So there I was yesterday afternoon...

[Jenise]

...peeling, with my lime green Zyliss vegetable peeler, a bit of parm from an old, rather hardened hunk into the mix of crumbled Italian sausage mix, bread crumbs and chopped fresh herbs I'd just whizzed up in the food processor with which to stuff a few artichokes, already olive green and happy from almost an hour on the stove, when I hit a nub in the cheese the grater just couldn't seem to get past. I checked to make sure it wasn't a rock or anything foreign and it wasn't, it was just some kind of completely natural crystalized clog of cheese, so I pushed extra extra hard with the peeler throwing all my might into getting past that rough spot and indeed the peeler rammed right through it.

And up my index finger, which is now missing a disturbingly deep and significant section of flesh.

The good news is that the now ex part of me missed the processor bowl and landed, easily identifiable, on the black granite beyond, so the stuffing stayed clean and awaits my return to service later in the week.

But man, NOT HAPPY! It's been years since I did anything this stupid. Well, in the kitchen that is.

Ouch!! I would surely still be passed out in a pool of my own blood if that happened to me. I about faint at the sight of it.
Hope your digit is better soon!

I feel your pain, Jenise. Three months ago I was whizzing through a piece of left over Easter ham with my professionally sharp chef's knife, when I cut right through the tip of my thumb on my left hand. I had that 2 seconds of incredulity not believing I had just fucked up my thumb. I was able to grab it and apply pressure so that there was very little loss of blood, while Michael-Anthony ran around in shock trying to figure out what to do next. But, because the knife was sharp it was a clean, neat cut (through the nail and through the flesh, missing any nerves) they were able to glue it back together and there is hardly a trace of the mishap. M-A finished the macaroni salad, removing the ham that had the trace of blood. But, I lost three hours of meal preparation time. Don't you just hate that?!

Yikes, Jenise...we all do things like that in our kitchens. I have lost pieces of skin, flesh, nails, and am really pissed when it goes into the food and I have to throw the whole thing out and start over. I am a huge proponent of good quality, sharp knives in the kitchen, because they are so much safer. Some other kitchen tools are not as safe, as you experienced.

[Robin Garr]

I am almost too much of a baby to even READ stuff like this, but I hope you heal quickly, Jenise!

Oouch! I hate it when that happens. I recently bought a steel-core knitted glove specifically for that purpose - every..ah..four weeks or so, I'd grate off a bit of finger..

Hope it's not too painful for too long, Jenise! Heal fast...

Ick. Makes my quivery parts all... quivery. Not in the good way, I mean.

Re protection... I once saw an oyster shucker at a raw bar wearing a chainmail mitten. Smart man.

That hurt just reading about it.

Jenise, how is the finger doing? Is there any cooking going on at Chez J?

[Jenise]

Jenise, how is the finger doing? Is there any cooking going on at Chez J?

Hey everyone, thanks for your sympathy. Hasn't been in two days--have been avoiding anything that might contain salt, acid or soap, and all bumps of course. But this morning I changed my bandages and the healing is progressing better than I dared hope, so I just finished breaking down a duck and the fat is rendering on the stove in one pot with the bones making stock in another. I had to wear a glove of course, but this is encouraging. I was worried I'd be out of service all week.

[Jenise]

I feel your pain, Jenise. Three months ago I was whizzing through a piece of left over Easter ham with my professionally sharp chef's knife, when I cut right through the tip of my thumb on my left hand. I had that 2 seconds of incredulity not believing I had just fucked up my thumb. I was able to grab it and apply pressure so that there was very little loss of blood, while Michael-Anthony ran around in shock trying to figure out what to do next. But, because the knife was sharp it was a clean, neat cut (through the nail and through the flesh, missing any nerves) they were able to glue it back together and there is hardly a trace of the mishap. M-A finished the macaroni salad, removing the ham that had the trace of blood. But, I lost three hours of meal preparation time. Don't you just hate that?!

And the doctors are never THAT sympathetic.

You were so lucky you missed the nerve. Years ago, a wine bottle that was, unbeknownst to me, cracked under the foil, just about severed a finger when I attempted to twist the cork out. The nerves took about two years to heal.

Re protection... I once saw an oyster shucker at a raw bar wearing a chainmail mitten. Smart man.

Yeah, I need one of those for when I hand a client his bill...

Jenise - what are you doing with duck - test dish or early prep for T-7?

[Jenise]

Re protection... I once saw an oyster shucker at a raw bar wearing a chainmail mitten. Smart man.

Yeah, I need one of those for when I hand a client his bill...

Jenise - what are you doing with duck - test dish or early prep for T-7?

Early prep for T-7. Made a gorgeous consomme. Made an even bigger mess. And of course, since I'm injured, making the mess involved some risk but cleaning up after myself involved much much so you should see the mess Bob had to deal with when he got home.

As long as your terrine isn't served with a sang du chef sauce....

I gotta try out some variations on the accompaniment this weekend, but I am going bravely without a trial on the terrine itself!

Oh No! Did you have that flash of prescience just as it happened when your brain said, "DON"T DO IT!" That flash pretty much has happened to me every time I've had one of my many cooking accidents, most involving a very sharp knife and my left thumb. Hope you recover quickly.

[Jenise]

Oh No! Did you have that flash of prescience just as it happened when your brain said, "DON"T DO IT!" That flash pretty much has happened to me every time I've had one of my many cooking accidents, most involving a very sharp knife and my left thumb. Hope you recover quickly.

Oh you bet I did! Felt like an idiot. Felt even stupider having potato chips for dinner.