How To Build A First Aid Kit For Your Kitchen, According To A Chef

The kitchen may or may not be the most dangerous room in your house (there's a strong case for the bathroom, especially with seniors), but it's up there. That's not surprising when you think about it. The kitchen is full of hot surfaces, sharp blades, and — while you're cooking — steam, hot fat, and boiling liquids. Then there's the danger of slips and falls when water or fat gets on the floor, and if you have a gas stove, there are even open flames to contend with.

I've managed to hurt myself with most of those things in the course of my decades as a home cook and, later in life, a chef and restaurateur. Also (I'll confess sheepishly), I'm a bit of a klutz. All of this is a roundabout way of saying that I've come to really appreciate the value of having a well-stocked first aid kit in my kitchen. Here's a quick overview of the things I think you should have on hand, as well as some kitchen safety tips to reduce the chances you'll need them.

Before we even talk about what you should have in a first aid kit, take a few minutes to think about where it's going to live. It needs to be somewhere that's readily accessible, where you can put hands on it quickly when you need to, so you're going to need to carve out some space for it. Most of us don't have a lot of kitchen space to spare, so this is a serious consideration.

In commercial kitchens, the kit is often mounted prominently on a wall somewhere, which is practical but leaves a lot to be desired aesthetically. (It's fine in a restaurant, but not so much at home.) You'll probably need to find a spot for it on a shelf or in one of your kitchen cabinets, and that constraint puts limits on the kit's size and shape. You may find you need to assess and reorganize your storage spaces first, just to streamline things and make the space you need. If you haven't done that for a while, Martha Stewart has some kitchen organizing tips (because of course she does).

Once that's settled, and you know the space you're working with, you can choose whether to look for a store-bought kit containing the things we'll talk about or build one yourself, piece by piece. Your kit can be a hard-sided container, a storage tote, or even a soft-sided bag. Whichever you choose, try to find one with internal pockets or dividers as a way to keep things organized.

Bandages are likely to be the most-used thing in your first aid kit. Every time you nick yourself while cutting, find something sharp that shouldn't have been in your sink full of dishes, or have an unfortunate mandoline incident (I lost most of a fingertip that way, once), you'll want a bandage.

I'd suggest that you start with a box of mixed self-adhesive bandages, the kind you probably already have in the bathroom, like these from CURAD. You'll want them in several sizes and shapes, including finger and knuckle bandages and square or round ones for punctures. Some of them should be waterproof in order to protect your wound when you go back to cooking and cleaning. It's also handy to have a few larger, heavier-duty fabric-type bandages, like these extra-large Band-Aids, for burns or abrasions. (Hello, box grater!)

The unfortunate truth is that we spend a lot of time in the kitchen cutting things, and sometimes what we cut is us. Learning better knife skills helps a lot, but accidents will always happen. Bandages are your starting point in dealing with them.

Those boxes of peel-and-stick bandages are your first line of defense when it comes to minor wounds, but there is a risk that not all of your wounds will be minor. So you'll need a (metaphorical) "bigger gun" to deal with those.

Your most versatile option is sterile gauze, which you can think of as the "universal bandage." It's good for soaking up the initial bleeding and then also for covering the wound afterward (with fresh gauze, of course). Gauze comes in long rolls or square pads, and I like to keep both on hand. Gauze doesn't have its own adhesive, so you'll also need medical tape (I prefer 3M's NexCare) in your kit to hold it in place.

I also recommend having a few non-stick ("non-adherent") pads, for burns or messy cuts where you might run the risk of gauze sticking to you. The best-known brand name for this kind of pad is Telfa, and you'll see those in hospitals, but for home use, brands like CURAD offer smaller packages of pads that are usually a better fit for your first aid kit.

Depending on how old you are, you may remember having your childhood cuts and scrapes cleaned with peroxide, iodine, or even rubbing alcohol. That's a really unpleasant experience, so I have good news for you: It's not recommended anymore. In fact, those harsh disinfectants can actually slow healing.

Instead, wash the wound with soap and water (which, I'll admit, can also sting a little), then rinse it thoroughly under lukewarm running water, and finally dry and bandage it once the bleeding stops. Until then, apply pressure with a gauze pad, paper towels, or a clean kitchen towel. If you have any doubts about the quality of your water, or if your immune system is compromised, a bottle of sterile saline "wound wash" like this one from NeilMed is the better option.

