Self conditioning.

[Daydreamer]

So a few days ago, I was cooking and I burnt the living hell out of my hand because I grabbed the handle of a pan which just came out of the oven. It was me being quite stupid because I did this even after telling myself "Watch it Kevin, you know that handle is 400 degrees."

Anywho this lead me to wonder if it's possible to condition my hands to resist heat. I know many cooks who have, over the years, had hands grow pretty much impervious to heat. Hell even the dish washer at my work can grab pans without flinching when they are way too hot for me to grab without flinching.

Anyone know if there is a way to condition my hands without like, mutilating them?

[Norelco]

Don't think so. If you're going to be a cook get used to this. Consider them battle scars.

[Kaisha]

Having been a dish washer myself, it was just a manner of getting your hands used to it, building calluses, and grabbing stuff with the least amount of grip possible and moving it around quick.

I was able to handle crap directly out from a washer running at 140F after a few shifts, but I doubt you could condition your hands to handle anything hotter; skin limitations. Again from my experience, it also appears to work in the 'you don't use it, you lose it' manner.

[Serif]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...sevr/VforV.jpg

I highly doubt it!

[archibaldcrane]

I worked as a cashier at a casual-dining restaurant while I was an undergrad. They wanted me to be an assistant manager, so I had to train in the kitchen as well.

After a day of burning myself on everything that the (all mexican) kitchen staff touched constantly, I said fuck your assistant manager job.

Cash isn't burning hot.

[Slapper]

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/7...itate07oh6.jpg

[Charla]

Now that's just asking for a counterfiting and/or money laundering joke.

A Yakitate is fine too...

[Kadrian]

I have been a waitress/cook/dishwasher at various restaurants for about the past 4yrs and I have to say, it's all a matter of getting used to it. Your hands build up a tolerance just like any other part of the body subjected to the same kind of treatment. I can grab plates and silverware that just come out of the dishwasher or that have been sitting up in the hot-side window for awhile (not my food mind you, I don't let it sit up in the window forever like my fellow servers), without flinching. It is a matter of technique too. Like someone else said, you handle it with as little touching as possible and do it very quickly.



P.S. I stole that V for Vendetta picture! I am a big fan lol. Thank you for posting it!

[kuronosan]

No, there is no way to get your hands to conditionally get used to the heat, but you can adapt callouses and deaden your heat-sensing nerves over time... which will cause you to still seriously damage your hands if you grab things too hot... but your hands will be conditioned to the amount of heat that causes pain.

You basically would just condition it by slowly (and very slowly) increasing over time the temperature you expose your hand to in a short burst of time (a few seconds). Eventually, you'll build up thicker skin in the affected areas (try putting out candles with your fingers).

No matter what you do, however, you will still seriously damage your hands if you expose them to too high heat. No matter what you're going to feel a little pain because your hands are one of the nerve centers of your body.

[noblemountain]

you can condition your body to anything, you'd really be surprised...although it still will be hurting you, you just won't feel it (as much). i have a piece of iron i punch 500 times with each hand, every night, and it builds calcium in my hands and deadens my nerves. same thing applies to muay thai fighters who kick trees 1000 times a day and whatnot...it's just deadening the nerves so you can do it...but it still is hurting your body in the case of burning.

[sephir]

The heat your talking about you cant condition it to. However you can get used to heat of up to around 80C, but it takes alot of time, alot of patience, and alot of pain. Its not an easy task getting used to this, it just takes time and repitition of being exposed to the heat over and over and over again.

[Norelco]

Dry kitchen towels is what you need. Keep two tucked into your sides...1 wet, 1 dry. Make sure the dry one never gets wet, and use it to handle hot pans.

[Daydreamer]

Dry kitchen towels is what you need. Keep two tucked into your sides...1 wet, 1 dry. Make sure the dry one never gets wet, and use it to handle hot pans.

I do this at work. Except my wet towel is in a clean spot of counter to wipe down plates. Hell I haven't burnt or cut myself at work since the first 2 weeks I worked there, but this injury was at home. Gah I love my job. I can't wait to work at the french laundry.

