How to Care for Knife Cut In the Kitchen

by Chef Maryam Ghargharechi April 05, 2019

Accidental cuts from a knife are one of the most common hazards found in the kitchen. Whether you’re slicing a bagel or deboning meat, an injury can result from your kitchen engagement. If you cut yourself while slicing a bun, the first step is to wash the wound to prevent infection.

That said, here’s how you can care for a knife injury:

Using a clean cloth, apply pressure on the wound until bleeding stops. Put more cloth or gauze on top of the material if blood soaks through the original one. Continue to apply pressure until bleeding stops.

Apply tourniquet if bleeding is severe and doesn’t stop with direct pressure. Wash your hands after bleeding stops, get first aid, then clean and dress the wound.

Use soap and warm water to clean the cut, then rinse out the soap. Avoid using iodine or hydrogen peroxide, as they can damage body tissue.

Apply antibiotic cream to the injury to reduce the risks of an infection, then use a sterile bandage to cover the area. Change the dressing daily. This will help keep the wound clean and dry.

If you still have food prep to do, put a glove on the injured hand. In this case, you should avoid applying any antibiotic cream on the wound until you’re done in the kitchen.

How to Prevent Knife Cuts

To reduce knife injuries in the kitchen;

Learn basic knife skills so that you can cut food more efficiently.
Research the best ways to cut different foods.
Learn more about the different knife types and what each knife is designed to cut.
Keep your knives sharp at all times. Dull blades are more dangerous to use because they require more pressure to cut. This increases the chances that the knife will slip with great force behind it.
Avoid storing sharp knives in drawers. Store them in a knife block instead to improve safety.
Always cut foods away from your hands and body
Avoid cutting frozen foods. Allow it to defrost first.
Always cut on a stable cutting board.
Use cut-resistant glove

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