We love the articles from chef Paul Sorgule on the Harvest America Ventures website and we’ve highlights a number of his posts already.
Writing as a chef with experience in the kitchen and culinary education, Sorgule offers a nice insight on matters and the latest post we want to highlight is his collection of kitchen battle scars.
21 kitchen wounds that only a professional chefs or cooks will understand - that’s everything from swollen ankles to burns, meat slicer dangers and that evil, evil mandoline.
Below is a collection of his kitchen battle scars with some healthy warnings for anyone starting out in the kitchen. You can see more details about each one on his website.
STEAM BURNS
These are the worst burns because they go beyond the surface and penetrate many layers of skin. Steam is everywhere in the kitchen – just waiting to inflict pain.
DEEP FRYER SPLATTERS
Most line cooks have arms and sometimes faces freckled with hot fat pinpoint burns.
THE FALLING BOX OF FILM (SARAN WRAP), OR FOIL
Maybe one of the most dangerous items in a kitchen is one that seems pretty harmless. That exposed, serrated edge on your film or foil box is hungry for your fingers. Keep this in mind and give the box the respect that it is due.
KNIVES IN GENERAL
It is often said that the most dangerous knife is a dull one, and to some degree this is true because we tend to put more pressure on a dull knife to compensate. However, a sharp knife can be pretty deceiving. The difference is that a sharp knife will cut your fingers much easier and cleaner than a dull one.
THE OYSTER KNIFE IN PARTICULAR
Holding a reluctant oyster in one hand while forcing a pointed knife directly at it and your palm is a disaster waiting to happen. Make sure that the targeted palm is wrapped well with a dry side towel or Kevlar glove before stabbing at the mollusk with reckless abandon.
OUCH-MY BACK
One of the more common injuries in a kitchen can become a lifelong struggle with back pain.
CUTTING BLOCKS OF CHEESE WITHOUT THE PROPER KNIFE
All that I need to say is you must use a double handled cheese knife for this task. You can picture what could happen if you don’t.
THE EVIL MANDOLINE
Such a wonderful tool that can julienne, thinly slice, waffle cut, or even help you to make those beautiful gaufrette potatoes is a marvel of engineering. Beware that this hand machine can do the same thing to your fingers. Use the guard or wear Kevlar gloves.
THE BOX GRATER
Another seemingly harmless tool waits with anticipation for your palms, knuckles and fingers.
THE MEAT SLICER
I will let out a litany of expletives whenever I see a cook try to clean the slicer while the blade is spinning or even clean any part of the machine while it is still pugged in. Don’t you have any need for those fingers in the future?
WET FLOORS AND ELECTRICAL OUTLETS
Water and electricity do not mix very well. Fortunately most modern kitchens follow code requirements for ground fault circuits that prevent the cooks from lighting up like a Christmas tree.
WET FLOORS AND THE WRONG SHOES
Non-slip shoes are absolutely essential in a kitchen that is trying to save money on Workman’s Comp claims.
FAULTY PILOT LIGHTS IN OVENS, GRIDDLES AND CHARGRILLS
Most new kitchen equipment comes complete with electric pilot lights, but some of the seasoned equipment does not. When the pilot light is out, the gas keeps flowing. It is easy to understand what will happen when a cook leans in with a match to get things going.
THE HUNGRY MEAT GRINDER ATTACHMENT
Meat grinder attachments for your Hobart come complete with a plunger for pushing meat through the access tube. Meat is pulled into the worm as it is guided to the grinder blade. Thinking that you can push the meat with your fingers makes me wonder about a cook’s level of intelligence or at least modicum of common sense.
CLOSE THOSE OVEN DOORS
Under range oven doors are the perfect height for shins. Cooks on the line tend to look forward and not down, so if those doors are not closed immediately, the obvious will happen.
YOUR ROBOT COUPE AND BLENDER HAVE A LID FOR A REASON
You have all seen those comical clips of someone turning on a blender without a lid and wearing the contents. This fails to be funny especially when the contents are hot.
KNIVES IN THE POT SINK
Any staff member who tosses his or her knives in a pot sink and walks away should be fired – plain and simple.
USING A GLASS TO SCOOP ICE
Wow – common sense is not so common.
BLISTERS ON YOUR HAND FROM A FRENCH KNIFE
A cost of doing business, however, buying the right knives for your hands will help.
ASSUME PAN HANDLES ARE HOT
Everyone in a kitchen is familiar with the sound of a bare hand grabbing a super heated panhandle. Sear the steak not the palm of your hand. Assume it is hot and use DRY side towel or oven pad.
SWOLLEN ANKLES AND FEET
Ten plus hours on your feet will always take a toll. Your feet can take a lot of punishment, but unless you wear the right supportive shoes, change them during a shift and wear white socks (colored sock dyes will seep into your pours after the punishment of kitchen heat), your feet and ankles with grow in size by the end of a shift. Take care of your feet – they are the key to avoiding back pain and keeping your attitude positive.