.

Most people will cringe at this but I have been eating raw hamburger since i was a kid. Not an entire meal, LOL, but when making a meat loaf a pinch here and there to see if i have enough onion etc. I can also tell from the taste and texture how good this meat will be when cooked. I DO NOT RECOMMEND this to anyone ... since i have been doing this for about 50 years MY immune system is well developed and I can also tell by texture and smell how fresh the meat is. I never eat raw hamburger that i think is questionable.

The fourth problem is improper post cooking storage. Foods not kept warm enough while being served, leaving turkey out on a counter for more than several hours after cooking is inviting a little trouble. Foods need to be processed for storage after the meal ... what items you will freeze, refrigerate, seal etc.

Hope this helps

I'm with the "love-to-feel-my-food" crowd. I tried wearing gloves when making meatballs once and just could not do it, it felt so weird that I had to take them off right away. I do wash my hands all the time (and I have one of those faucets that you can open with your elbow, without touching it with your "chicken" hands:-), as well as a pump bottle of soap, for the same reason), but that's not even something I specifically have to think about, it's just the way it is.

I alway use gloves when working with fresh meat , I don't like the way the meat feels on my hands or under my nails. I wash my hands a lot but still without the gloves I don't know how I would be able to cook sometimes.

Not for cooking. For that, I just wash my hands.

Rubber/ latex gloves are good for cleaning- they keep the chemicals off my hands. I also use them for some of the outdoor spring cleaning, like clearing those partially decomposed leaves from last fall out of the base of the lilac bushes.

I use the thick washable kind of gloves, not the thin disposable ones.

@mepolo - I didn't learn it from TV, but I also use that same technique of keeping one hand clean and using the other for touching raw meat, etc. I'm paranoid about touching the faucet with a "dirty" hand, soaping up and rinsing my hands, then touching the now dirty faucet with a clean hand. I learned to avoid that predicament by keeping one hand clean.

The real danger of cross-contamination usually refers to using a cutting board for raw meat and then using the same cutting board (and possibly the knife, as well) to then chop veggies for a salad, without washing the cutting board/knife in between. Your salad is then exposed to the bacteria, etc. from the raw meat. That's the big cross-contamination "no-no."