4/27/2020

I know a lot of us must be getting a little stir crazy with staying inside, social distancing and frequent hand washing; although I hope the latter is nothing new (nevertheless the countless times I have seen guys at airport bathrooms leave the urinals and simply walk out and never giving a second thought to washing their hands, is…well, let me just say is kind of common place…some may even say it’s a “guy thing”!).

But I digress! Because of COVID-19, my wife and I have lost our status as Empty Nesters, since our daughter was furloughed and has had to move back home. The fact is, we are thrilled that she has a place where she knows that she is always welcome, although we are concerned over her employment situation.

One of my daughters’ pastimes is cooking and she takes great pride in her culinary skills. Without a doubt she has become something of a gourmet chef.  And recently she approached me in the kitchen while getting ready to apply her cooking skills when she blurted that our knives stink (although her exact language was little more colorful).

What’s wrong with our knives?!

Well, according to her, our knives are dull and as a result, their ability to cut various types of food is not only frustrating (I just use my Swiss Army knife for everything) but dull blades present a serious safety risk!

Well, of course sharp knives cut easily. There’s no resistance and little chance of slipping. Meanwhile, as my daughter began preaching to me, a dull knife requires more pressure to make a cut, and the more pressure, the greater the chance of the knife to suddenly slip and slice your finger or hand instead of the food you are preparing. Therefore, working with dull knives increases ones’ risk for a serious laceration (I knew that!).

Well, that seemed to make sense. But before I was going to just agree with her, I thought it would be prudent to do a little research for myself. So, I Googled “Are dull kitchen knives dangerous.”

Yep, it turns out my daughter is right. Dull knives can lead to some pretty serious circumstances. One can even find themselves in the emergency room. And with all that’s going on with COVID-19, an emergency room seems to be the last place one would want to be (aha! I was able to squeeze in COVID-19 into this Safety Message!).

And because restaurants are closed, we find ourselves working in the kitchen more than we usually do.  Therefore, kitchen safety seems to be a pretty relevant topic these days.

There are many pieces of equipment and environmental hazards that can be extremely dangerous. Sharp objects like knives, open fires by the oven, electrical appliances, and even bacteria around the kitchen are all present in the kitchen. So, it makes sense to pay attention to what you’re doing when working in close proximity to all these hazards – as we say in the S&H Profession – losing your focus on the task at hand – can result in a serious injury.

So, here are a few things to consider while we are applying our culinary skills in the kitchen:

Store knives in a wooden block or in a drawer. Make sure the knives are out of the reach of children.

Never cook in loose clothes and keep long hair tied back. You don’t want anything accidentally catching fire (not to mention hair ending up in the food!).

Never cook while wearing dangling jewelry. A bracelet can get tangled around pot handles.

Keep potholders nearby and use them! Be careful not to leave them near an open flame.

Turn pot handles away from the front of the stove. Children can’t grab them, and adults can’t bump into them if they’re out of the way.

Don’t let temperature-sensitive foods sit out in the kitchen. Raw meat, fish, and certain dairy products can spoil quickly, so refrigerate or freeze them right away.

Wipe up spills immediately. Keep the floor dry so that no one slips and falls.

Separate raw meat and poultry from other items whenever you use or store them. This precaution avoids cross-contamination of harmful bacteria from one food to another.

Wash your hands before handling food and after handling meat or poultry. As the CDC has been telling us, our hands can easily transmit bacteria. Of course, with COVID0-19 concerns, this recommendation should be a “given.”

Get a fire extinguisher for your kitchen. This device may not do much for your cherry’s jubilee, but it can avert a disaster. I think most of us have had fire extinguisher training so inspecting a F/E and knowing how to use it (remember PASS:  pull-aim- squeeze and sweep) and therefore, having a F/E in your kitchen would be prudent.  IF you do not know how to inspect a F/E or never have had a F/E class, my strong advice is to NOT have one. Should a fire break out, remove yourself and family from harms’ way (that is, get out of the house!) and call 911!

Well, I hope that for those of us that have been working in the kitchen a little more frequently these days, that we continue to enjoy the art of cooking while keeping safety in the forefront of our minds! Incidentally, through my daughter’ lecture of proper kitchen knives, two knives that are a MUST for the kitchen are a Chef’s Knife and a Santoku (for general purpose). 

Why waste your money looking up your family tree? Just go into politics and your opponent will do it for you

Mark Twain