Take care with those knives in the kitchen
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Getting a cut while preparing food happens all too often, according to research done by Seal-On, a first-aid products company. Here are some knife-safety tips from Dr. Richard O’Brien, emergency medicine specialist:
* Use a size-appropriate and purpose-appropriate knife. “I can’t tell you how many people I have sutured who literally used a butcher knife or even a razor-blade knife to do something a butter knife would have easily accomplished,” O’Brien says.
* For best control, hold the knife in your dominant hand (the right hand for most of us) and stabilize whatever you are slicing with your non-dominant hand.
Keep the non-dominant hand (especially the fingers) as far away from the cutting edge as possible. It’s best to use a fork when possible – when cutting meat, for example. Make sure whatever you are cutting will not slip, causing your knife to slip – into you.
* Always use a knife on a safe, sturdy surface. Cutting something on a slippery countertop (granite, for example) is an accident waiting to happen.
* Be extra careful when hand-washing knives. “I often suture people who were doing the dishes by hand and didn’t realize how sharp a knife they were washing really was,” O’Brien says.
* Don’t drop sharp knives into a sink full of bubbles so you can’t see them; keep them where they aren’t hidden under the water.
* Electric knives call for special care. Always use a fork or other sturdy device to hold whatever you are slicing. Electric knives can cut through the skin, tendon and muscle on your finger in a split second if they slip.
Source: Seal-On first-aid products
How to choose and handle fresh asparagus
Choose bright green asparagus with compact, firm tips and smooth, tender skin. Asparagus sizes include standard (5/16 inch thick) and jumbo (13/16 inch thick). The jumbo spears are usually just as tender as the thin ones. Tenderness relates to color; the greener the better – or for white asparagus, the whiter the better.
Until preparing it for the table, keep asparagus cool and moist. Handle asparagus spears like flowers. Trim the butt end of the spears, then refrigerate, upright, standing in an inch of water. Cover loosely with plastic, or wrap the cut ends in a paper towel and store in a plastic bag with the top of the bag left open. Stored this way, fresh asparagus keeps for two to three days in the refrigerator.
Source: California Asparagus Commission
