Avoid Hand Pain And Injury When Cooking With Tomatoes And Peaches

Avoiding hand pain when cooking with tomatoes can be easier, thanks to a simple trick.

My patients with hand arthritis, tendonitis, and other tendon problems of the hand and thumb have trouble in the kitchen. Repetitive motion, strong gripping with one hand, and tight pinching can all aggravate and even start hand, wrist and elbow problems.

If you don’t plan ahead, repetitive activities during food preparation can leave you with painful, sore hands. Peeling foods like tomatoes and peaches with a sharp knife can also put you at risk for devastating nerve, tendon or blood vessel injuries.

In a recent article on lifehacker, Alan Henry reveals a technique for quickly peeling peaches and tomatoes that reduces pain and injury risk.

The technique

Here’s the secret:

1. Boil some water
2. Prepare a deep bowl of ice water and set it aside
3. Make an X in the skin of the fruit with a knife
4. Drop the tomato or peach into the boiling water for about one minute
5. Fish out the fruit with a spoon and transfer it immediately to the ice water. When cool enough to touch, remove the skin easily with your fingers.

Try this technique for quickly peeling peaches and tomatoes the next time you’re in the kitchen.