3 Common Cooking Injuries And How To Treat Them

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Cooking is a great habit to get into. It's a challenging and fun hobby, and cooking homemade meals can help you eat more healthily. Unfortunately, cooking can sometimes cause accidents. Eventually you may injure yourself in the kitchen, and if that happens, it's important that you know what to do. Here are three common cooking injuries and the ways you can treat them.

1. Cuts

When you're slicing and dicing vegetables, you may accidentally cut yourself. The sight of blood can be shocking, but don't panic. Run the cut under water to clean it; don't apply soap, since that can irritate the wound. Apply pressure with a clean paper towel, and hold your cut hand above your heart in order to stop the bleeding. If the cut is shallow, you can apply antibiotic ointment and a bandage. If the wound is deep, you may need stitches. When in doubt, it's best to visit a walk in urgent care center and allow a doctor to assess your injury.

2. Contact burns

Contact burns are the most common type of burns sustained in the kitchen. These burns happen when your skin comes in contact with something hot, like a frying pan or oven rack. If you've been burned, the first thing you should do is run your hand under cool water for at least five minutes. Don't apply ice because that can cause frostbite, according to the New York Times. Examine the burn. If it's red and sore, put a bandage on it and take an over-the-counter painkiller. If you see the skin bubbling or peeling, you should head to the urgent care center, since that is a sign of a second degree burn.

3. Steam burns

Hot pans aren't the only thing that can burn you. Steam may look innocuous since it's only water vapor, but it can be very hot. Steam burns can actually be more dangerous than contact burns. If you sustain a steam burn, follow the same burn treatment protocol you would use for any other burn. Remember that prevention is always best. When opening covered pots, always point the opening away from you. Never stick your hand, arm, or face directly in a cloud of steam that you see. You should be careful when opening the oven, too. If you were baking something with a high water content, such as bread, steam may escape the oven as you open it.

For more information, reach out urgent care centers like La Costa Urgent Care.


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