How often do you injure yourself?

[abooja]

I must be easily influenced because, just a few hours after reading this thread, I cut through the nail on my left ring finger. Oddly, there was a lot of blood, but little pain. I'm sure that's to come. I was cutting pancetta with my newly sharpened santoku knife, and not paying attention. I guess pancetta and human skin are disturbingly similar in texture to the distracted chopper.

It's been a while since I cut myself in the kitchen. It's normally oven burns. I tend to get them in clusters as well. I've gone several months now without one. Maybe I've just been extra careful with my new (to me) oven. This probably signifies the end of that honeymoon period. Good thing I keep the burn ointment handy.

[arosenwald]

I had a nasty run-in with a medium-size Microplane, and I took off a nice layer of skin from next to my index fingernail. Bummer.

Aside from the time I hacked off a good chunk of skin from the tip of my finger (which provided a GREAT lesson to my Forensics students about how fingerprints actually grow back), I am good pretty good about not cutting myself.

Where I seem to fall flat is burns, which is hysterical to my wife since I teach high school science. Invariably, every time I take a hot saute pan out of the oven, I seem to forget that the handle is hot after it's sitting on the stovetop. So, I'll let it sit for minute, get some things plated, then grab the handle of the still-hot pan to plate the cooked food...forgetting that it was just sitting in a 400 degree oven. Awesome.

Needless to say, I get made fun of every time.

[Pierogi]

I refuse to answer on the grounds that...

a) I might expose myself as a total spaz

-OR-

b) I might break the karmic bubble I currently have over me that has prevented me from seriously injuring myself with hot things or sharp things for a while.

A while. We'll leave it at that. Other than to say the last incident involved 6 stitches.

Pierogi

(scurrying off to the corner to spin around 6 times, cry BEETLEJUICEBEETLEJUICEBEETLEJUICE and spit over my left shoulder)

Edited March 12, 2009 by Pierogi (log)

[Pierogi]

But let's also just say that the fact I have acrylic nails has saved my bacon (not to mention fingertips) many many times over the years.

I tell my friends that the extra crunchy bits are fiber.

[jupe]

four years ago I learned the steam explosion from a turkey pan covered with a lid can cause semi-permanent arm damage. The scar has only gone away in the last six months, but for several years I walked around with an arm that looks like ham

[Domestic Goddess]

This morning when I was making garlic fried rice, while I was using a short handled spatula to press and crumble the rice into the pan, my hand slipped. My thumb came in contact with the hot pan and I heard it sizzle. It was a quick run to the sink and thank goodness - no blister. It did hurt like heck for a while.

[LaneL]

ive burned my hand cleaning out a fryer that would be by far the worst burn ive had. it was about 1/2" bubble on the back of my hand. once I drained the blister i could barely put my hand over the grill to check my meat.

[SauceRobert]

Cuts don't happen very often for me, burns are part of working the line they happen once a week or so. But my best one was last night at home... I have space above my cabinets where I store some lesser used kitchen items. I opened my spice cabinet and down comes a two burner cast iron griddle right onto my arm just above my wrist... Im not sure if I fractured it but it sure hurts like heck... my arm broke all of its momentum as my arm was on its way up as it was on its way down (it fell about 2.5-3feet)

Edited March 13, 2009 by SauceRobert (log)

[Kajikit]

I think seeing the title of this thread must have jinxed me! I hadn't had a kitchen accident in a long time... and today I burned my finger making a dark roux for gumbo. I'd never done it before, and I had no idea just how HOT that stuff gets while it's cooking. So I picked up the wooden spoon and I touched it and my fingertip sizzled! Ouch to the nth degree!

[savvysearch]

I burn myself all the time. At least 1/3 of the time using the toaster oven or oven. Especially the toaster oven. I don't have proper oven mitts so a use a dish towel. I should really get oven mitts.

