Most cooks and chefs have their special collection of kitchen utensils and accessories – plenty of knives, spatulas, spoons, whisks, peelers, graters, etc., etc.
This post talks about another set of tools, what I call a “Kitchen Survival Kit.” This can work in your home kitchen, as well as the restaurant.
The idea came to me while thinking of the many boo-boos I’ve gotten while on the job, along with my former boss, and especially, my husband, Kevin. He’s the King of freak accidents. In fact, he contributed to most of the information listed here.
My “kit” contains the obvious first-aid necessities, but also, those little knick-knacks that you may not think about (until you need them right away). Then, of course, they’re nowhere to be found.
You probably have a drawer or two dedicated to such things, or, you may want to get a special box to keep them all together in one spot. However you see fit, I just thought these might come in handy for you sometime.
For Kitchen First-Aid
- Different sized Band-Aids: always good to have a variety of sizes on hand
- Super-Glue, or Liquid Skin: my hubby swears by this, as well as my former kitchen manager. This works great when you get a nasty cut, but have to keep working.
If it’s a small cut, clean off any blood and apply 1 or 2 drops, then let it dry. This will create a seal over the cut and keep it from bleeding.
If it’s a deep cut, wrap it with gauze or paper towel, and hold your wounded area up above the heart to elevate it (assuming the cut is on your finger or arm). This will keep it from bleeding more, allowing it to clot.
If it’s a bad cut and you’re scared, try to get someone to assist you (a good time to do some deep breathing exercises to relax! Review my previous post on this).
When the breathing is under control, then you can apply the Super-Glue.
This happened to me one day at work. I didn’t realize the knives had recently been sharpened, and I got a deep cut on my finger. That’s when my boss introduced me to “instant band-aid” in a bottle. After that, I made sure to be more careful.
Another thing to be aware of: if you cut yourself and blood gets on anything in the restaurant kitchen, be sure to follow the proper steps for sanitizing the area. Most places should have a list somewhere, preferably hanging on a wall within sight.
- Plastic Gloves: some kitchens are stricter on having to wear plastic gloves when handling food. I used them a lot when I prepped, especially when I had the unpleasant task of working with seafood (I’m not a fan), and when I had to wash dishes.
Used for sanitary purposes, but also to keep your hands from getting too smelly or slimy. They are good to wear when you have a cut on your hand and want to protect it.
- Waterproof Medical Tape: helps when you need to bandage a wound.
- Roll of Self-Adhesive Gauze: works even better on cuts.
- Finger Cots: little “finger gloves” that are good to use to cover your fingers that have cuts on them.
- Antibacterial Wipes: good to have anyplace, really.
- Burn Cream: I could have used this during a busy month when I seemed to be getting a new burn on my arm every day. I was cooking a lot of bacon, and we always used big sheet pans to lay out the strips on. Almost every time I pulled a pan out of the oven, I managed to burn myself.
At one point I had so many burns on my arm I looked like a heroin addict!
- Lavender and Tea Tree Essential Oils: Sounds kind of strange, but these are like “liquid medicine.” The lavender oil is great for burns. You should first ice the burn, then apply a few drops of the oil straight on the burn. It will help it to heal faster.
Lavender oil is also great for stress. Just put 1 or 2 drops in the palm of your hand, rub them together, and hold them up to your face and take some deep breaths.
I used to make soaps and bath products for a side business, and one of my items was a lavender massage oil. I brought a little bottle of it in for my boss. She had eczema, and this also helps with that. I told her that the lavender helps to de-stress as well. One evening I went into her office and found her and two other kitchen employees sitting around, sniffing the lavender oil! It had been an extremely hectic week, so better they were sniffing that than something else!
The tea tree oil is great for scrapes and insect bites. Also, for its antibacterial properties. If you have a cut, bite, or sting that starts to get infected, it helps to put a drop or 2 on the bandage, then right over the cut. It will help fight the infection.
Miscellaneous Extras
- Sharpie Marker Pens: handy to have to write labels on prepped items. They seem to disappear quickly (at least, where I worked), so you may want to have a couple in your pocket.
- Reading Glasses: (if needed) I’ve never worn glasses, but, a few years ago I had to get a few pairs of these. It became harder to read the fine print on things, so I always made sure I had some with me at work, in case I had trouble reading an order ticket.
- Needle-nose Pliers: according to my husband, these work well for pulling bones out of meat and seafood. Also good for taking the membrane off ribs. They may come in handy too, if you need to do a quick fix on something.
- Pocket Thermometer: always good to have a few (make sure they actually work) in your pocket or within reach. Especially if the dreaded health inspector pays a visit.
- Health Inspection List/Regulations: you want several of these posted in the kitchen and do the best you can to follow it. You never know when you might get that surprise visit, so you want to be good and ready. You may also want to have $50, to bribe the guy or gal (that part was added by my husband, Kevin – just kidding).
- Measurement Equivalent Chart: (preferably laminated) this came in handy at work different times, when having to figure out certain measurements.
- Ball of String or Twine: Kevin likes this for wrapping meats (but hopefully not to have to use for a tourniquet).
- Scissors: to cut the string, and, whatever else.
You can probably come up with your own additions, but hopefully, these were some helpful suggestions for your survival kit.
Happy cooking, and, beware of the freshly sharpened knives!