I am learning to cook.  It is fun.  Mary gives me hints, watches closely and samples my creations.  Measuring is an area I find challenging.  A smile was on Mary’s face when she left for work this morning.  That is a good sign.  I made dinner last night.

Sometimes I go too fast.  I had prepared this baking dish with stuff inside.  The dish and cover were correct — Mary told me which to use.  The oven was set at the proper temperature.  I opened the door, placed the dish on the rack, and touched the back of my hand to the hot heating element.  Ouch!  That hurt. I had a minor burn, very minor, but it hurt.

What to do?  I rushed about the kitchen looking for relief.  I was by myself and I was beside myself.

Shaving cream?  I had heard that it works for minor burns.  Non-mentholated shaving cream is suggested for the treatment of sunburn.  But, the bathroom and the shaving cream were upstairs and I needed something now.

The burn really wasn’t that bad.  I probably could have read a book or at least a short story, but I was ready to treat.

Ice?  Hmmmm?  That sounded good.  Ice cold, burn hot — good equation, right?  I grabbed a cube and put it directly on the red area.  Ahhhhh.

I should have slowed down, asked for help, made a call, checked the net.  Dr. Spock was on the shelf.  Was I doing the right thing?

Ice is frozen water.  It is a solid mineral in the form of a crystallized rock.  I was putting a rock on a burn.  Does that sound like something I should be doing?

But, it did feel good, maybe too good?

Ice is at 32 °F.  Liquid water freezes solid at that temperature.  When melting, ice stays at 32° F the entire time that it melts.  During that time, the ice cube I was applying has to absorb energy from my skin equivalent to heating the same mass of water to 176 °F.  That is a big change in temperature and a big energy drain on the hurt area which was franticly pumping my energy into the ice cube for me to feel the cooling effect of the phase change.  So much cooling over such a short time can damage tissue – think frostbite here.  In effect, I was hurting the hurt, not helping the burn.  It felt better for a short while, but ice on a burn is not a good idea and should not be done.

What I should have done was place the slightly burned area under cool (not cold) running water, let dry and cover with a loose sterile bandage.  Most minor burns usually heal without further treatment.

This is not medical advice.  Take the time to get just that.

This is us together observing me the cook not thinking when the cooking goes awry.

“Awry” means “away from the correct or expected course, amiss or askew.”  A wonderful word and one I must remember and cautiously expect when I put on my cooking hat.  “Where is that awry, is it here yet, am I prepared, don’t panic, I am ready for the awry, I am, I hope?”  It never hurts to think before you undertake.  As I now say, “Be Aware Not Awry.”

My hand is getting better, thank you, and I have learned a lesson: No ice on a burn.  Ice is for cooling beverages and making ice cream.  Now, that sounds like fun.  “Mary, where’s that ice cream maker?”

Have a great weekend.

Grandpa Jim, in the Kitchen.