Re: hand injuries

"notbob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

-L. said:

I have a friend who is a professional chef and he has a systemic Staph
infection from hand injuries which won't clear up. Anyone have home
remedies he might want to try? I think he's about at his wit's end.

Gloves. That, and learn how to use a knife. Knuckles out, fingertips
in!

I cut the tip of my left index finger off about 30 years ago. It only
took once to wise up. Oh, and don't drink and dice!

Cooking without a glass of wine or a martini at hand - where's the fun in
that <g>? I have found that if you adopt correct cutting techniques you will
rarely if ever nick yourself. If you are using your fingers to guide the
blade, keep the tips curled under and slide the blade against your knuckles.
I also think that having a really sharp knife reduces accidents because
there's no forcing or pushing required.

If you have a cut finger, take a single finger off a latex glove and tape it
on to protect the wound.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths page at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

In article <[email hidden]>, Peter

Aitken said:

I also think that having a really sharp knife reduces accidents because
there's no forcing or pushing required.

The danger here is that you don't even know you've been cut until blood
inundates your board. But then the cut is so clean that with a little
pressure it's almost self-sealing. Unless of course--nevermind.

Peter Aitken said:

I also think that having a really sharp knife reduces accidents because
there's no forcing or pushing required.

I've always wondered about whether or not this is an urban legend (that
you are more likely to get hurt with a dull knife than a sharp knife).
I know a roomate I once had really hated it when I sharpened the
knives, because she invariably cut herself with them afterwards...

Anyone want to offer any statistics? (I can't tell from my own
experience, since I'm a compulsive knife sharpener: _every_ time I've
cut myself it's been with a sharp knife)

Jeffs

On 15 Jun 2005 00:01:30 -0700, "Jeffs/Etc." <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Peter Aitken said:

I also think that having a really sharp knife reduces accidents because
there's no forcing or pushing required.

I've always wondered about whether or not this is an urban legend (that
you are more likely to get hurt with a dull knife than a sharp knife).
I know a roomate I once had really hated it when I sharpened the
knives, because she invariably cut herself with them afterwards...

Anyone want to offer any statistics? (I can't tell from my own
experience, since I'm a compulsive knife sharpener: _every_ time I've
cut myself it's been with a sharp knife)

Jeffs

what portion is due to a knife being used improperly?

"Jeffs/Etc." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter Aitken said:

I also think that having a really sharp knife reduces accidents because
there's no forcing or pushing required.

I've always wondered about whether or not this is an urban legend (that
you are more likely to get hurt with a dull knife than a sharp knife).
I know a roomate I once had really hated it when I sharpened the
knives, because she invariably cut herself with them afterwards...

Anyone want to offer any statistics? (I can't tell from my own
experience, since I'm a compulsive knife sharpener: _every_ time I've
cut myself it's been with a sharp knife)

Jeffs

I don't have any stats. Like you I keep my knives sharp so all of the
fortunately rare times I cut myself it is with a sharp knife. I do notice
that if I am using a not-so-sharp knife I seem to be clumsier, but that may
be because I am used to sharp knives. Someone used to dull knives might have
the opposite experience. One might argue that not keepnig knives sharp and
not knowing how to use them properly tend to go hand in hand.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths page at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

On 15 Jun 2005 00:01:30 -0700, "Jeffs/Etc." <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Peter Aitken said:

I also think that having a really sharp knife reduces accidents because
there's no forcing or pushing required.

I've always wondered about whether or not this is an urban legend (that
you are more likely to get hurt with a dull knife than a sharp knife).
I know a roomate I once had really hated it when I sharpened the
knives, because she invariably cut herself with them afterwards...

Anyone want to offer any statistics? (I can't tell from my own
experience, since I'm a compulsive knife sharpener: _every_ time I've
cut myself it's been with a sharp knife)

I'm fairly clumsy so I keep my knives sharp but not toooo sharp...
it's a compromise between minimising the danger to my flesh and the
inability to actually cut things. My father used to take my knives and
leave them razor sharp at random intervals - I could always tell
because as soon as I picked one up to wash I'd cut myself with it!

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com

Peter Aitken said:

"Jeffs/Etc." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter Aitken said:

I also think that having a really sharp knife reduces accidents because
there's no forcing or pushing required.

I've always wondered about whether or not this is an urban legend (that
you are more likely to get hurt with a dull knife than a sharp knife).
I know a roomate I once had really hated it when I sharpened the
knives, because she invariably cut herself with them afterwards...

Anyone want to offer any statistics? (I can't tell from my own
experience, since I'm a compulsive knife sharpener: _every_ time I've
cut myself it's been with a sharp knife)

Jeffs

I don't have any stats. Like you I keep my knives sharp so all of the
fortunately rare times I cut myself it is with a sharp knife. I do notice
that if I am using a not-so-sharp knife I seem to be clumsier, but that may
be because I am used to sharp knives. Someone used to dull knives might have
the opposite experience. One might argue that not keepnig knives sharp and
not knowing how to use them properly tend to go hand in hand.

In my restaurant kitchens, we had seminars to teach new hires how to use
knives, even if they'd worked in other kitchens. We taught them how to
sharpen them and how to maintain the edges. We gave them appropriate
knives for their jobs for them to keep and take care of. And we showed
them how to use them properly. The reason I began this is because of the
numbers of injuries I saw in our high-volume operations without that
information.

After starting the program, the numbers of injuries dropped
significantly and saved us lots of lost time and insurance claims. And
the troops spent less time bleeding and in pain. It became part of all
my operations with similar results.

Sharp, well-maintained knives in the hands of knowledgeable people
produced fewer injuries, and the injuries healed quickly because the
cuts were clean, not jagged as dull knives do it.

Pastorio