August 22, 2007
Importance of Following Rules
WARNING! If you don’t like bloody stories, or don’t want to see the reality of cooking disasters, do not read this post.
Many people don’t follow rules. Sometimes they end up going to a jail, sometimes pastries don’t get as fluffy as hoped, or this time, it ended up pretty bloody and painful.
A mandoline slicer is a great kitchen gadget to have. From perfectly cut french fries, thin sliced vegetables to even making vegetable spaghetti, it is a nifty device. I went to Chelsea kitchen market (which I found out to be Bowery Kitchen Supply store’s satellite, or a jacked up version of it), and looked around for whatever I might be able to find. And check it out, a mandoline for $9.99! When you go to Williams-Sonoma, you will find it for $150 since they are all stainless steel and fancy, and $9.99 is as cheap as it gets.
I was very excited to test the quality of it. Once I got home, I took a potato, and started to slicing it, amazed by the sharpness of the blade, and of course WITHOUT USING THE GUARD.
Below is the crime scene a couple of minutes after I sliced off a piece of my thumb. A Quarter inch deep, 1 centimeter wide skin was completely sliced off.
Would you like a piece of finger on a thin sliced potato?
When using mandoline, it clearly warns that the blade is VERY sharp, and make sure to use the guard. I had way too much confidence in me, and I cannot use my left thumb for a long time. Also I am sure my thumb will have a big dent without finger print as well. Hey, maybe I can commit a crime and no one can identify me from the fingerprint…
Lesson learned. Sometimes one has to follow rules, otherwise the result is disastrous.
5 Comments
Moto, be careful!!!!
i can just imagine you yelping and screaming and freaking out, bleeding all over your precious kitchen, but then taking the time to get your camera to document your follies for UM. good work, soldier.
Dude,
I’ve been there — actually worse. Using the heavy duty mandoline in a restaurant kitchen, I sliced into the inside of my palm like a 3 inch gash. Those don’t come with a safety guard, of course.
You should get a Benriner!!!
–tmonkey
ahhhh! piece of finger!!! ahhhh!!!
i admire your composure to still take photos of the aftermath.
If you want to see the real thing, I have pictures. Actually when these things happen to myself, I am very calm. I only scream when it happens to someone else.
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