What does one do with a clumsey daughter?

self | 9/05/2011 | self

[Little Bill]

I was insructing my Daughter into theymystries of CanningPickels. She is a Graduate of Culinary School along with several other degrees which added nothing to her employabilty.

I bought a cheap mandolin to insure consistant thickness of the cukes we were slicing, she proceeded to cut the tip of a finger off, The blood, the blood, after doing first aide I sent her off to the ER.

Is this normal? I mean cooks deal with sharp stuff, how many fingers lie at the bottom of our salads?

[Hot Tabasco]

I bought a cheap mandolin

Any mandolin, regardless of the price, in the wrong hands can be a lethal weapon.........Maybe you should have bought her a cheap set of drums.

[wxgesr]

I would lay the blame on the trainer....lack of clear instruction and poor communication. /sarc

[Little Bill]

I am going to buy a Jap santukko laminated Steel, I have a couple of Good German Knives but I am old and can afford it.

[kalee]

One thing I bought starting out was good knives. They are worth every penny.

[antisocial]

I was watching a cooking show a while back and the famous chef(I forget who he was) sliced the end off of his finger. I think it was on Rachel Ray. So tell her it happens to the best of them.

[bravo whiskey]

i put 4 stitches in the top of a finger using a mandolin WITHOUT the guard. never used it since. i have sliced my thumb twice and another finger once cutting stuff. the mandolin was just plain stupid. the other 3 were just not being totally focused on what i was doing. first name basis w/ the urgent care doc. i exchange recipes with her
i have since adjusted my behavior so that, when i am chopping, that’s all. very slow, very “precise”, very sharp knives. and i still get chills thinking about the accidents and knowing hoqw lucky i am.
and i am a good cook and cook most nights of the week. funny i have never cut myself bad building wood and plastic models.

[COUNTrecount]

What’s a “pickel”?

Does your daughter complain about your spelling?

She probably won’t visit you in the old age home.

At least not with pickles.

[Cloverfarm]

Restaurant supply probably has protective gloves she could wear.

[Cloverfarm]

Restaurant supply probably has protective gloves she could wear.

[Little Bill]

Many Freepers have complained, over the years about my spelling, do I care, no.

[TASMANIANRED]

They make a cut resistant glove for clutzes like me.

Nearly lost the tip of one of mine.. bandaged it.. pulled on a glove to contain the blood and kept working.

[Moonman62]

That is why you use a hand guard and yes professional chefs do cut themselves, some more then others but there are very few that don't have a few interesting scars.

Julia Child

Always remember to save the liver.

[Exit148]

I have a variety of Chinese cleavers, and used them all when I had numerous cooking classes. Never cut myself with them, but always practiced the simple cautions I taught about using them. Fewer classes now, but still use the cleavers. One rule-— less danger when knife is sharp.

[catnipman]

I personally think a mandolin is the most dangerous kitchen tool there is and wouldn't think of using one without using one of these:

I don't think the daughter is at fault. I think the mother is remiss in letting an inexperienced daughter use a dangerous tool. Oh, and if you think I'm some kind of wimp, I've been cooking since I was 12 and using power tools since I was 7, and I still have all of my appendages.

[Sacajaweau]

A favorite memory is my grandmother sitting on a glider (really a swing), with surrounding arbors with flowering vines in the middle of the garden and shucking peas from their garden.

Every year, I pick peas at a local farm and go home and shuck them on my stoop...it makes me smile.

[Sacajaweau]

Aw shucks....Why didn’t we think of that!!

[Little Bill]

After all of the lectures she has given me on the use of a knife I thought a little harassment was in order, she has not taken this thread kindly.

[TASMANIANRED]

I love to cook and past few years have been doing a lot of canning too.

It seems like every meal I have to either cut or burn myself.

Usually very minor but I’ve had many a kiss on the forearm from the oven rack even when I’m diligent about pot holders.

[SunkenCiv]

This is just a learning experience for her, but I hope she’s okay.

[Little Bill]

She is OK, took the tip of her finger off. It gives me a chance to give some father remonstrance's. On the other hand her GGrandmother would have boxed he ears, as Grandmothers often did with errant kids.

Canning is great buy a pressure canner, 23 pint size, and lay up for the hard times coming. My fathers family were early Mormons and the reason they survived in the nothing that was the basin is because of the preservation skills that they learned in the wilderness on Northern NE.