I felt the burn the other night thanks to a very hot pan and no oven mitt. Thankfully I knew what I needed to do to treat the burn and had what I needed at my (crispy) fingertips.
Blogging has been light thanks to a little mishap in the kitchen. For some strange reason I pick up the lid of my VERY hot Dutch oven without oven mitts. Ouch!
It took about half a second for the pain to hit and my brain kicking in to tell me to drop the lid. I immediately turned on the faucet and let the cool water sooth my blazing hot fingers. My husband leaped into action by pulling out our first aid kit.
After plunging my had in cool water for 30 minutes, the pain subsided long enough for me to move to a damp, cool towel. An hour later I could bear my husband applying the Neosporin ointment and wraping up my swollen finger tips.
Ah, relief! Neosprin is magical and something all home cooks should have at the ready!
As for the damage, both my thumb and ring finger took the brunt of the damage. Both blistered, indicating 2nd degree burns. My index and middle fingers got off lightly with a 1st degree burn. The next day my finger tips felt a little weird…sort of extra crispy. The good news was the pain was gone. I just made sure to protect the 2nd degree burned fingers from infection with more Neosprin and fresh bandages.
Important Safety Tips
Burns go with the territory when cooking. That means you should teach yourself what to do in case of an accident or emergency. That means asking Google before a kitchen mishap. The last thing you want to do is go online looking for what to do as an emergency is happening.
Of course the best kitchen safety is to practice prevention. But sometimes we get distracted or, as in my case, the brain switches off. So here are a few suggestions for basic kitchen safety when it comes to burns:
- Understand the difference between 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree burns to better respond.
- Know basic first aid to treat minor burns or what to do for major burns until emergency help arrive.
- Have a stocked first aid kit nearby.
- Keep fire extinguisher in your kitchen (in our townhouse, we have one for every floor). Here’s a guide for picking the best one for your home and kitchen.
How prepared are you for a kitchen mishap?