Cut or Burn?

[GB]

A buddy of mine once told me that people who like to cook fall into two categories...those that cut themselves and those that burn themselves. Now of course we have all done both from time to time in the kitchen, but do you find that you fall into one category more than the other? As soon as he told me this I knew I was in the burn group. I have cut myself a number of times (never serious thankfully), but I have burned myself way more. What about you?

 

[pdswife]

I'm a burner.
Over and over. My arms and hands have scars all over them.
OUCH!

 

[shannon in KS]

hmmmm, I remember once of each... I am quite cautious because I can't stand pain (this coming from the wacko who believes in drug-free childbirth)

Edit: (a day later) Ok, all of you are reminding me of stuff I have done, but prob blocked out for purposes of maintaining self-esteem. I am definitely more a burn person. I was making those round pretzels filled with white chocolate for christmas, and instead of delving my hand into the pretzel bag, yup, straight into the hot chocolate! yyyyyoooowww! And other little burns from hot pans and the oven.. BURN!

 

[Andy M.]

I don't cut myself very often. I've learned to be careful.

What counts as a burn? Is it one that requires treatment or anytime you say OUCH to yourself. I often accidently touch the surface of a pot of boiling water when cooking and usually pull back quickly and curse my stuidity. I sometimes get splattered with hot oil and feel the pain but I can't remember the last time I treated a burn.

 

[GB]

Andy I would say that if you need to run it under water or use ointment then that is what counts. Anything less is not a burn (for the sake of this conversation).

 

[Andy M.]

In that case, GB, I'd say about equal and not often.

 

[pdswife]

One of the reasons I LOVE our ice maker is that it's so easy to get ice after I burn myself.

 

[Erik]

Burn...at work when I am near the pizza oven...never seenms to fail

 

[middie]

i'm definately in the burn catagory.

 

[jkath]

Let's see....2 hours ago I was grabbing for the Press & Seal to cover my leftovers, and my hand grabbed the plastic wrap's box instead. Sounds innocent, till you notice that plastic wrap has a tiny little serrated knife edge along the entire edge.
Pardon me whilst I change my bandages.

 

[licia]

I suppose mine would be burn and usually those that I don't even know I've got till they show up pink. I usually use a long oven mitt when taking things out of the oven. I do burn my fingers a little - touching lids and hot pots without proper precaution. It would be interesting to know how many little scars are the result of a kitchen burn that went unnoticed at the time.

 

[texasgirl]

Burner here.
I have 2 new scars from our candy day from the fudge popping up. It actually melted my skin. OUCH, 230 degrees is kinda hot.

 

[Corinne]

Another burner here. I have worked at the shelter twice now & have 2 lovely burns on my right hand from that huge stinkin' hot gas oven. One is more than a month old & still very evident. The 2nd one is only a week old.
I am about to head to the shelter/soup kitchen right now to do lunch for them, where I will most likely collect my 3rd battle scar.

 

[Piccolina]

I wouldn't say that either of them happen to me very often. I've only ever burnt myself once while cooking that was bad enough to require first-aid (lol, I'll never forget because it was only a couple of days before my wedding, luckily it was not on my ring finger ).

It's a bit ironic that you mention this now though, as I've given myself too cuts in the past about two months! (one was really dumb on my part though! I forgot that I'd put the blade from the food processor into the sink full of soapy water - I still shake my head over that one!) But all in all I can't say as though I'm more one than the other (lol, and I hope that doesn't change any time soon).

 

[buckytom]

never, EVER, put ointment, or anything greasy on burns. cold water is about the only thing you should put on a burn, to arrest the temperature ofthe burning skin. and unless you know what you're doing, don't cover or dress a burn, unless it's bleeding.
people used to put butter on burns!!!! they might as well have put an eggwash on it.
nothing like helping the skin to get that sweet buttery taste, and golden crust.

having said that, i am a cutter/slicer/dicer. i'm careful around hot stuff, but am often rushed when preparing my birds food, or our dinner. fortunately, i haven't cut myself requiring stitches since i was a kid.

 

[AllenOK]

Well, since I work in the biz, I'm exposed to hot and sharp stuff for hours every day. I seem to be about equal, cuts and burns. Luckily I haven't done anything serious in years.

 

[licia]

The worst cut I've ever had was when I was pregnant with my first child. I was washing some dishes in the sink and a milk glass mixing bowl broke - without my knowledge - so I started to wash and those ultra sharp edges did a job on my finger. Dh was working so I took off to the lady next door and just as I got inside her house I fainted. She called our neighbor who was an EMT. He came and revived me and medicated and bandaged my finger and made me sit a while til I was ok. I threw away the rest of the bowls. I get weak when I see blood so I've really taken precautions since.

 

[buckytom]

glad you had an emt for a neighbor, licia. you could have fainted and hurt the baby, besides how much blood you could have lost.

ya know, i don't understand that, why people get weak when they see blood. i guess i've seen enough of my own, and others', that it doesn't bother me. i even got to watch the c section when my son was born. the nurse tried to stop me, not wanting to have to catch me when i passed out, but when the doc saw that i was interested, he started pointing out the different parts of her guts, layers of skin, fat, and musculuture. it was the coolest thing i'ver ever seen.

 

[licia]

I did watch my grandson being born - but the doctor had a chair for me to sit in and kept asking "Grandma, are you ok?" I didn't think that was very funny!

 

[Alix]

OK, I guess I am one of those nonpartisan people. I do both. I have to say though, it seems to go in phases for me. For a while I will be a total klutz and cut myself a bunch. (Lost two fingertips one month) And then the next round will be a burn round. The stupidest one I ever did is on my belly. I was cooking in a big commercial kitchen making cookies and I had to haul one of those big a-- cookie sheets out of the oven and try to balance everything else and shut the oven, blah blah...you know what that is like. So what do I do? I try to free up a hand by bracing the cookie sheet on my belly. MAJOR OWIE! What a dorky thing to do.