Once the wound is clean, you should cover it with a thin smear of petroleum jelly to keep its edges from drying out, which also slows healing. Alternatively, if you're worried about your wound getting infected, you can use Neosporin ointment or any similar antibiotic cream to both moisten the wound and kill any surviving bacteria. I favor the Neosporin + Lidocaine variety, which includes a topical painkiller. (You'll thank me for that suggestion, especially with burns.)

One thing you shouldn't overlook is the likelihood that, after you've taken care of your wound and cleared up any blood, you will probably still have a meal to cook. The last thing you'll want to do is contaminate the wound, or have the wound contaminate your food.

For those moments, you're going to want some disposable gloves in your first aid kit. I suggest taking several gloves from a newly opened box and putting them in a zip-seal bag to keep in your first aid kit. In fact, if you can, it's not a bad idea to also have a few in a larger size than you normally wear (so they can fit on over a bandage). In restaurants, I've mostly used vinyl gloves, but at home I prefer nitrile ones like these Safeguard gloves because they stretch. Both materials work fine, though, and both are latex-free if you have allergies. They're also handy for anyone helping you clean up a wound.

If you really, really hate wearing gloves, there is an alternative. They're called "finger cots," available from brands like Flents, and you can think of them as being the equivalent of just one finger of a glove. Put one on over the finger you've cut or burned, and you're good to go. Of course, if the wound is anywhere else on your hand, you'll still need to fall back on a glove.

Burns are right up there with cuts when it comes to ways we hurt ourselves in the kitchen. Common burn risks include hot surfaces like stovetops and pans, scalds from steam and boiling liquids, spatters from hot fat, open flames if you use a gas stove, and (worst of all) starting a kitchen fire and burning yourself trying to put it out. The worst burn I've had personally was from melted sugar, which "blooped" and covered half of my hand in what felt like lava.

So, yeah, you're going to want to keep Alocane burn gel or a pure aloe vera gel such as this one from KinRose Care in your first aid kit to soothe your pain, prevent infection, and help keep the bandage from sticking to you. You might also keep an aloe vera plant in your kitchen for those moments. After you've run cool (not cold) water over the burn for several minutes to minimize the damage, dry the area and then apply the gel.

Prevention is really your best friend when it comes to burns. Don't wear loose clothing that could catch fire or cause hot fat or liquids to spill. Don't leave food (or especially oil) unattended in the pan. Unattended cooking is the most common cause of kitchen fires.

So far, the things I've discussed have been fairly obvious, but now I'm going to touch on something that's less intuitive. You need a pair of small, sharp scissors in your first aid kit, and here's why.

They're handy for cutting your gauze to length, cutting the medical tape cleanly, and trimming down absorbent pads or fabric bandages to fit the wound. They're essential for trimming hair away from a scalp wound, if you've whacked your head while falling. Scalp cuts bleed like crazy, and trimming the hair from around the wound makes it easier to clean and bandage the spot (and keeps hair from getting stuck in the wound). You may even need to cut clothing away from a burn or a bad cut. "Nurse scissors" from manufacturers like MEUUT are a good option, but pick what you're comfortable with.

Aside from scissors, there are a couple of other small tools you might want to keep in your kit as well. Steel tweezers are useful for plucking glass shards, hair, and other debris from wounds. I've also added a pair of reading glasses so I can focus on small wounds and slivers, which is getting harder with age. To keep these implements (other than the glasses) clean, I suggest storing them in zip-seal bags and keeping inexpensive CURAD alcohol swabs in the kit for sterilizing them after each use.

Cuts and burns are the obvious kitchen injuries to worry about, but they aren't the only ones. In fact, the really serious injuries often come from things like slips and falls, instead.

That's why I think there's a case to be made for having a few splints and braces in your first aid kit. I've accumulated a selection of elbow, knee, ankle, and wrist braces by snapping them up when I find them on sale. They're useful if you sprain or strain a joint because of a slip or a fall in the kitchen, and both elbow and wrist braces can also help minimize the impact of repetitive stress injuries. I haven't had to deal with tendinitis much since I folded my restaurants, but I know I'm still prone to it if I'm not careful. For home cooks, it often crops up when you're doing unusual amounts of prep, which is something to be aware of if you're making a big holiday meal (or sometimes, just doubling a recipe).

Another thing to keep in your first aid kit for sprains and strains is a tube of Voltaren or similar topical ibuprofen cream to keep pain and inflammation to a minimum. Yes, you can take a pill instead, but I find that applying the cream directly to the injury gives faster, more effective relief.

