Peppers are burning my hands-what to do?!!

[beccathebaker]

Just got home from the bakery where I was helping someone out by chopping jalepenos for salsa and on my drive home my fingers began absolutely burning!!! I have washed them again and again and even used alcohol but nothing is lessening the burn. What should I do? HELP!

-Becca

[Ralph]

For immediacy, try soaking your hand in milk, yes, milk!

Here's the link to a thread about just this topic from last week: http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/008110.html

[Vanessa]

Ralph thanks for reminding us of milk. My grandmother told me this yrs ago (I forgot)...Thanks!

[Gail]

Some more suggestions on this oldie-but-goodie thread: http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20010301-1-001065.html

[suziking]

My friend whose husband is a doctor turned me on to doctors/nurses gloves. They are disposable. They are great also for chicken.

[beccathebaker]

Thanks for all of the responses. I first stuck my hands in a 32-oz container of yogurt- didn't help. Then I tried alcohol- no help. Then at the pharmacists recommendation, toothpaste-definately didn't work. Just got some aloe lotion which doesn't seem to be helping. My uncle just recommended lime juice to cut the oil- we'll see. He also told me to just drink a margarita-may just have to resort to that!!!! I can't believe how much this hurts!

[funnybone]

Originally posted by beccathebaker:
He also told me to just drink a margarita-may just have to resort to that!!!!


No wonder nothing helped, you were supposed to drink the margarita first!! LOL http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[RobinC]

I looked through my receipes that have jalapenos to see if any offer suggestions on what to do for buring hands. This is what I've found...

Use white vinegar or a mixture of water and bleach to remove the pepper's heat

[SusanT]

You might want to wear some gloves the next time you handle peppers. I once removed my contacts after cutting peppers earlier in the evening. Painful doesn't begin to describe how my eyes felt!

[beccathebaker]

What a terrible experience!! After about 8 hours I hAd a systemic reaction and my entire hand swelled up and I got blisters. I called the doctor on call because the pain was so unbearable that even keeping ice directly on it was not helping. He told me to put a baking soda paste on it and gave me some tylenol-3. Usually I am so sensitive to that stuff because i am really small and 1 tablet will knock me out. Well- I had to take two and even then was still in agony!! I finally fell asleep at about 2 a.m. with an ice pack on my hand and just woke up-the pain is a bit better-though still there!!! Unbelieveable. The worst part is that I just went to put in my contacts and they burned my eyes!

I will NEVER touch jalepenos again!!!!!!!!!!!!