I've been working on a big order for weeks now. I'm kind of sleep deprived, and the bags under my eyes are becoming more 'duffle bag' than 'handbag'. The fat pads on the palms of my hands are so sore I can hardly hold the coffee cup this morning...(rolling gum paste). All of my clothes have a light dusting of powdered sugar on them. Yesterday I woke up after a long night in the kitchen, took a shower, got ready for the day, and went directly to a friend's piano recital. After the recital I was talking to someone and they kindly pointed out that I had a smear of frosting on the side of my face 
. I guess I didn't wash real thoroughly! Or look in the mirror, apparently 
Anyone have any other occupational hazards unique to baking?
I use a lot of gloves for working with fondant for many reasons. Just last weekend I was about half inch away from grabbing a pan out of the oven without a mit . Not the kind of gloves you want to mix up. Im sure melting vinyl gloves to my hands would have been a lovely sensation...ouch!
I have burns on my arms. From the oven, Racks, hot pans. Yes I have those long gloves. I can use them take them off and turn around and swipe my arm across the hot pan. burned again. I got a new commercial oven it had diffrent dimmensions than my older one and sits lower. I have arms that look like hell. People sk me if I'm a cutter. I laugh and say no a burner. 
The burns are the things that bother me the most. I have discovered and swear by the banana peel to sooth and heal burns quickly without leaving marks. It sounds odd and kind of stupid, but it works. My mom put me onto this remedy forever ago - of course the first time I used it I felt stupid but not anymore! It works fast! Give it a go sometime you wont regret it 
Funny you post this! I too have a big order, 450 cupcakes and a wedding cake! I do not have a commercial kitchen, I bake from my home so my oven isn't big and I burnt 4 of my fingers yesterday rotating pans in the oven. I will have to try the banana peel method....do you just peel the banana and put the inside of the peel on the burn right after???
The burns are the things that bother me the most. I have discovered and swear by the banana peel to sooth and heal burns quickly without leaving marks. It sounds odd and kind of stupid, but it works. My mom put me onto this remedy forever ago - of course the first time I used it I felt stupid but not anymore! It works fast! Give it a go sometime you wont regret it
As odd as it sounds, I'll definitely try this out cos I get upset at burn scars on my arms, thanks for the info!!
I was working almost 40 hours straight on a special order cake. Little did I know that I had gotten a small drop of royal icing on the shoulder of my t-shirt earlier the day before. So the day the cake is due, I just happen to rub my cheek on my shoulder and then all of a sudden my cheek is kind of stinging...YUP, I cut my face on royal icing!! It was only a small scratch but I still find it hilarious! (especially now that the cake has been delivered, eaten and praised 
) AND I'VE GOTTEN SOME SLEEP!
I had just baked 15 layers of cake without incident, and then burnt myself reheating a piece of pizza in the toaster oven... go figure!
This thread is a riot. I relate to the OP but mine was a competition piece. From Saturday to late Friday night I did nothing but decorate. My husband actually asked me how many days I was going to wear the same jeans...I said until the show
They were already covered in food coloring, corn starch chocolate...you name it... But forget how bad I looked that week...you should have seen my kitchen....it was a total wreck ...literally a cake wreck I recovered on that Saturday and cleaned all day Sunday.
Burn wise, about a month or so ago I leaned over the stove where a cupcake pan was cooling and burned a nice 5 inch line into my belly...it is now affectionately known as my C section scar even though I don't have kids.
Yes, the banana remedy sounds odd, but it works. My DH who always had laughed at me for doing this, had gotten burnt recently on the oven while he was making supper, and was complaining about it (he isnt a complainer type either). Anyway, I kept on him about the banana thing. He finally gave in (after two hours) and let me put it on. He hated to admit it, but it worked
OOOh I finally got one.......blowing out whatever color you airbrushed boogies!!! YUCK!!!
Yes...blowing my nose and seeing cocoa powder (I'm assuming the powdered sugar was there too). Sometimes when mixing color into fondant I don't wear gloves so my hands look like they've been tye-dyed...or worse...bruised badly. Nothing is more attractive than black around your fingernails!
Mine aren't that funny, but
I sleep with hand braces almost nightly.
I'm paranoid that I'm developing a serious hunchback and have to stretch quite a few times a day. And that's after raising my decorating table to the appropriate height. I also get neck stingers a few times a month, which are super fun.