The first aid station in a commercial kitchen will almost always include an eyewash station, with either a special faucet to rinse your eyes or an eyewash bottle mounted to the wall and filled with a sterile cleaning solution. It's essential in the workplace, because splashing your eyes with cleaning chemicals or absent-mindedly rubbing them after cutting hot peppers can be pretty serious.

Both of those things can happen at home, too, and it's a pretty safe bet that you won't have that special faucet in your home kitchen. Contorting yourself to put your face under the tap and rinse out your eyes isn't necessarily an easy thing to do, especially when you're half-blinded because you've got something in them. It helps a lot if you have a pull-out faucet, but keeping an eyewash bottle in your first aid kit is even better.

They come in various sizes, but I think an 8-ounce bottle of eyewash from PhysiciansCare is about right. That's more than enough to clean your eyes properly, even if both are affected, but the bottle is still compact enough to fit neatly into your kit. You may even want a second one for your garage or workshop, or to keep in the bathroom, for non-kitchen emergencies.

Having spent hundreds of words talking about things that go into your first aid kit, I'd like to take a few more for things that don't. Some of these are also useful for first aid, while others fall more into the prevention category.

One thing I strongly recommend is keeping a couple of microwaveable heating and cooling pads like these from Home Comfort on hand, for applying heat or cold to strains and sprains as needed. If you sew, you can make your own and fill them with barley or rice. Alternatively, flexible gel packs from Everlasting Ice RX and other brands stay soft, even when frozen. I recommend keeping them in your freezer; cooling one takes hours, but if you want heat instead you can just microwave it briefly.

In terms of prevention, non-skid shoes like these clogs from Avia can save you some nasty slips and falls in the kitchen. They aren't expensive, especially if they save you a trip to emergency. Go with the shoes that are waterproof, to protect against scalds if you spill a pot. I also keep cut-resistant gloves on hand ever since that unfortunate incident with the mandoline. Finally, and I can't emphasize this enough, everyone should have a kitchen-rated fire extinguisher, one that will quench a grease fire.

The most ridiculous way I've personally hurt myself was on brown sugar: I was breaking up some lumps, and one of them was unexpectedly hard and cut my finger. Most kitchen accidents are more predictable than that, though, and therefore preventable.

Clear your work area of hazards and obstructions (including kids and pets!) before you start. Clean up any liquid or fat spills immediately, before you slip on them. (Here's an easy trick for cleaning up oil spills.) Better yet, put down non-slip kitchen mats like these StepRites to prevent falls and minimize back pain. If the utilitarian look isn't "you," these LuxStep mats are whimsical and decorative. Stabilize your cutting board before using your knife by putting a dampened towel under it. That keeps the board from sliding and potentially causing you to cut yourself. Don't put knives or other blades into your dishwater, where they can hide under the suds and cut you. (This is a pet peeve of mine.)

Keep heavy items in accessible places so you don't have to lift them up or down. Upper cabinets are especially bad for heavy items, because you'll risk toppling from your stool or dropping something on your head. Buy the best oven mitts you can afford, ideally including at least one pair that are silicone (because they're water- and steam-proof, preventing scalds). Finally, as a big-ticket item, think about induction for your next stove. Induction cooktops get "ouch" hot, but not "emergency visit" hot.

I'll close with this, because it's a point the instructors have emphasized in every first aid course I've ever taken: There are times when first aid just isn't going to cut it, so to speak. Yes, having a well-stocked first aid kit is good, and getting certified in first aid is even better, but at times you'll be out of your depth. It's important to recognize which injuries should result in a visit to your nearest health care professional. And yes, I've both witnessed and experienced a few of those. 

So let's discuss a few examples of things that should send you to your doctor or the nearest ER or walk-in clinic. One is any cuts to the inside of your fingers, or the palm of your hand, because that's where all the ligaments and muscles are. You should also get help for any cuts that won't stop bleeding or any wound (of any kind) that gets infected and inflamed. Any burns that go below the surface layer of skin urgently need medical care. Those are the ones that raise blisters or leave the affected area waxy or pale-looking. Any burn that covers more than an inch or two of your skin should also mean an automatic trip to emergency. 

If you've had a slip or fall that resulted in what feels like a serious sprain or strain, get that checked out. "Pushing through it" could cause more damage. Finally, you should get checked for any head injury, especially if it's caused by a fall. It's important to know the signs of serious head trauma (confusion, loss of consciousness, dizziness, and slurred speech, among others) and to call 911 immediately if you recognize them.