Keep a towel in your pocket!
Visit Chefbrianscookingtips.com for cooking tips & info
Keep a towel in your pocket!
Many times around the house while I am making the family meal I find it handy to keep a towel tucked into my back pocket so I can always have access to it easily.
Tuck the corner in the pocket with the majority of the towel hanging out to give you a quick hand wipe, especially when prepping veggies. The dryer your hands, the less likely you will be to slippage.
The #1 reason Chefs go to the hospital is not burns, it's cuts.
Why do we get cut more than getting burned? One would think that in a numbers game, the numbers being we handle hot many times more than we handle knives, we would get burned more than getting cut.
Simple really, we always use a dry towel (hot pads) to handle hot. Sure, sometimes we get the occasional oven burn on the arm or grease splatter from the friers but it's the cuts that bring us to a screeching halt.
There are 2 basic reasons for getting cut, lack of concentration and slipping. There is no solution to lack of concentration other than PAY ATTENTION!
There is however a solution to slippage. Keep your hands and direct contact surfaces DRY. A wet handle on a knife or cutting board is a recipe for disaster. Wet hands are the start for a slippery situation.
Keeping a towel on the counter or just nearby is not good enough, you need to keep the towel on you so you can access it at all times, not just when convenient. If you don't have pockets, tuck it in the front of your pants top so it resembles a short apron. Tuck the short edge in the top of your pants and let it hang down. Easy to get to and long enough so you can lift it up high enough to dry the knife or veggies without being a bother. Second advantage to this method is it will keep your pants free from splash stains!
However you want to display your towel is up to you, just as long as you use one faithfully. A dry surface and dry hands will prevent the majority of all cuts.
10 years in the commercial kitchens and zero stitches because I always practice dry handling procedures. I didn't say no cuts, the occasional nick happens. Like the saying goes, those that play with fire will get burned, so to will the knife handler get a few little cuts or nicks, it's inevitable.
I said no stitches, which in my field is an accomplishment! I have personally seen some major cuts that took many stitches and many months to heal. The worst cuts were those from lack of concentration. The majority were from "the slip".
So keep a towel in your pocket or tucked into the top of your pants and it can prevent an accident, not only that but during the backyard BBQ it will make you look like you know what you are doing! Hey, everything helps, right?
Keep those fingers tucked!
Chef Brian
Go check out Chef Brian's Ultimate Recipe Collection over 10,000 recipes compiled into a single resource!
Keep a towel in your pocket!
Many times around the house while I am making the family meal I find it handy to keep a towel tucked into my back pocket so I can always have access to it easily.
Tuck the corner in the pocket with the majority of the towel hanging out to give you a quick hand wipe, especially when prepping veggies. The dryer your hands, the less likely you will be to slippage.
The #1 reason Chefs go to the hospital is not burns, it's cuts.
Why do we get cut more than getting burned? One would think that in a numbers game, the numbers being we handle hot many times more than we handle knives, we would get burned more than getting cut.
Simple really, we always use a dry towel (hot pads) to handle hot. Sure, sometimes we get the occasional oven burn on the arm or grease splatter from the friers but it's the cuts that bring us to a screeching halt.
There are 2 basic reasons for getting cut, lack of concentration and slipping. There is no solution to lack of concentration other than PAY ATTENTION!
There is however a solution to slippage. Keep your hands and direct contact surfaces DRY. A wet handle on a knife or cutting board is a recipe for disaster. Wet hands are the start for a slippery situation.
Keeping a towel on the counter or just nearby is not good enough, you need to keep the towel on you so you can access it at all times, not just when convenient. If you don't have pockets, tuck it in the front of your pants top so it resembles a short apron. Tuck the short edge in the top of your pants and let it hang down. Easy to get to and long enough so you can lift it up high enough to dry the knife or veggies without being a bother. Second advantage to this method is it will keep your pants free from splash stains!
However you want to display your towel is up to you, just as long as you use one faithfully. A dry surface and dry hands will prevent the majority of all cuts.
10 years in the commercial kitchens and zero stitches because I always practice dry handling procedures. I didn't say no cuts, the occasional nick happens. Like the saying goes, those that play with fire will get burned, so to will the knife handler get a few little cuts or nicks, it's inevitable.
I said no stitches, which in my field is an accomplishment! I have personally seen some major cuts that took many stitches and many months to heal. The worst cuts were those from lack of concentration. The majority were from "the slip".
So keep a towel in your pocket or tucked into the top of your pants and it can prevent an accident, not only that but during the backyard BBQ it will make you look like you know what you are doing! Hey, everything helps, right?
Keep those fingers tucked!
Chef Brian
Go check out Chef Brian's Ultimate Recipe Collection over 10,000 recipes compiled into a single resource!
Labels: chef tips, cooking tips, knife handling, recipe
posted by Brian Ankner at 9:00 AM
0 comments
