Have You Experienced Cuts During a Demo? Try the Ultimate Mandoline for Safety!

[amerlou9]

Has anyone ever cut themselves while doing a demo? And what do you do about it?

 

[chefloriray]

I had just got done with my demo when I cut myself pretty bad. I was so thankful it was afterward. I was transferring the big cookie to another plate so I could load up my stone. It was bleeding so bad I got faint. Finally after we had it wrapped up and I had packed, I headed home. I should have got stitches. It happened with the slice n serve. It cut up the middle of my fingernail and down the side of my finger--it was awful! Thank goodness everyone had placed their orders and were sitting around visiting...I dont think half of them even knew what had happened!

 

[dianevill]

Not yet...Knock on wood, I haven't done that yet (I have done it at home, though, with the USG), but I keep Band-Aids in my money bag just in case .

Diane

 

[amerlou9]

Wow! That sounded like a bad cut, chefloriray... I did a demo this weekend and I was showing all the different blades on the US&G using a potato, and the potato pieces I cut were still too big to put on the prongs on the guard, so I just used my hand... I sliced off a chunk of cuticle skin on my thumb, but it didn't go so far to bleed thank goodness! And no one noticed, so it was okay. I was just wondering what others would do if they did start bleeding during a demo incase I cut myself again later on.
I'm kind of a clutz in the kitchen at home, and have burned myself recently with the large rack and stuff, but haven't done anything like this at a demo before.

More advice please!!

 

[Chef Michelle D]

I have not used the US&G yet at shows and I don't think I will. I am so afraid of cutting myself that I avoid it and if someone asks me about it I just tell them that I forgot to bring it and just talk about it. I have read on here of a lot of people who have cut themselfs using it.

 

[chef_leeanne]

I always demonstrate my USG at shows. It is one of my favorite tools!! Luckily I have never cut myself with it at a show but I have lost several fingertips at home using it. It's always because I'm in a hurry and not paying attention! What I do cut myself with at shows is the Utility Knife! I took a huge chunk out of the side of my thumb once while slicing a red bell pepper. I couldn't get it to stop bleeding. Everytime I would let off the pressure it would start up again. So to keep things going we turned the show into a hands on demo with the guests finishing things up for me. Turned out to be an $850 show! I always carry gloves and band-aids now.

Lee Anne

 

[GeorgiaPeach]

I burned my finger on a stone once...hurt really bad Carrying burn cream, band aids, and gloves in your kit is a great idea. If you are able to put a band aid on the cut or burn, you can then put gloves on and continue. Having the host or a guest continue the demo is a great idea too...great recruiting opportunity too

 

[friday]

If you've been around PC long enough you might remember a story about a consultant who severed part of a finger with the USG at a show, lost consciousness, lost a medically significant amount of blood and was taken from the show in an ambulance? The guests cleaned up, collected orders and payments and returned the consultants car to her home? Anyone remember that? It was big talk at the time. I remember it well. It was me. I WAS using the food guard, but I had gripped over the edge of it with my thumb. Fortunately it is a very sharp tool and made a very clean cut so I didn't lose the part of my finger, and there is only a fine line of a scar. Very embarassing!! I never did get up the guts to make customer care calls to any of those ladies.

Alison

 

[Chef Michelle D]

So do you still use the US&G? I think I have read/heard to many stories like yours that if I did try to use it at a show I would be too concerned that I would cut myself that I would look too scared and everyone would be able to read it all over my face.

 

[monica_sweetconsultant]

oh my thats horrible!! so far i havent cut myself or burned myself at a show. now the day i got my food chopper me and my hubby made a pizza and i was trying to clean the blades of the chopper and i got my finger pretty good. lesson learned!!! now about the us&g.....i dont even own it because i am scared to death of it!! between my director/recruiter and this board i am to scared to buy it even though i want it. i am so clumsy i just know i would take a finger off!! now my fears have been confirmed!!! i dont know i might get it someday when i get brave!!

 

[friday]

I use my USG at home a few times a month or so to make home made potato chips. Its not my favourite tool but it is good for that. I rarely have hosts ask me to demo it, but I will bring it for people to look at. It is a good tool, but don't mess with safety. Actually, at leadership, the director that did the recipe demo at general session on the last day used the USG with no food guard!! THE WHOLE ROOM GASPED!!! And lots of people stopped watching out of FEAR!! I have to say that if I was a guest at a show with a consultant who did that, I would NOT book her. Cleaning up blood is not my idea of a fun show.

