Cooking with a cut or burn on the hands

food-safety

I know from this question that I should avoid cooking (at least without gloves) if I have an open cut.

However, once a cut starts to heal, how can I tell if it's safe to cook without gloves? Are there any firm rules, or is it based on experience and watching how MY cuts react to being washed often?

Are there different rules if I have a burn? Or is it the same — if I'm likely to ooze, I should wear gloves. Otherwise, I'm okay without them.

Best Answer

If you're really worried about it, put some superglue over it. It actually works really well...Just don't stick your fingers together. Regular superglue can irritate your skin, so if you have time to plan ahead, buy some Dermabond, which is a cyanoacrylate surgical glue...They use it in place of stitches sometimes. Works great. Your wounds will NOT seep. Period.

Honestly though, people get cut all the time in professional kitchens, and I've never seen someone do more than slap some glue or a piece of tape over it, and keep going. You can't just quit work for a couple of days without throwing the whole business into chaos. It's a rough trade.