# Cutting Gloves



## deborah452 (Dec 3, 2012)

Hi Chefs-

Just wondering what everyone's opinion is of the use of cutting gloves in the kitchen.  I just had to sign a mandatory paper stating that I would use a cutting glove whenever a knife was involved (cleaning, sharpening, prep, etc).  In the 30 years that I've been cooking, I've never used a cutting glove and believe them to be very unsanitary and very unsafe.  They are useful for those who are very untrained.

Any other opinions?

Thanks!

Deborah


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## foodnfoto (Jan 1, 2001)

Requiring you to wear a cutting glove every time you use a knife is crazy. For everyday cooking, the glove is as likely to cause injury than prevent it.

However, for particular tasks that involve equipment like mandolins, oyster/clam knives or major butchery, I've found them to be very helpful in avoiding *bad *cuts. It's relatively easy for even an experienced culinarian to slip and have flesh meet the blade with force behind it.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Which may have been exactly what happened to your company I presume? Or maybe one they know.

Or maybe a case their attorneys know of. IACase, it sounds like theyre almost paranoid about a knife injury to one

of their employees and theyre trying to...not so much protect you, as protect their own liability.


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## deborah452 (Dec 3, 2012)

Yes, I think that is exactly what has happened, Meezenplaz.  I don't know what happened for sure, but they are sooo mandatory about it.  Fortunately, at my branch, I have the kitchen to myself and so I don't wear the glove.  I just think they are awful.

What happened to the good old days of training the help in the correct way to wield a knife!


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Deborah452 said:


> Yes, I think that is exactly what has happened, Meezenplaz. I don't know what happened for sure, but they are sooo mandatory about it. Fortunately, at my branch, I have the kitchen to myself and so I don't wear the glove. I just think they are awful.
> 
> What happened to the good old days of training the help in the correct way to wield a knife!


Just another example of the "dumbing down" of America. I'm with you on this one Deb.

What I like is when the kitchen cook uses the glove while wearing a latex glove over it. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/crazy.gif


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

They have been sued prior, and now their insurance company has made it mandatory. Only time in my opinion they should be used is if you are a REAL butcher working in a cold room or using a meat slicer with only some experience.using it.


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## jedvidlim (Dec 7, 2010)

to me wearing a glove in the kitchen while handling any kind of food is the most unnatural thing in the world... but i guess there is a side of safety there.. oh well. HACCP..


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## deborah452 (Dec 3, 2012)

Ha! I JUST heard about the latex glove over the cutting glove from one of the cooks here.  Flabbergasted is all I can say.  And, "dumbing down" is an accurate description of what is going on in this country.  Gheesh! 

What happened to skill in your trade?  Now, everyone has to be babysat.

I carry scars and burns from all the years of working in this field.  They are my tatoos and I'm proud of them.  They remind of the craft I have learned and the hard work it took to gain the experience I have.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

i HAVE SEEN GUY GO TO USE BATHROOM AND NOT WASH HANDS. GO OUT SMOKE A CIG COME BACK NOT WASH HANDS. MOVE A GARBAGE CAN NOT WASH HANDS . i AGREE WITH WEARING GLOVES AND ALSO A HAIR COVERING AND IN 5 YEARS YOU ARE GOING TO WEAR A FACE MASK LIKE IN SURGERY. IT'S COMING.


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## deborah452 (Dec 3, 2012)

I totally agree with wearing latex or vinyl gloves for ready-to-eat foods, etc.  I'm talking specifically about Kevlar cutting gloves that are used to prevent cuts from blades in the kitchen.  When they are used for EVERY knife task in the kitchen, they become unsanitary themselves and become a dangerous nuisance.  Using them for mandolins or butchering or scaling/ fileting fish is a good idea, but for dicing green peppers and slicing lemons, it's a bit of an overkill.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

> What happened to skill in your trade? Now, everyone has to be babysat.


True, often all the way to the top. Which begs the even bigger question.....

Who babysits the babysitters? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/surprised.gif


> Using them for mandolins or butchering or scaling/ fileting fish is a good idea, but for dicing green peppers and slicing lemons, it's a bit of an overkill.


