My First 3rd Degree Burn While Preserving…
I should start this post with three caveats:
- I’m ok – this happened 10 days ago. I will heal without a scar.
- There’s no gross photos that will surprise you below.
- I made a commitment to myself that I would share both success and struggle here; hoping others will learn from both. I take no glory in this story and know how lucky I was. I am only laughing at myself of taking very careful stock of what I could learn from this experience. I ‘m not making light of what was a serious mistake – and could have been far worse.
I was making stock last Sunday – pressure canning to be exact (details of how to do so will be posted in the next several days as I walk through my process of making stock and how to preserve it).
Part of the process is to boil a few inches of water in the pressure canner. My canner tends to take a while to bring water to a boil so I started heating the water in a small pot. I usually use our circular stock pots but most were being used so I filled an oval-shaped stone piece of stoneware. The pot had handles on either end of the oval. The shape of the pot played a role in my fate (along with my own stupidity).
As the water came to a boil, I realized it would be difficult to accurately pour from the wide side of the pot. It would also be difficult to pour from the thin side as I’d only be able to hold one handle….A sudden thought hit me: I could easily stabilize the large pot with my chest and rest a handle on the far side of the pot. I could then lever the pot towards me and pour hot water into the pressure canner.
Water rushed down the narrow oval, hit the side (which was now a ramp, aimed towards me) and flew clear over the pot and onto the stabilizer – me.
I got lucky in so may ways;
- I didn’t panic and drop the pot or pull it harder towards me.
- Although my shirt took a lot of water, a subtle movement of my upper body kept most of my shirt – and the water out of reach of my skin. A small portion (about an inch by 3 inches) of skin got hit.
- I knew some first aid – instantly iced it.
It didn’t blister for the better part of a day – again, some luck that the contact was brief.
There were a tonne of ways that this could have been avoided:
- Never pour boiling water towards oneself. This one is just commonsense – but something I hadn’t thought enough about. Beyond every tip that I’ll share this one is now non-negotiable in my kitchen. None of the tips below work without this one in addition to them.
- A lighter pot would have helped.
- A circular pot that was easier to handle may have helped.
- Even a kettle would have been quite handy.
A humbling lesson to share – but if it saves one person the same (needless) fate, then I think it’s worth sharing.
And I did finish making my stock (those posts are coming in the next few days).
What’s a kitchen blunder that you’ve done and should be shared with others?
Comments
between that and the mandolin……..and he wonders why i come running when he sneezes and constantly ask if he’s okay…
in fairness…i only messed up 3 times before finally learning my lesson
mine was cutting (or trying to) down the center of a very large and hard winter squash with a knife that I knew was too light, too small, and the wrong shape for the job. it was however, the perfect shape – coupled with my perfect technique, to slice through the center of my palm.
glad you are ok!
It`s amazing how many times I catch myself in a similar bind – knowing I shouldn`t be doing what I`m doing but doing it anyways….one of the privledges of getting older is that I`m catching myself and taking action once…
I remember stacking 3 plastic coolers on top of each other once, stepping on top of them to reach the top of the loft in the garage…hard plastic on hard plastic…by the time I landed on my back on cement my head was probably 11-13 feet from the ground. Have no idea to this day how I didn`t get hurt at all…I now use ladders.
Oh, la mandoline! I’ve slice bits of thumb off and once, with my husband watching and worriedly saying, “Be careful,” stabbed myself in the hand while cleaning horseradish. I should’ve had stitches and for years had a loss of sensation in that area of my palm….
When I teach canning classes, people inevitably ask something along the lines of, “What’s the greatest risk with canning?” They expect an answer related to botulism or some other kind of contamination, but the fact is, we’re FAR more likely to burn ourselves than suffer from food poisoning. I constantly emphasize personal safety practices such as always put an oven mitt on left hand (for right-handers) while transferring jars in and out of the canner, in case one slips from the jar lifter and you need to catch it. I have an electric tea kettle which I LOVE for canning–I can heat up 1.5 liters in a couple minutes when I need hot water for jar lids, in my canner, etc. And it doesn’t take up a burner on my stove.
Chris, I now have a new answer!!! That`s a fantastic answer and something I hadn`t thought of in that way – love it!
the mandoline taught me a few tough lessons – as did opening oysters… this thread feels a bit like the scene in jaws where everyone is sitting around the bar talking about their shark bites…:)
More like Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential
I NEVER chop peppers with gloves on. I always know it’ll affect my fingers and I won’t be able to take out my contacts, etc… but every time I go to chop a jalapeno, I think ‘oh, it’s only a couple, it won’t affect me this time.’ Every time. Ow.
Christina,
I did this on Saturday. You are so right!
I have finally learned that when we can tomatoes (usually about 8 bushels) that I must wear gloves or the acid destroys my fingers in indescribable ways… Learning slowly but surely…
We had a similar issues with some wine grapes we were gifted this summer. I knew intellectually that fruit was acidic, but having my hands in grape juice, grape skins, etc. for a day and a half really drove that fact home.
Trying to save a Sicilian pizza that a new coworker was pulling clumsily from the oven. Pizza, like open-face PB&J, falls gooey side down. Cheese burns on forearms.
Rule of thumb: if it’s hot, pointy, sharp or boiling, get out of the way and let it go. Clean up and food loss is far cheaper than ER and multiple follow-ups.
OK Rebecca you continue to teach me fantastic things – I`ve never heard of over faced PB&J….oooooooh….
ER is mostly free in the far north – although it could be argued that pain and scars are a far scarier toll.
