What causes “asbestos hands” for those who work professionally in kitchens?
In: Biology
Getting burned over and over again.
I used to work in the kitchen of a ‘fast casual’ restaurant. You get burned all the time – you are constantly pulling hot plates out of the expo window, pulling cooking dishes out of the oven, pulling food and pans off of the stove. You get burned over and over again.
Over time, your body adapts – you develop callouses that protect you from the heat and you start to lose heat sensitivity in your hands (which I assume is due to nerve damage). This allows you to touch things that other people wouldn’t be able to hold – partly because you have protection and partly because you just can’t feel it anymore.
I haven’t worked in that kitchen in almost 20 years and I _still_ don’t have great heat sensitivity in my fingers.
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