My electric mandoline almost got me - now I only use the guard

I spent years laughing at coworkers who bothered with the finger guard on those things. Thought I was too careful, you know? Last Tuesday I was slicing 40 pounds of potatoes for a catering gig and my hand slipped. Took a chunk out of my thumb that needed 4 stitches. Now I use the guard every single time. Anyone else have a close call that changed how you do a basic task?

3 comments

3 Comments

avery_ross3d agoMost Upvoted

Started slicing green peppers for chili last month without the guard on my old mandoline, just like you used to do (felt invincible, right?). Sliced right through the side of my middle finger and spent an hour fishing pepper juice out of the wound with a paper towel. It's funny how one stupid mistake makes you notice all the other small shortcuts people take every day - like not wearing gloves when moving furniture or skipping the safety glasses for a quick drill job. We all think we're too good for the boring safety stuff until our blood is dripping into whatever we're making (and trust me, it's always way more annoying to clean up than to just use the guard).

vera_lewis23d ago

The green pepper chili thing, I've been there too. Actually, I read a study once that said most mandoline accidents happen on the first few slices when people get overconfident, not the last ones. But I hate to be that person about the pepper juice - you might want to avoid running that wound under cold water right away. I've heard from a couple different cooks that warm water actually helps break down the capsaicin better, and cold water just seals it in. Take that with a grain of salt because everyone's got their own method, but it's made a difference for me.

murray.jana3d ago

Omg that pepper juice in the wound is the worst, I still cringe thinking about it. But you're totally right, it's wild how we all do this with everything - like I see people carrying way too many grocery bags at once to save a trip, or balancing a ladder on uneven ground just to grab something quick. We're all convinced we've got it figured out until the universe reminds us we don't.