Burn Care Product

NEW YORK CHEF OFFERS TIMELY TIPS FOR KITCHEN SAFETY

New York, NY (April, 2003) – Executive Chef Manuel Trevino of New York’s Naples 45 Restaurant became a national statistic recently when he burned his arm on a flat grill. At the time, he didn’t know that one person gets burned or scalded every 25 seconds in the United States. He just wanted the pain to stop.

“My shoe caught on the corner of a mat,” he said. “It happened fast. As I was trying to break my fall, my right arm landed on a very hot flat grill. As I fell to the floor, an associate poured cold water on my arm. I yelled for Water-Jel,” he said. Trevino became familiar with the burn relief product while attending the New England Culinary Institute. “I knew it worked for minor burns that occur in home kitchens every day. This time I really put it to the test,” he said. Trevino applied a Water-Jel dressing to his arm and headed to a nearby hospital. While waiting for more than two hours he applied another dressing. “The doctor who saw me said I saved myself from a third degree burn because I used this product. I was able to go to work the next day. I have no scars as a result of this accident,” he said.

Water-Jel and Burn-Jel are two hydro-based products that have been used for the past 22 years by firefighters, paramedics and the armed forces. Burn-Jel, for minor burns, is a topical cooling gel that contains pain-killing lidocaine. For more serious burns, Water-Jel sterile dressings are saturated with the gel and can be wrapped around the affected areas. Both treatments include melaleuca, a natural Tea Tree extract, which is proven to have anti-bacterial properties.

According to Chef Trevino, people burn themselves because they can’t “see” the heat. “Never grab a hot pan--always do the finger tap test. Tap your index finger on the corner of a pan first, don’t just grab it,” he said. “And never use a wet rag to pick up anything that is hot. If the rag you are using is wet, it turns moisture to steam instantly, which can cause a scald. Use dry rags only. Steam sneaks up on you, it is dense and can be hotter than boiling water,” he continued.

Draining pasta can often cause scalds, too. The best way to drain pasta, according to Chef Trevino, is to use a pasta pentola. “Just pick up the basket and let the water drain. If you don’t have a pentola, used a smaller colander in a larger pot, “ he said.

In addition to steam, hot sugar and oil are also common culprits that can cause minor burns and scalds in the kitchen. Hot sugar can reach temperatures of 240 degrees, and if it gets on your skin, it sticks. “Put ice water on it first, to harden it. Slowly peel it off your skin. Then, apply Water-Jel. The point is to cover the affected area. When left exposed to the air, the affected area continues to burn, and you are literally ‘fanning the fire’. Cover the burn to stop the pain,” he said.

Water and oil don’t mix, and when they do, the water evaporates instantly and throws oil. “I would suggest several things. First, always wear long sleeves and an apron. If you are covered, you are less likely to get burned. I would also recommend a splatter screen to cover pans as it will contain hot oil when it is popping,” he said.





Chef Trevino also recommends these tips for kitchen safety:

7 Keep knives sharp. A dull knife is a dangerous knife. Not only do you apply more pressure to use a dull knife, but also the likelihood of your hand slipping is greater. Also, cuts from dull knives take longer to heal and can cause scarring.
There are many ways to keep knives sharp. Using a honing steel and sharpening on a whetstone are the best methods. If a whetstone is not available, use mineral oil, whic