I like your rule of thumb…I`m diving for cover next
I burned myself while canning this year. With hot, sticky jam! I didn’t even realize I did it until later. I was rushing to get jam into jars and some fell onto my bare ankle. I don’t even remember it hurting. Later I noticed it there, and wiped it off. Then it started to hurt. And blister. And I realized it had been HOT jam, that I had just left there to burn my skin. It was right where the top of my shoe rubbed my ankle. Not fun.
Lesson: Always can with shoes on. A little old lady told me that before, but I didn’t listen.
Also learned the shoe trick – too many close calls with tomato canning that it`s just become a habit. Thick, thick socks are a minimum and shoes (especially with outdoor canning like tomatoes) are a must here. Bizzare how you didn`t feel it – I know that`s happened to me with the odd cut of a sharp knife. Scary stuff and aazing how the body processes and delays pain like that!
I’ve done both Joel! I have cut myself on the slicer dicer – mandolin and burnt myself with hot water on my chest.
I was making pasta and as I went to dump it into the strainer – the pot handle came off in my hand and burnt my boob. All the boiling water went down my chest! And I was about to go on a date! My date did feel sorry for me and I got a few more dates out it LOL
I have also cut the end off my pinkie finger once, while cutting a melon. The knife was dull.
When I make gingerbread houses, I always burn myself with burnt sugar (it is better than icing for glue).
So I think these are natural processes of learning in the kitchen. Those things happened well over 10 year ago for me, but it all part of the process.
Only laughing because it worked out…
Funny thing – my Father is almost always cutting himself (in and out of kitchen – the woods, sleepwalking, cooking) and I seem to specialize in burning myself.
Now if had known it was good for dating I would have been preserving years ago
Amazing how much scarier a dull knife can be than a sharp one too…
My close call was leaving some olive oil heating in a pan (on high). It went “whoosh” as it ignited and I panicked. I was *this close* to turning the faucet on it when my husband saved the day by (duh) putting a lid on it. It still makes my heart race to think about how stupid that was. Thanks for the reminder to keep calm and know your first aid!
EeekS! My Dad was a firefighter for 37 years so I was frequently reminded of lids (or baking soda) – thanks for sharing Val, sounds like a scary close call – amazing how quick something so òrdinary`can turn scary!
I got a second degree burn the last time I made stock. I normally let it cool before I strain it but for some reason I didn’t that time. I was pouring it into a pitcher and my arm jerked and splashed some on my stomach – it went straight through my shirt and burned off the top layers of skin entirely. It hurt SO INCREDIBLY BADLY and it was also really disturbing to watch my skin just shrivel away. It took ages to heal (I had to bandage it for the longest time) and now I have a sort of dark patch on my skin where it healed over (the skin doesn’t look weird or scarry, just…darker).
Lesson learned: let the damn thing cool first. And maybe wear an apron for an extra layer of absorption.
Very frightening Melissa – glad you are ok… I`ve found that some of my past wounds like that continue to heal over time – though I suppose if it serves as a reminder and keeps you safe, it may be worth it.
I`ve pourder stuff like you describe and never considered it could just suddenly go wrong like that – but I can think of times I`ve spilled pop, water or milk – had it been hot water, the results would have been like yours. Thanks for sharing and the good reminder.
I had dark patches and no scars as well. The dark patches fade away over time. A long time. But my forearms look untouched now.
“look untouched” laughing. This really is like that scene in JAWS that they trade shark bite stories around the pub…
One time my daughter and I were making candied apples. She was about 9 at the time, and wasn’t really paying attention well. So, while I was holding the apple and she was spooning the candy over, she dropped a spoonful on my hand. If you know anything about candy, it sticks to the skin and is VERY hot. So, the moral of the story, keep a closer eye on your kids while they are helping you cook, and keep your hands out of the way.
ow ow ow ow ow….I don`t think I`ll think of a candied apple the same way again – I can`t imagine…. I think welding gloves could be in order…
I feel your pain. I got burned quite seriously (gross blister and now a pink scar) on one finger in a croquembouche related mishap over Christmas. Molton sugar, like boiling water, is not to be trifled with. =(
Alyson, I’ve had a few splatters of molton sugar – it scares me more than water. A candy thermometer shows that sugar and berries can boil far hotter than water and I tend to be semi-scared around it. Love the term “croquembouce related mishap!”
One instant of inattention near a boiling canner last summer gave me a severe burn on my arm; the steam was jetting out the side and I just passed my arm through the jet. No scar at all, probably thanks to my trusty aloe vera plant.
Lesson: If friends drop in while you’re canning, have a visit with them OR keep cooking; not both.
And then there’s THAT PLACE on my thumb that has served as the backstop for dull knives skidding off tough tomatoes more than once. First time was during my summer in an army kitchen (long story). I must have looked funny dashing across the kitchen with one hand held out to catch the blood pouring out of the other.
Lesson: Sharp knives, proper technique.
Oh Sarah, the thumb story….
I watched people cut like that for years – never understood why it wasn’t dangerous but it seemed to work. So one day I tried it myself – I mean it didn’t look THAT tough. The first time was the last – instant cut… Have never understood HOW people do that – it’s like magic.
Good lesson too 
I had a momentary lapse of kitchen safety sanity and tried to pit an avocado while it was in the palm of my hand. Ended up stabbing my finger and having to get stitches. Learned to always pit an avocado on a cutting board in the future. Also learned the value of finger cots to protect the wound while cooking and washing.
Oh Lorrie…isn`t it amazing how logical somethings seem a few moments before mere disastr like this….icks…glad you`r ok
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