[Krye]

I think the only way you're going to be able to make it so you can't feel the heat...is to make it so you can't feel at all. I think my chemistry teacher mentioned that one day when he grabbed something really hot and told us we would have to be careful because we were still young and probably hadn't killed our nerve endings yet or some shit like that.

[Lockecole7]

you can condition your body to anything, you'd really be surprised...although it still will be hurting you, you just won't feel it (as much). i have a piece of iron i punch 500 times with each hand, every night, and it builds calcium in my hands and deadens my nerves. same thing applies to muay thai fighters who kick trees 1000 times a day and whatnot...it's just deadening the nerves so you can do it...but it still is hurting your body in the case of burning.

500 punches alone is a lot...I'm confused, you need to go into more detail, because punching a piece of iron 500 times a day just sounds like broken hands to me, so you'll have to elaborate. As is kicking trees 1000 times...Hint: everything you saw in Jean Claude's Kickboxer wasn't entirely lifelike! I'm aware, its possible, but it's just as practical and a lot safer to kick the bottom part of a compact kicking bag. (The solid as shit part). Anyway, on topic...umm yeah it's possible, pain is only a warning signal, if you know it's coming and you accept it, those warning signals eventually get ignored.

[Max™]

Take a bucket of Sand, a bucket of warm water, and a bucket of round marble sized stones.

Start plunging your hands from one to the other, slowly at first, then faster.

As you get used too it, begin to heat the sand/water/stones.

[noblemountain]

you can condition your body to anything, you'd really be surprised...although it still will be hurting you, you just won't feel it (as much). i have a piece of iron i punch 500 times with each hand, every night, and it builds calcium in my hands and deadens my nerves. same thing applies to muay thai fighters who kick trees 1000 times a day and whatnot...it's just deadening the nerves so you can do it...but it still is hurting your body in the case of burning.

500 punches alone is a lot...I'm confused, you need to go into more detail, because punching a piece of iron 500 times a day just sounds like broken hands to me, so you'll have to elaborate. As is kicking trees 1000 times...Hint: everything you saw in Jean Claude's Kickboxer wasn't entirely lifelike! I'm aware, its possible, but it's just as practical and a lot safer to kick the bottom part of a compact kicking bag. (The solid as shit part). Anyway, on topic...umm yeah it's possible, pain is only a warning signal, if you know it's coming and you accept it, those warning signals eventually get ignored.

you take "punch" as me full on punching a piece of iron. i make a fist, lay the thing in my lap or beside me, and rap my fist on it 500 times with one hand, then the other...usually do this while farming on FF or watching t.v. it doesn't take a hard ass punch to make this effective. i've never seen kickboxer, but if it showed a dude kicking a tree...welcome to thai boxing. kicking the bottom part of a hanging heavy bag works for a lil while, but it will eventually soften up from the kicking. i've got 2 100 lbs heavy bags i alternate out and they always soften up towards the middle of a workout.

[Daydreamer]

There is some video out there of this brother team that conditioned their bones to break boards and blocks and such. They actually had x-rays of their bones that proved that they slowly would break them (doing the constant punching things) and then reheal, every time slightly stronger....

[Howard Roark]

There is some video out there of this brother team that conditioned their bones to break boards and blocks and such. They actually had x-rays of their bones that proved that they slowly would break them (doing the constant punching things) and then reheal, every time slightly stronger....

ya it's on youtube, just search for Chuck and Jesus Norris

[Alleya]

There is some video out there of this brother team that conditioned their bones to break boards and blocks and such. They actually had x-rays of their bones that proved that they slowly would break them (doing the constant punching things) and then reheal, every time slightly stronger....

That is not a unique thing. Martial artists in the east have been doing this for thousands of years. Almost every martial tradition you can look at over there involves punching and kicking the shit out of trees and rocks until your bones are ridiculously tough.

Saw a guy on a TV documentary once break 5 boards with the tips of his fingers and snap a louisville slugger in half with his forearm as someone held it up as if they were going to swing with it.