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#GeekingOutSeries/Safety101/KitchenDangerous/3

This post is part of the Geeking Out series which presents data-driven information on food and farming, safety in the kitchen, practical science for cooks, cooking techniques and processes and other relevant nerdy stuff that every cook should know.\\xa0 For the next few weeks, we will be covering topics from the chapter, Safety 101.

Read Kitchen Dangerous: \\xa0part 1and part 2

In part 2 of Kitchen Dangerous, we talked about what to do when a fire occurs and how to avoid oil splatter burns from frying. In this post, we\\u2019re covering more hot stuff and first aid for burns using ingredients you probably already have at home.\\xa0

More Hot Stuff

Draining pasta noodles in the sink, pouring scalding liquids into containers, removing the lid of a simmering pot, touching the metal handle of a hot skillet, removing a baked dish from the oven, handling a metal spatula left in a hot sauce pan, bumping against the handle of a hot wok and causing it to tip over\\u2014these are some of the ways you can burn yourself.\\xa0 But first, a few more rules.

Rule number five: Always use oven mitts or pot holders whenever you handle something hot.\\xa0\\xa0 Rule number six: Use tongs and long-handled cooking implements to keep your hand away from heat, such as when grilling or scooping out hot food.Rule number seven: Avoid wearing clothing and accessories such as scarves, neckties, long necklaces or blouses with long flowing sleeves that can catch on pot handles or dip into hot liquids and food.

Rule number eight: Keep pot and skillet handles of cooking vessels on front burners turned sideways or inwards.Pot and pan handles can easily be bumped or get caught in articles of clothing which could lead to burn splatter and spills. You also don\\u2019t want curious children grabbing exposed handles.\\xa0\\xa0

Rule number nine: Be familiar with some easy kitchen science that governs hot things.\\xa0 You\\u2019ll be able to come up with your own safety procedures when you remember some of these guidelines:

* Metal is a heat conductor.\\xa0 That means anything metal connected to something hot\\u2014such as the handle of a skillet or saucepan lid or metal spoon left in cooking food, will also be hot.\\xa0 Which also means,

* Don\\u2019t leave cooking implements such as ladles and spatulas in a pot or pan while cooking.\\xa0 If it\\u2019s metal, you may burn yourself; if it\\u2019s not metal you may also burn or melt the implement.

* Hot liquids produce hot steam and hot air rises.\\xa0 No, this is not a facial, it can burn you. So when pouring hot liquid into containers or into the sink such as when draining pasta noodles: avert your face, be gentle and pour away from your body. Get as close as possible so you don\\u2019t splatter.

* For hot food and liquid, only use containers that are graded for heat such as tempered glass, metal, bake or oven-proof ware.

* Extreme temperature changes can cause containers to break such as glass or ceramic bowls, even if they are oven-proof.\\xa0 Before washing, make sure the vessels are allowed to cool.\\xa0 Conversely, putting cold food straight into a hot oven may cause containers to break.

* Do not process very hot food or liquid in blenders and food processors.\\xa0 High temperatures plus high speed processing increase pressure and may cause blender top to pop and splatter scalding food and liquid everywhere.\\xa0 Allow soups or other food that\\u2019s been cooking to cool for at least 10 minutes before processing.\\xa0 Follow capacity limit (do not overfill),\\xa0 release steam by opening blender shoot, and start on low before building to desired speed.

Rule number ten: Have a first aid plan for burns.\\xa0 See a doctor if burns are serious.

First Aid for BurnsKitchen burns though common are often minor, which means they are easily treatable at home.\\xa0 The first step is to reduce the temperature of your burn by running it under cold water.\\xa0 After making sure the burn surface is clean, apply topical home remedies like aloe vera, moringa, honey, broadleaf plantain (plantago major) or tomato to reduce inflammation, alleviate pain and/or minimize blistering. You can also use over-the counter burn creams or ointments.

Much anecdotal evidence exists on the efficacy of natural burn remedies.\\xa0 I learned about the use of aloe vera, moringa and tomatoes growing up in the Philippines, but these are common herbal remedies found in many cultures.\\xa0 Aloe vera as a medicinal plant was used as far back as 1500 BC in Greece and China, and many Filipino households, including my own, grew them. \\xa0We also frequently had moringa and tomatoes at home because they were part of our cuisine, even before anyone realized they were superfoods with a multitude of benefits.

There\\u2019s scientific data to back the healing properties of all these home remedies for topical treatments to burns, except for tomatoes.\\xa0 While I have personally experienced the soothing relief of a tomato on a burn, I don\\u2019t have the studies to support it. Absence of western scientific data is not proof of ineffectiveness.\\xa0 Either the studies haven\\u2019t been done or I just haven\\u2019t found them yet.\\xa0 That\\u2019s not the case for consumption of the fruit, however.\\xa0 While data may be scant for topical applications, there\\u2019s lots of evidence this South American native helps with burns due to its high vitamin, nutrient and Lycopene load. \\xa0Lycopene is the carotenoid responsible for the red pigment, credited with antioxidant properties, protection from infection and wound healing. \\xa0Lycopene production is increased by cooking and the most concentration can be found in tomato paste.

How to use:

Honey- apply directly to burn. \\xa0According to an article from the US National Library of Medicine, \\xa0\\u201cThe free radical control by honey, due to its anti-oxidant effect, limits damage and subsequent multi-organ dysfunction. Honey\'s anti-bacterial action, low pH, high viscosity, hygroscopic effect, and its hydrogen peroxide content all play a combined role in honey\'s effectiveness in burns treatment. Honey provides a moist environment for optimum healing conditions.\\u201d

Though commercial wound dressings and products tend to use medical-grade Manuka honey, the report makes no distinction in efficacy among unprocessed undiluted honey from various sources.

Tomato- slice and apply directly to burn. \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0Broadleaf plantain and Moringa- apply as a poultice.\\xa0 Wash leaves, mash to make into a paste/poultice, then apply directly to burn.\\xa0 While it may be easier to use a pestle and mortal to mash the leaves, chewing provides maximum efficacy as saliva also stimulates wound-healing.

Aloe Vera- cut a leaf and peel to access the gelatinous surface and apply directly to burn.

My personal practice: I use all but the moringa interchangeably for burns, and only because moringa is not readily available where I live. Tomatoes, which provide immediate cooling and soothing relief can be messy to apply, so I only use it occasionally, as with honey which I\\u2019ve only used in the form of commercial wound dressings. For convenience, I often default to a home-made salve of plantain, a common plant that grows in my yard, as first aid to all skin irritants\\u2014from burns, cuts to insect bites and stings. \\xa0A salve is quickly accessible and easier to apply than poultices. Broadleaf plantain, well-known to Native Americans, has tremendous medicinal properties and deserves its own future post. I also grow aloe vera in pots and simply cut a leaf and rub the gelatinous juicy side to burns, including sunburns.

This is the end of part 3 of Kitchen Dangerous.\\xa0 In part 4, we will cover Knives and Other Sharp Things.

Interested to learn more? Read companion posts on Cooking Subversive:The Kitchen Dangerous seriesPart 1: Liar, Liar Pans on Fire: Fire and All Things HotPart 2: Don\\u2019t Burn Yourself Part 3: More Hot StuffPart 4: Knives and Other Sharp Things Part 5: First Aid for Cuts (and Burns)

References:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6330525https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3188068https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5878035https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6330525https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11340098https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3188068https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6593997