wrote in message
ups.com...
Does anyone know how to reduce the burn when working with hot peppers?
besides wearing gloves.
\


1) Wear disposable plastic gloves (maybe two pairs) and take them off
carefully allowing them to turn inside-out, then toss them. Be careful not
to touch sensitive parts of your (or anybody else's) body until you shed the
gloves. Re-using gloves (eg rubber, leather) is just a way for the irritant
to accumulate and end up on your body some time later.

2) If you get it on you (say your glove breaks) rub the affected part with
vegetable oil (or a good oily hand cream, even lard or margarine if you are
desperate), scrub it over the skin with a scrubbing brush thoroughly, then
wash off with plenty of warm soap and water.

This works because the stuff that burns is fairly oil soluble but not very
water soluble. The reason it is so hard to get off is because it dissolves
in the oil on your skin. This also explains why yoghurt cools a burning
mouth more than say cold water, the butterfat in the yoghurt dissolves the
irritant from the inside of your mouth and provides some relief.

David