Cleaning peppers

Barbee · September 10, 2009

Well I guess everyone has to just go through it for themselves to believe it...but today I cleaned a ton of jalapenos without gloves.

OMG my hands were on fire even 10 hours later. I tried every goofy remedy out there and nothing was helping. Finally, I got the bright idea to use the skunk remedy that I used on Penny a couple of months ago. Baking soda, Peroxide, and Dawn. It worked like a dream.

So now, I'm trying to decide if it's worth making another batch of Sweet Hot Pepper Mix or not LoL
So what kind of gloves do you use to clean hot peppers?

mjc · September 10, 2009

Cheap 'surgical'/latex gloves...or I just skip them and do a liberal wash up with lots of baking soda, immediately when finished.

Barbee · September 10, 2009

OK yeah, I do believe most of my problem came from not getting the oil cleaned off right after cutting them up. I did wash up, but just with soap and water. It didn't even start burning until I was in the middle of the hot water bath process..so about an hour after.
Just hard to believe it can burn that bad for that long. Dang.

mjc · September 10, 2009

There's all those capsaicin based liniments on the market...

RJ_Hythloday · September 10, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjc

There's all those capsaicin based liniments on the market...

Yep, think how much were saving by not wearing gloves!

I may be wierd, but I kinda enjoy the slight burn from cleaning just a few peppers. A whole batch for freezing would be a different story I'm sure.

ddsack · September 11, 2009

I wear the disposable latex gloves when I do a very large batch for freezing. I even consider changing gloves during the process because it seems like the juice even discolors and imbeds itself in the latex like it's working it's way through. Lots of hand washing even after using gloves. Learned my lesson the hard way, like you did.

For a shorter chopping session just for a meal, I sometimes use a plastic sandwich bag over my pepper holding hand.

Barbee · September 11, 2009

To update
The burn woke me up just a bit ago. Not as intense, but just aggravating. Just on the right hand and just the thumb and 2 fingers. So that's been about 16 hours since I peeled them. I will need to keep my hand out from under the covers tonight

I am going to the store tomorrow to look for something to put on it!

Marko · September 11, 2009

I had a similar problem two years ago. Searched internet and tryed everything, nothing helped, then I' ve found solution in one cooking book: make thick paste of baking soda and a little of water then rub your hands.
I had to repeat this four or five times but it helped, pain disappeared completly.

Blueaussi · September 11, 2009

Bleach is also recommended to cut the oil that's been absorbed by your skin, but anything that will cut grease will help. I keep something like Go jo around just in case.

For gloves, if you're chopping a lot of peppers or some of the super hots, use nitrile gloves. Latex will, over time, allow the oil to penetrate. If all you can get is latex, change gloves frequently or double glove and periodically change the outer glove.

stormymater · September 11, 2009

Buttermilk hand soaks worked well here when we eschewed the old latex gloves when processing habs last summer. Lottsa soap &water then buttermilk - a compress had to go on an unmentionable (not mine) too. It worked well.

ContainerTed · September 11, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by stormymater

- a compress had to go on an unmentionable (not mine) too.

Barbee · September 11, 2009

Quote:

Lottsa soap &water then buttermilk - a compress had to go on an unmentionable (not mine) too. It worked well.

I bet someone (not you) was unhappy

LoLoL

newatthiskat · September 14, 2009

Oh my gosh I can just picture that!

I can laugh now but I bet the person (not you) was not!
On a side note the last batch of salsa I made my Cat, Snickers was rubbing around my legs and accidentally got a pepper seed in his eye. I have scratch marks all over my legs still from trying to put contact solution in his eye.

He was running around the house like a crzy person!
Kat

September 10, 2009	#1
Barbee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,818	Cleaning peppers Well I guess everyone has to just go through it for themselves to believe it...but today I cleaned a ton of jalapenos without gloves. OMG my hands were on fire even 10 hours later. I tried every goofy remedy out there and nothing was helping. Finally, I got the bright idea to use the skunk remedy that I used on Penny a couple of months ago. Baking soda, Peroxide, and Dawn. It worked like a dream. So now, I'm trying to decide if it's worth making another batch of Sweet Hot Pepper Mix or not LoL So what kind of gloves do you use to clean hot peppers? __________________ *Barbee*

September 10, 2009	#3
Barbee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,818	OK yeah, I do believe most of my problem came from not getting the oil cleaned off right after cutting them up. I did wash up, but just with soap and water. It didn't even start burning until I was in the middle of the hot water bath process..so about an hour after. Just hard to believe it can burn that bad for that long. Dang. __________________ *Barbee*

September 11, 2009	#6
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	I wear the disposable latex gloves when I do a very large batch for freezing. I even consider changing gloves during the process because it seems like the juice even discolors and imbeds itself in the latex like it's working it's way through. Lots of hand washing even after using gloves. Learned my lesson the hard way, like you did. For a shorter chopping session just for a meal, I sometimes use a plastic sandwich bag over my pepper holding hand. __________________ Dee **************

September 11, 2009	#7
Barbee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,818	To update The burn woke me up just a bit ago. Not as intense, but just aggravating. Just on the right hand and just the thumb and 2 fingers. So that's been about 16 hours since I peeled them. I will need to keep my hand out from under the covers tonight I am going to the store tomorrow to look for something to put on it! __________________ *Barbee*

September 14, 2009	#13
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	reply Oh my gosh I can just picture that! I can laugh now but I bet the person (not you) was not! On a side note the last batch of salsa I made my Cat, Snickers was rubbing around my legs and accidentally got a pepper seed in his eye. I have scratch marks all over my legs still from trying to put contact solution in his eye. He was running around the house like a crzy person! Kat

September 10, 2009	#2
mjc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: WV Posts: 603	Cheap 'surgical'/latex gloves...or I just skip them and do a liberal wash up with lots of baking soda, immediately when finished.

September 11, 2009	#8
Marko Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Slovenia, Europe zone 7b Posts: 300	I had a similar problem two years ago. Searched internet and tryed everything, nothing helped, then I' ve found solution in one cooking book: make thick paste of baking soda and a little of water then rub your hands. I had to repeat this four or five times but it helped, pain disappeared completly.

September 11, 2009	#9
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	Bleach is also recommended to cut the oil that's been absorbed by your skin, but anything that will cut grease will help. I keep something like Go jo around just in case. For gloves, if you're chopping a lot of peppers or some of the super hots, use nitrile gloves. Latex will, over time, allow the oil to penetrate. If all you can get is latex, change gloves frequently or double glove and periodically change the outer glove.

September 11, 2009	#10
stormymater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pleasure Island, NC 8a Posts: 1,162	Buttermilk hand soaks worked well here when we eschewed the old latex gloves when processing habs last summer. Lottsa soap &water then buttermilk - a compress had to go on an unmentionable (not mine) too. It worked well.