[Sca-cooks] Safety in the Kitchen

[UlfR]

Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius <adamantius at verizon.net> [2004.01.12] wrote:
> >1.  What do you do to protect yourself in the kitchen from injuries?
> 
> I generally wear a cook's cote, designed with some of the features of 
> a modern chef's white coat, in an essentially period design. My 

I've been thinking about this, and will try to make -- out of linen -- a
caftan style coat, with most of the added features you list. Mostly I've
been using a "scratch" tunic, but as times goes by making someothing
dedicated is more and more appealing.

> Good shoes (I am a huge fan of Birkenstocks, especially their 
> "Professional" line of backed and strapped clogs for chefs, nurses, 
> doctors, and lab workers: people that stand all day on hard floors) 
> are beyond pearls. Those thick rubber floor mats, the perforated ones 
> you sometimes see around dishwashing stations in restaurants, are 
> also a godsend.

If I remember to bring them I will wear my Tevas: reasonable support,
stays on my feet and are reasonably non-slippery. Else it ends up being
period shoes or barefoot (I know the dangers, but se Philips post).

> You might need to teach people how to walk with knives in their 
> hands. Professional cooks usually walk with their arms hanging 
> straight down, with the knife blade held firmly, but not stiffly, 
> against the thigh, point down, edge back. That way, the person 

Same here, except at home these days (16 month old girl who gould grab
the shiny toy).

> spilled on the floor and providing traction if you're in the middle 
> of service and can't clear the room to mop.

I keep intending to remember this one, but usually fail.

> Watch the people that work with/for you. Even if you're too dumb to 
> take care of yourself, make sure that they do. Either set up a break 
> schedule or just make sure that everyone gets one. If possible, 
> including you. Tired cooks are dangerous to themselves and others.

I generally provide an assortment of snacks (marzipan, nougat, fruit,
etc), and make sure that anyone skipping lunch will hear me nagging ("if
my planning can't accomodate you spending 10 minutes with food, how will
I handle it when you need to go to the loo?").

> And finally, leaping headfirst into hot convection ovens is work for 
> trained professional cooks in a closed kitchen. Kids, don't try this 
> one at home!

Never had the oppourtunity. Does being very fast with grabbing things
out of campfires count?

> or untickle your nose, wipe sweat off your brow, scratch your tuchus, 
> and any of a billion different ways to transmit germs to food unless 
> you then, immediately, wash your hands before touching food or 
> equipment. Honestly, make a little tick-off chart in your head, the 

You've never worked in a cell culture-type lab? The real pros there have
two hands, which never touch the same set of things. Which incidentally
is how somempeople I see butcher game; the knife hand never releases the
knife, thus never gets coated with slippery blood and *then* picks up
the knife.


> wash your hands. You'll find that you do it a lot less. And remember 
> that sanitizing gels, while effective, can be toxic if not rinsed 
> away.

Hot water and soap is all you need under anything remotely sane for
cooking conditions.

/UlfR

-- 
UlfR Ketilson                               ulfr at hunter-gatherer.org
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.