Well see tha'ts the thing--we expect to take a little more time when we're trimming, fileting, prepping meats etc.

But there are many knife chores we do constantly that require....s-p-e-e-d. Its not just the exra time of donning

the blarky glove, the glove itself slows ya down depending, e.g., diminished dexterity. Translation:

decreased (or at least disrupted) productivity.


> AND IN 5 YEARS YOU ARE GOING TO WEAR A FACE MASK LIKE IN SURGERY. IT'S COMING.


What're they after there? Spit/sneeze/cough contam prevention? Skwoo the Chef stuff, theyre gonna do

that they can start callin me Doc....and have pretty lil things handing me spatulas and stuff. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

Til then as long as we have some 80-proof cookin' stuff nearby to breath through its okay maybe? 

That just reminded me, I had a VERY experienced Chef, in fact a TV-known one (won't mention who :-o)

supervising one night while we built dinner plates....for this particular main, we were garnishing with chopped flat-leaf....

so it got put on a little heavy on a few, so our wise, esteemed, renound Chef leans over and BLOWs on the plates

to get a little of that leaf off. Through-the-pass and right on out before I could even open my mouth! lol


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## chadateit (Oct 16, 2012)

i worked one place where they said i had to wear a cut glove. I told them on the spot that they could consider that my two weeks notice if they wanted to enforce it. It's unsanitary, slows one down, and messes with accuracy, not to mention causing people to develop really unsafe habits that can cause serious injury when not wearing the glove. Furthermore, the serious cuts I've seen in the kitchen have nothing to do with typical knife work.

As has been mentioned, it's useful when doing certain things with a mandolin or specific butchery perhaps, but that's about it. 

It's a liability thing, as has also been mentioned. If they took the time to train people on how to handle their knives, they'd be a lot safer.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

My glove is not kevlar I have been cutting meat for over 50 years and when I work the cold room breaking down hinds and fours of beef  i wear a glove made from flexi  stainless steel mesh .At end of day it is saturated with a sanatizer.. God knows over the years how many times it has spared me from some nasty cuts. As far as vege cutting and kitchen work no, but heavy butchering yes. Mandolin and slicer yes.because people get careless.


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## deborah452 (Dec 3, 2012)

Chadaeit, what did they say to you whe you said, "no way" to the cutting gloves?


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Deborah452 said:


> Ha! I JUST heard about the latex glove over the cutting glove from one of the cooks here. Flabbergasted is all I can say. And, "dumbing down" is an accurate description of what is going on in this country. Gheesh!
> 
> What happened to skill in your trade? Now, everyone has to be babysat.
> 
> I carry scars and burns from all the years of working in this field. They are my tatoos and I'm proud of them. They remind of the craft I have learned and the hard work it took to gain the experience I have.


Apparently Deborah, the scars, burns, and other tattooed trophies of your culinary adventures are no longer permissable in this age and are looked upon as a no-no.....


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

That's sad. My flat fingertip is part of what makes me who I am!


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

The grannie state rules I'm afraid. They want us to play nice and provide a never-ending list of rules to make sure we dont hurt ourselves or each other. Eventually we won't ever do anything without guidance. Cos Thems the rules


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

I once worked at a place with the same policy.

The problem is they aren't impervious to punctures, and can eventually be cut through.

Got one of the worst cuts in my life by using an old glove that had been nicked open at the end of the thumb.

Are far as sanitation, they should be run through the dishwasher after each use, so it shouldn't be an issue.

I keep a couple in my kitchens for one reason only: to wear while cleaning the slicer.

Just an extra precaution while cleaning around that big blade.


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

chefedb said:


> My glove is not kevlar I have been cutting meat for over 50 years and when I work the cold room breaking down hinds and fours of beef i wear a glove made from flexi stainless steel mesh .At end of day it is saturated with a sanatizer.. God knows over the years how many times it has spared me from some nasty cuts. As far as vege cutting and kitchen work no, but heavy butchering yes. Mandolin and slicer yes.because people get careless.


I inherited my step uncles, who was a butcher for years.

It's a thumb + first two fingers ringmail mesh.


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