Alison

 

[Marg]

I stabbed my finger with the V-shaped cutter at a show. I was finishing up a garnishing demo on a green pepper. I don't know why I picked it up in my hand - I always do it on the cutting board. But anyway, the v-shaped cutter went right through the pepper and into my index finger. I pulled it out and grabbed my towel in my hand. A few people said "Oh, did you cut yourself?" and I quickly responded "Yes, you have to sign for your orders in blood!" That cracked everyone up and I excused myself and washed up and put a bandaid on. Thankfully it was right at the end. I cleaned up and finished the show and decided that I should probably stop at the ER on the way home. Ended up with a tetanus shot and two stitches...but it was a $900 show. LOL! So the v-shaped cutter is now known as the f-shaped cutter in my house. LOL

 

[acherry]

Almost every show...lolWhat can I say...I'm an absolute klutz...I get anywhere from burns to papercuts just about ever show I do...I'm like a magnet...worst one ever though..was very bad...I was at a show and made a cake in the family skillet and cooked it, then when it was done placed it on the stove to cool. I let it sit 2-3 minutes before I flip it over. Well after my timer beeped...I went back to the stove to go flip it over..I TOTALL FORGOT TO USE MY OVEN MITT...My whole palm of my hand touched the handled of the skillet..and blisters started popping up all over..Luckily no one was paying attention...nor noticed how I quickly dropped the pan (or hear me accidently swear..yikers)...I don't know how I did it...but I finished the show...took orders and then drove straight to the emergancy room and had my husband meet me there. I was slabbed with ointment and bandaged..couldn't use my hand for a week... I now remember to use my mitts, but for some strange reason..I've still gotten burned..just not that bad!
I think I mentally thought..."the show must go on" and that's how I got through it...its wierd what an adrenaline rush will do!
Cheers,
Angela

 

[Sooner PC]

It's nice to hear that I am not the only one who is terrified of the USG. I am the world's most accident prone person around. On Monday, I fell going out my back door and ended up on crutches - I can't imagine what would happen if I used the USG without the guard.

Most of my shows have kids at them and I won't get the thing out of the box. I tell everyone about it and how sharp it is, but with the kids hanging around - it stays in the box. I have even had customers tell me that they have cut themselves and ones husband threw her's away because he thought it was too dangerous to have.

I am going to have to use it tomorrow for a show - wish me luck.

Boomer Sooner
Shannon Overstreet

 

[ChefLaurel]

Show AccidentsAt my first show that wasn't in my home, I burnt my hand SO BADLY on the rack for the large round stone - the hostess did not have any potholders except the little hooked ones her niece made - it was not large enough! Everyone brought me an ice cube when they came to order, and the host was an od friend of mine, so she helped me clean up and load my car. I was so embarassed.

I have lost the top of a finger to the USG - but I wasn't even using it - it was waiting on my counter to be packed, and I grabbed a towel off the counter, and wasn't looking, and slid my finger across the blade - YIKES! I am a quilter, so no stranger to sharp blade cuts on my fingers, but yikes!

My director cut her hand at a demo our meeting this month - she was sharpening her utility knife while talking, and missed getting it back in the case - got her palm instead - yow! But it was a good chance to see how to transition to a hands-on demo from the group

 

[Sk8Mom209]

Never at a ShowI use the US&G at every show I do. In the summer I make Fresh squeezed lemonade and slice the lemons with th v-shaped blade. I prefer this blade to any other & use it for most everything I demo. At non-summer shows, if I cannot incorporate the US&G into the recipe I am making, I demo it at the end along with the APCS. I usually use a potato with the US&G and then just throw the slices away.

When I first started PC, it was one of the items that I would not demo out of fear, but like others have said, it is a higher price item, that works well and if you demo it you will sell it and that is good for us.

If you are afraid of the US&G practice with it at home, use the guard and work slowly and carefully. It does take some practice on the angle you hold the food/guard to make the repetitive slice motion smooth. It really is a great tool and like any other tool, it takes practice and you need to be careful.

Regarding accidents, I have never had one at a show, but have cut myself washing the US&G at home and I seriously cut my thumb at a street fair when I reached into my crate and grabbed the apple wedger. I was at the street fair alone, had no bandaids and as long as I could keep pressure on it the bleeding would stop. It was 3 hours before someone arrived with bandaids and even then, I had to change the bandaid repeatedly.

 

[lisaterwilliger]

Cut myself tonite on the US&G! I let everyone try it at the show and each time I said BE VERY CAREFUL! It is so sharp and it's brand new so it's at it's sharpest..and then as I was packing it up...I put it in julienne blade up..and grabbed my towel out of my crate and SLICE! I sliced my thumb pretty good. Luckily one of my guests is a co worker of mine at the hospital and he helped me clean up and bandage...he said no stitches needed but dang it hurt!! I guess it's a price I pay to sell! I'm a little bummed that I didn't sell an US&G...I wonder if the cut had anything to do with it..haha!

