While Thanksgiving celebrations may be modified a bit this year, no doubt many of you still plan on cooking a turkey. I'll leave the cooking advice to the experts (Alton Brown cooks a mean bird), but as an orthopaedic hand surgeon I've certainly seen my fair share of Thanksgiving turkey carving injuries, and so I thought I'd reverse engineer some advice to help you avoid a trip to the ER this holiday!
Turkey Carving Safety Tips:
1) Be careful with those knives! Always cut with the sharp edge of the blade pointed away from you. Conventional wisdom states that sharp knives are "safer" because they require less force and cut in a more controlled fashion. Unfortunately a minor slip with a very sharp knife can really do a lot of damage, and so I'd argue that safe cutting technique is far more important than the hardware you are using.
2) Use the right tool for the job! Consider using kitchen shears to cut through tough joints or bones. Many injuries occur when a knife suddenly plunges through a bone or joint.
3) Protect your hands! Protective gloves can reduce the risk of both cuts and burns to the hands.
4) Protect your kids! Don't forget to secure your sharp knives and hot cookware especially when children are present, and in general keep children away from the food prep areas.
5) Don't burn your house down! Fried turkey is delicious, but we've all seen the YouTube videos of people firing up their burners under a huge vat of flammable oil in their garages...don't end up on YouTube.
6) Don't drink and drive! Your hand injury may be the least of your problems.
7) Don't neglect your wounds! If you have numbness or difficulty moving a finger after cutting your hand or wrist, this may be a sign of serious nerve or tendon damage that will require prompt surgical treatment for a good outcome. Rinse the wound thoroughly with tap water, apply pressure to stop bleeding, and seek immediate medical attention for deep cuts or severe burns.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Eric Angermeier, MD
Hand Institute of Charleston
Appointments: 854-429-4263
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