Views #724 | Intermediate 5

Kitchen Safety

Rebecca looks at the dangers of working in a restaurant and kitchen safety.

Script
Vocab
Quiz


Rebecca	Todd

Todd: Now, Rebecca, we're talking about working in the kitchen. I was a waiter and when I would help out in the kitchen, I was always afraid of the big knives and the fires and the burns and stuff, so can you talk a little about safety and maybe about some injuries you had working in the kitchen?

Rebecca: Yeah, that's really important actually. First there's the uniform. You have to cover as much of you skin as can to avoid burns and if you have a special chef jacket, it must be all cotton so if you get something hot on it, it will still be safe, and it can be quickly taken off, so if you spill something very hot on your clothes, you actually remove the top layer and then you have something underneath, so you can avoid the hot thing being on your skin.

Todd: Well, have you ever been burned, and when you are burned what do you do to your skin to make the burn go away?

Rebecca: Yeah, I've only ever had one bad burn. It was from pork fat and I burnt my arm. I had a horrible blister afterwards, but you have to be careful not to touch the burn or break it. You should of course immediately put in under cold water and then afterwards I use vitamin E oil and that was really good, actually. I don't have a scar because I used that and the skin healed really well.

Todd: What about cuts? I imagine you must have a million cuts from all those big sharp knives. What do you do for that?

Rebecca: Actually, I've never, never cut myself. Never, never. No! Because they teach you when you learn how to shop a way to keep all your fingers out away from the knife and you always have the knife in contact with your hand so you don't need to look at it when you cut. You can feel where the knife is. And no, I've never cut myself.

Todd: That's pretty impressive. Wow! OK, Now, last thing. I guess the only danger I would see in the kitchen is just slipping and falling. The floor is always wet and greasy or whatever. What do you do about that?

Rebecca: You wear really, really heavy boots. I had a huge pair of boots, and of course we clean the floors really carefully. At the end of every shift, you get rid of as much grease as possible and we use non-slip mats, so that helps.

Todd: Cool. Thanks for the safety tips, Rebecca. Thanks.

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson

horrible blister

I burnt my arm and I had a horrible blister afterwards.

When you get a 'horrible blister,' it means that you have an injury your skin as a result of a piece of clothing or a shoe rubbing against it or if you get burnt. A blister is like a bubble on your skin with a clear liquid inside.

Notice the following:

I tried out my new shoes and they gave me a horrible blister.
That looks like a nasty burn. I think you are going to get a horrible blister.

scar

I don't have a scar because I used vitamin E oil and the skin healed really well.

A 'scar' is a permanent mark that is left on your skin after you have healed from an injury like a cut or burn.

Notice the following:

I hope I don't get a scar.
You can get special creams to help get rid of scars.

a million cuts

I imagine you must have a million cuts from all those big sharp knives.

A 'million cuts' is a phrase that you would use to mean a lot of cuts. It doesn't literally mean a million, but is using exaggeration to show that a chef gets cut a lot.

Notice the following:

The first time she shaved her legs she had like a million cuts all over them when she was finished.
I had like a million cuts from the scissors that I was using.

wet and greasy

The floor is always wet and greasy.

The floor would be 'wet' because water and other liquids are dropped on it and 'greasy' because oil is spilled on it.

Notice the following:

Please be careful, as the floor is wet and greasy.
I just can't get the table clean. It is too wet and greasy.

you get rid of

At the end of every shift, you get rid of a much grease as possible.

When you 'get rid of something,' it means that you throw it away or remove it from a specific location.

Notice the following:

I need to get rid of the cooking smell from my clothes.
I can't get rid of my cold, and I feel really ill.

Vocabulary Quiz

blister • a scar • million
greasy • get rid

As a boy, he loved playing in the woods and always had a cuts.
We have to use the fryer outside because the floor gets too wet and .
Your shoes really smell. You need to of them.
Most people in this city have from being burned by a motorcycle at least once in their lives.
He has a huge from cutting down all those trees.