 

[pamperedbrandon]

Cut at 1st ShowAt my very first show, nearly 3 years ago, I was demoing the utility knife and talking about how incredibly sharp it was and whammo.... I sliced off the entire end of my thumb. Bled like crazy. I was making Touchdown Taco Dip when the little incident occurred, slicing the tomatoes. I simply cleaned myself up, discarded the tomatoes, and On With The Show!!!!

 

[mrssyvo]

Just last week I cut my finger on the US&G, and I was just pulling out the blades to show them, it wasn't even while cutting anything. At the time, I was cautioning them not to use this tool while under the influence, and they were all laughing, and BING- I hit the corner of my finger on the GRATER blade. Be careful of all the blades, not just the slicer.

 

[mminikus]

I was reading this thread last week, thinking wow, I am lucky to have never cut myself during a demo. To funny! Saturday I was doing a show and taking the chopper apart, showing them it was easy as 1,2,3 to put back together. Well, I was not paying attention, and got my thumb on the blade pretty good. One lady even said, "Mine is getting old and dull, but I think I will just keep it." Bummer even lost a sale over it.

 

[snugbug]

I demo the US&G at every show because it is one of my favorites of the higher priced items- have sold several so far in my short career with PC. I was warned by a past consultant who lost full use of several of her fingers for about a year due to careless use with one when I first bought it- so I am very careful, slow and focused. I also always make a REALLY big deal and share what I call the 'Linda rule' (aka the past consultant), basically I tell them that ALL of our cutting tools are make to.........suprise suprise.....cut! so use extreme caution, always use whatever protective sleeves/guards are provided and pay attention! The protective sleeves and guards are there because PC cares about your fingers!

I did knick myself once with the utility knife while prepping for a show. I was only able to apply pressure and use one of the hosts bandaids. Now I carry liquid bandaid with me since it seals and is clear, I think regular bandaids look ucky.

Great idea to hand it over to the guests as a hands on show!

Sarah

 

[Susan M]

Injuries at showsI sliced a finger at a show once and it would not stop bleeding - every time I took the pressure off it would bleed again - so I excused myself and went to the host's bathroom and held my arm up to stop the bleeding and we put a bandaid on really tight for added pressure and then put on my gloves - thankfully the show was almost over - sales were still up there. Guests are very understanding and know that we are human and have accidents too. I always carry bandaids and neosporin to my shows as well as gloves. As far as my USG - I use it all the time and go very slowly while cutting a potato for a quick demo of this item - I always make sure that I don't take a large potato so that it will fit into the handle and prevents me from having a huge accident by cutting myself.

 

[erinyourpclady]

US&GI always tell my guests when using this tool that is not a kid friendly and barely an adult friendly tool! I also say that is not the tool to use if you are in a hurry or angry at someone in your family...that is what our Food Chopper is for (to vent!)LOL!
I also apologize to them in advance because I will not be talking or answering questions while using it! I am also very frank with my guests....if they are buying the US&G and are not planning on using it regularly, then they should probably re-think their purchase. I would rather them purchase tools that they will use all the time.

~Erin Smith
[email protected]

 

[D_Patel]

WOw ! I thought i was the only one , this was totaly my fault... frozen hamburg pattys trying to get them apart. Using the utility knife well they came apart and the knife went right into my side yeah , my boyfriend wouldnt pull it out it had gone in to far , he was afraid of doing any damage to me by pulling it out. So yeah i got a ride in the ambulance they took it out cleaned me out gave me stitches and sent me on my way. I sent my boyfriend back in to get my knife ! I will never use a knife to seperate hamburg pattys again !!!

 

[Ann F]

D Patel,
In your side or the side of your hand! Wow either way!

 

[D_Patel]

In my stomachon the side ! Yeah it was pretty bad ! It was so my fault my boyfriend always yelled at me for doing that. I havent done it since !

 

[jenniferlynne]

on the side ! Yeah it was pretty bad ! It was so my fault my boyfriend always yelled at me for doing that. I havent done it since !

Oh my gosh!!!!!

 

[n8vtxn]

tools to maim and cause bodily harmThats what I call the US&G, knives, etc. and I tell this to all my guests now (which gets a good laugh) but I found out the hard way. I was using the US&G at a show and cut off the tip of my finger - bleed terribly and I was so embarrassed! I try to show it at every show now, but I am so afraid of it that I'm not sure I sell many of them. I really need to get over that - spend some time in therapy or something - and make a better pitch with it - it IS a $45 item, after all.

