Always run with scissors- I absolutely agree. The family in the story didn’t think bishul akum was a big deal and they now share their story to illustrate the importance of that halacha. Even if you leave the flame on (which is technically all that’s required for ashkenazim), you should be yotzei v’nichnas during that time. Or just cook your own food. I cook all food in my household. My husband washes the dishes. The cleaning lady does not do anything in our kitchen other than scrub the counter tops down. I still think these horror stories can be taken too far though. I have left the house for 15-20 minutes at a time while the cleaning lady happened to be there. While highly improbable, it is possible that she rubs bacon grease on my frying pans during that time just because, but no Rav I’ve heard of or spoken to has ever said that you have to stay home and watch the cleaning lady’s every move for every second that she’s there. One must follow ALL halacha, even the parts that don’t make sense to you, chumras are nice too, but nothing is 100%. Do your part, and daven for Divine protection.
