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The Avocado:
The most dangerous food in your kitchen!
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AVOCADOS:
Why all the fuss?
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Like the bagel, avocados are immensely popular but do require use of a knife to enjoy. Unfortunately, the similarity to bagels does not end here. I treat at least one patient a month who has cut his or her hand when cutting or pitting an avocado. Usually these injuries are deep and need surgery to repair a severed nerve or tendon.
The reason for the danger lies in the fact that avocados are very soft on the outside and have a hard smooth pit on the inside. Injuries either happen when someone is holding the avocado in the palm of the hand and cut towards the palm or when trying to pry the pit out of the sliced avocado with the pointed end of the knife.
Using the proper tools and technique injury can easily be prevented. If you do cut yourself it means one more surgery for me, but it may mean a severe problem for you requiring surgery and months of therapy, not to mention the injury's effect on your ability to work. Please watch the videos below to learn more.
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Commercial Pitting Utensils
Due to the risk of injury from pitting avocados, many companies have created simple yet effective tools to help chefs quickly and safely remove pits from avocados and other fruits quickly and safely.
Dr. Grabow has not tested any of these devices nor does he have any financial interest or benefit in your purchase of these utensils. Please take a look --- you may find something you like.
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BAD TECHNIQUE
HOW NOT TO USE A KNIFE TO PIT AN AVOCADO
*WHAT NOT TO DO* Notice how much this person is struggling with the knife pointing it at the pit to remove it. See how the tip is pointed towards the palm at several times. The person also tries to pry it out actually bending the knife. I found this on youtube as an instructional video - should have been labeled how NOT to cut an avocado. Let this be a wake up call to everyone reading this. Just because it is on the internet does not mean it is true or correct. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE watch this again to see just how easy it could have been for the knife to slip and cut this person's hand. If it happens it is just one more surgery for me, but this is a devastating injury you can easily avoid!
AVOCADO CUTTING AND PITTING TECHNIQUES
BEST TECHNIQUE!
This is the safest technique. The avocado is held steady on a cutting board and the pit is removed with a spoon. Kudos to Redbook for thinking of its readers and viewers safety when making this video.
GOOD CUTTING TECHNIQUE - BAD PITTING TECHNIQUE
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The cutting technique is good but the pitting technique she shows is dangerous.
I have had several patients who cut their thumb in the process of twisting the pit out with the knife as well as cutting their fingers when pulling off the pit to throw it away.
To the left is a picture of a real person with a finger laceration due to the pitting method shown above.
My recommendations may not be "cool" but you don't look too cool trying to explain to your friends that you cut yourself taking the pit out of an avocado.
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PICTURE SLIDE SHOWS
To give your children, spouse, or loved one a true understanding of avocado injuries I have provided the following images. WARNING - these pictures ave very graphic.