BTW, on my way home I realized I had no idea where that sliced of piece of skin ended up! And since the show was at the church we went to at the time, I never could bring myself to go back there again. Oh well.

 

[j.phetty]

Wow...scary. I hate hate hate knives. I avoid them at all costs...I'm paralyzed by my phobias so I'll probably sacrifice sales out of fear of slicing myself wide open...I prefer the food chopper anyway!

At my one and only show I did grab the hot metal rack on my cooking stone, like an idiot. But just as someone else said, the adrenaline sort of killed the pain. I'm just glad I didn't scream some colorful word.

 

[phylhend]

My first cooking show, cut my fingerMy very first cooking show, I was cutting the biscuits in quarters to do the Garlic Bread in the 8" saute pan, I cut my tip of my finger with the utility knife..It bled and bled...luckily, I had the bleeding stopped and a bandaid on before the guests arrived to the show. But I told all of them, the knife is very sharp and be careful and we just laughed it off; Thank God I survived my first show

 

[Addie4TLC]

My second show... I was showing the Utility knife with case and did it WRONG!! I ended up cutting my wrist!! People were joking (later) about how they better buy something or who knows what I'd do! LOL I said I was just trying to show them exactly how sharp the knife is.

I'm a big clutz too, I have even cut myself with the apple wedger!

 

[lockhartkitchen]

The fear was there with the US & G for many in my cluster, including myself. Myself and another FD trained on the use of the US & G at a cluster meeting. We set up stations and had vegs at each for all to use. Since that training, I am using it at every show! Even if it is not part of the demo. I bring a potato with me or a tomato (which I add to the Aloha pizza). I even run my hand across the blade to show people the safety feature. The blade is only "activated" when the guard is going across it. Since I started this demo in June, almost every host chooses this product. The more you are using it at home. The more comfortable you will get. My 13 year old son loves grating his own cheese.

 

[PCwithStay-C]

OK, now I know my 'Newbie' is showing but what is a USG???

 

[Addie4TLC]

OK, now I know my 'Newbie' is showing but what is a USG???

Ultimate Slice and Grate

 

[scottcooks]

The USG [OOPS...UM] is awesome - I purposely show folks how the blade is recessed (but I no longer run my bare fingers over the exposed-but-sunken blade because I shaved the tiniest part of my tips off once, enough to feel, but not enough anyone noticed...I just wanted to wash it before I cut their food with it!)

The first time I demo'ed the Santoku knife, I was so excited about it, but so unsure of its balance, I cut my finger - didn't say a word - popped on a bandaid, put on gloves, and moved on with the demo. Later someone asked me why I put the gloves on midway, and I said I realized I had forgotten to put them on when I started. (Did no one notice me put on the bandaid??) See--they don't pay attention as much as we think! LOL

Last night demoed silicone floral cupcake pan and my cakes stuck - a lot. Moral of the story - don't put pineapple in cake batter and use SFCP without spritzing / Pam with flour. Awesome time to do the Martha Stewart tip of oil your pan, then use 1/4 cup of the actual dry cake mix to flour the pans.

Every time I've made the Jerk chicken salad I've spilled something - bacon/chicken/peppers/black beans/ lettuce. I just tell people they're lucky they aren't any closer - in my Splash Zone!

A key is to laugh at yourself. Self-deprecating humor is where it's at!

God Bless you all!

-praying for Paige and her family-

 

[chefsuzn]

I cut myself using the 5" utility knife at one of my very first shows. I just happened to be in the kitchen area which was separate from where the actual show was to take place, so with the help of my daughter washed up and put a bandaid on it.

As far as the US&G the previous one was more dangerous than the new Ultimate Mandoline that we have now, but you do have to still be careful. Just slow down and take your time. I am not so fearful of the newer one.

Susan

 

[baychef]

I was showing guests the chef's knife in the sharpening case. One lady was a little squeemish about me using the knife. I reassured her that these knives were great nothing to fear.

Famous last words...I then proceeded to cut my finger quite badly. It would not stop bleeding. I had someone offer to finish the cutting and the demo (tried to sign her...even a sympathy recruit!!) Luckily, there was a nurse in the group, and we agreed that it may need a stitch, but I butterflied it and lived happily ever after! Embarassed, however!!:blushing:

 

[Smashie]

what is the US&G ??? I mean is it still in the catalog??

 

[ljeffries]

The Ultimate Slice and Grate is now the Ultimate Mandoline. It is much safer!