Edited March 16, 2009 by savvysearch (log)

[joseph3]

I don't cut myself often but today I did when I was unwrapping my new immersion circulator. I do burn myself a lot and really never feel it or notice it until someone points it out to me.

[haresfur]

I work at a restaurant that is pretty fast-paced.  I cut myself twice in a year, 1 with a mandolin, 1 with a knife.  I burn myself all the time and hardly notice.  Big burns maybe 2 in a year also. 

If you do decide to cut yourself I suggest avoiding your nail.  Here's my latest, it's still is a mess a month later.  Also, cauterizing your finger with silver nitrate HURTS- A LOT-REALLY.

←

Yikes! I do wish, as a species, our finger nails were thick enough to armor our digits. I attribute my worst fingernail slice to cooking while bopping to the English Beat. So maybe we need to normalize this thread for taste in music.

[phatj]

I cut myself maybe every couple of months, but never worse than a band-aid can handle.

I've gotten burned in making fudge twice, once pretty badly, when boiling sugar splashed on my hand.

[howsmatt]

Here's some update pics. If you do cut your nail, don't go back to work after only 3 weeks. Here's a pic from when I was off work. And some from after I had been back for a week. I'm off again for a month or two. The down side is that I have to cauterize my own finger everyday because it is growing out of control. The doc said it was like a stem cell and I may have a mouse's ear on my pinky soon. Perhaps a nose. Also on the upside I have a callback for a scene in Saw 6 "The killer pinky!"

Edited March 18, 2009 by howsmatt (log)

[adey73]

OUCH!!!!!!!!!! Funk me!!!

[Patrick A.]

Let's see, I cut myself every so often when I'm working in the kitchen. I usually don't notice until I get home or get lemon juice in it. They"re only minor cuts. I think I've cut myself to many times to notice right away unless its deep.

As for burns....I've had my share.

But no pain no gain......right?????

[phage]

Cooking dinner today I both burned myself and stabbed myself. Neither very serious. Usually this doesn't happen - it's been a while since I sliced myself good.

[prasantrin]

howsmatt--ouch!!! You need a parental advisory warning in really big print above and below those pictures. I really hope it doesn't hurt as much as it looks like it hurts.

Ouch ouch ouch!

Edited March 21, 2009 by prasantrin (log)

[Lilija]

I saw that finger image floating in my eyelids, as I drifted off to sleep last night. Better than Stephen King, man.

[HowardLi]

I wonder how many of the cuts reported in this thread could have been avoided if the victims were using Chinese cleavers. You can put your fingers pretty much anywhere and still keep them away from the edge.

[Talat_kas]

Almost everyday i get a new injury while cooking in the kitchen. I don't get hurt so much by knife but i burn my hands very often while cooking it usually happens when i am cleaning my stove after finishing cooking and my hands get burn.

[blocksnboards]

The most cuts that I get are from washing the knives. Stick your hand into the soapy water and nick your finger on a knife.I seem to be able to do this at least once a week

[LaneL]

you aren't supposed to put knives in the sink thats dangerous

[PopsicleToze]

you aren't supposed to put knives in the sink thats dangerous

←

She knows. I imagine the blood in the sink was a dead give-away.

[Tiger Black]

I am blind so pretty damn often on both counts.

Well, allright, I have some vision and I generally get by. I've been in a professional kitchen and I cook at home all the time, but I get tagged by the oven almost every day. I don't cut myself much because I am very, very careful; my life is all about expending a huge amount of energy checking and re-checking things, and being incredibly cognizant of where I am in relation to other things/people in a space. That stuff most sighted people take for granted.

A funny related story. My father bought me my shun boning knife for my birthday. As we all probably know, those motherfuckers are sharp. I mean, that word seems inadequate to describe them. So my dad being my dad reminds me not to cut myself with it all day. Finally I get annoyed, snap yes I know, and put the knife back in its sheath a touch too forcefully. It promptly came right through the fabric and stabbed me in the hand.

(luckily it was dark out so I got away without him figuring it out!)