Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Mmmm Garlic...Ahhhh!!! Hot!!!! Hot!!!

So last night the Very Significant Other and I finally got down to shelling and peeling the garlic.

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You have no idea how much garlic one has until you have to peel it.

So, we set up a little process...

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I would separate the the bulbs into the wedges and SO would peel them. As I would separate, some would be easily peeled and others would take some time. It was a very tedious process.

As time wore on, SO started making comments about her hands. I thought this curious since mine were perfectly fine.

SO: My hands are hot.

Me: Hot?

SO: Yeah, burning...

Me: Burning?

SO: ahhhh!!!!!

It went something like this...

GIF animations generator gifup.com
GIF animations generator gifup.com

Apparently, one can get an allergic reaction from Garlic, along the lines of a chemical burn. Who knew?

SO quickly put her hands in cold water.(something you don't want to do) I jumped on the net to see if other people experienced this. (upon reflection, that was apretty naive of me. One thing about the internet, everyone on the net has experienced everything there ever was, in ways impossible to imagine).

So first I yelled out, 'PUT THEM IN MILK!"

SO plunges here hands in milk. Mild, but temporary relief.

SO: THEY ARE STILL BURNING!

Me: Okay, Okay. Here's one! RUBBING ALCOHOL!

Luckily, we prep prize fighters in our spare time, so we had some rubbing alcohol in the medicine cabinet.

Applied with a few cotton balls, relief came...but again, temporarily.

SO: THEY ARE STILL STINGING!

Me: BAKING SODA!!! MAKE A PASTE AND SLATHER IT ON YOUR HANDS.

(at this point, I don't know why we are yelling. We are standing like 2 feet from each other).

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Then...

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Lovely red velcro, huh?

The effect was almost immediate.

10 minutes later, no more burning at all.

Her hands show no ill effects. :)

So, if you have a garlic reaction; Baking soda!

While my SO writhed in pain, I found out a another thing...

Working with jalapenos? And you get that burning sensation? Run your fingers through your hair. Supposed to work like a charm. But Baking Soda will also do the trick.

So that's it for this quick installment.

Remember Green is Good! But sometimes, very painful!

Cheers!

3 comments:

Kimber said...

Poor Con. Yet, I am chuckling and I can picture you two yelling at each other as if you are trying to talk across a huge crowded room. I am glad that you finally figured it out and deeply appreciate the tip. It looks like wonderful garlic - you can use it when making your sauce (gravy). Have a mentioned I need to get down to visit so I can partake in some of these wonderful veggies? XOXO to you both.

Sue said...

Connie, poor you!! I loved all the remedies you guys tried out before you arrived at the miracle of baking soda (I must admit, I cringed at the alcohol option -- but I guess it helped, so look at how little I know about home remedies...)

Also, jalapenos and fingers through one's hair -- good to know!

Will, I laughed out loud at the graphic and the whole post. But look at your garlic yield-- you two are amazing.

Jared said...

My wife sells these:http://www.amazon.com/Pampered-Chef-Garlic-Peeler/dp/B001VROW82

It kicks @ss. I use a LOT of garlic for chili when I make it. I love garlic but my hands always smell for about 3days after.

This peeler, you put the toes of garlic in it, roll back and forth with your hands and the rubber peels the skin off. It's pretty slick. Saved me a lot of time peeling.

Jared