That and I've developed some type of weird form of RLS, at night I can't stop my legs from moving around and tensing up because I'm on them 14 hours a day.
The burns are an issue too, and I'm a scar-er, not a healer. I am so going to try the banana peels!
Other than that, I'm completely healthy and love my job!
I also know what multi colored boogies look like. I have had red dye from the red velvet cake stain so many things, from purses, to my work shoes, to my arms. I find bruises on myself all of the time. I have also developed a tolerance for holding hot things and don't realize when things are super hot sometimes. So many different things have splashed into my eyes and bothered them. And my fingernails are always different colors from the dyes.
Too funny!~
I was delivering a cake once and my son went with me. he glanced at me before going inside and said "mom you have black coming out your nose" Yeah airbrush color gets everywhere even up there!
But the worse was last year I was in a rush and reached for something and I knocked my Agbay Cake Leveler off the counter..............it hit my leg and cut it pretty bad in about 4 places. I just about fainted when I looked down. But i knew it could have been worse! My neighbor was home thank god and she came and took care of it since I didnt have any band aids!
I was working almost 40 hours straight on a special order cake. Little did I know that I had gotten a small drop of royal icing on the shoulder of my t-shirt earlier the day before. So the day the cake is due, I just happen to rub my cheek on my shoulder and then all of a sudden my cheek is kind of stinging...YUP, I cut my face on royal icing!!
It was only a small scratch but I still find it hilarious! (especially now that the cake has been delivered, eaten and praised ) AND I'VE GOTTEN SOME SLEEP!
This is hilarious! I can totally see that happening.
I had just baked 15 layers of cake without incident, and then burnt myself reheating a piece of pizza in the toaster oven... go figure!
LMBO. I microwaved a cup of coffee the other day for 20 minutes...it's like I can only operate one appliance at a time correctly.
Whenever I blow gold dust or disco sparkle on something it ends up coating my face so it looks like I made out with a stripper. My husband always gives me funny looks then just says, "why don't i get to play with strippers?"
I have so many little scar on my knuckles from the racks in the oven, I look like a prize fighter!
I always have little nicks on my hands, especially the right hand as I use it the most (my left is hopelessly useless). The middle finger of my right hand becomes swollen and I can not move it anymore if I have a lot of orders on and stress my hand too much.
My glasses have a constant coating of flour/cornstarch/powdered sugar. Oh, my clothes as well. I have stuff that I wear just for working. And I have to keep my fingernails short, otherwise they leave marks in the fondant.
After a long day my feet, my back and my neck hurt.
And no, I am not over 70 )
i get really bad swelling in my right hand if i am working on something intricate... then same burns and back ache everyone seems affected by!
Off topic slightly- @ de_montsereau.... you cut you nails? i am really struggling to avoid nail marks when covering a cake but just cant bring myself to chop nails off! this is such a difficult decision and i know my bf wont be happy! Has anyone actually learnt to work with long nails? I normally go back over and try to smooth any scars with a dab of crisco
sam
xx
Weight gain is my occupational hazard, damn taste testing. I have also had bruises on my forearms from rolling fondant and can't tell you the number of times I have been playing with my hair only to find a blob of buttercream/royal in it.
Aaaaah, you gotta love cake decorating!
Sore feet and legs, sore hands, burns, weight gain...I have them all too!
i have "all of the above"...i am glad i am not the only one
Whenever I blow gold dust or disco sparkle on something it ends up coating my face so it looks like I made out with a stripper. My husband always gives me funny looks then just says, "why don't i get to play with strippers?"
That is hilarious!! I blew a little coffee out my nose. haha!!
Weight gain is my occupational hazard, damn taste testing. I have also had bruises on my forearms from rolling fondant and can't tell you the number of times I have been playing with my hair only to find a blob of buttercream/royal in it.
Aaaaah, you gotta love cake decorating!
I only bake for my family, but I can safely say that the byproduct is weight gain. Also, the thumb and first finger on my right hand are often multicolored. hehe!
I got long nails too and they grow very fast and everyone compliments me on them even without nail polish so I am sad to wear them really short even though it makes sense to as i tend to dig into the fondant often with them.
Now, I suspect I have RSI (repetitive Strain injury) in both wrists, they ache constantly especially when I have been busy decorating. Dont get me started on my waist and bach ache after long hours standing...I try to sit as much as I can now while decorating!
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