misc Never had a problem with capsaicin getting on my hands until I handled some reapers. How to get it o

ProjectileTeeth

ProjectileTeeth

So I bought latex gloves. After handling about a quart of carolina reapers, my hands burned for two days, so I could not touch any sensitive areas (eyes, etc.) without cursing at myself. Washed my hands with dawn dish soap probably a dozen times, and walnut soap too, to take some skin off.
So I bought latex gloves for future use. I used them on Sunday, when I decided to process my reapers that I had started fermenting a couple months ago. Tonight, I did the dishes. The capsaicin has leeched into the plastic bowl that I poured the sauce into after boiling it. It's stained orange. I scrubbed the hell out of it with dawn and the rough side of the sponge, but it's still stained. After doing the dishes, I realized that slow burn coming back on the skin of my hands, and now I'm kind of irritated. Really don't want to touch my eyes or anything else, right now. Is there anything I should soak this bowl in to get the capsaicin out? Maybe I need to use metal bowls next time, but for now, jfc, this white plastic bowl is stained orange, and I don't want to use it again for any food unless I can get all the heat out of it.
 
When processing Reapers, I use Nitrile gloves doubled but eventually they'll leach through.  I now change them more frequently when processing.  Reapers will stain pretty much anything for sure.  It seems like I always get some limited burn no matter what I do.  
 
For Reapers, it's a bigger issue when processing fresh pods.  Haven't seen an issue with bowls but I usually process and go directly to dehydrating racks or freezer bags.  I suspect your bowl now is now limited to BBQ processing  :rolleyes:  :rolleyes: .
 
stainless or glass only pots and bowls....you will likely also have the same issue with...
 
the blender
the cutting board
the sponge (you shouldn't be using a sponge for cleaning....they get waaay to contaminated unless nuked on a daily basis)
wood handled knife
plastic spoon
rubber scraper
plastic funnel......
 
you get the idea~~~ ;)
SL
 
edit and definitely nitrile gloves, and change them often like HD suggests.
 
ProjectileTeeth said:
So I bought latex gloves. After handling about a quart of carolina reapers, my hands burned for two days, so I could not touch any sensitive areas (eyes, etc.) without cursing at myself. Washed my hands with dawn dish soap probably a dozen times, and walnut soap too, to take some skin off.
So I bought latex gloves for future use. I used them on Sunday, when I decided to process my reapers that I had started fermenting a couple months ago. Tonight, I did the dishes. The capsaicin has leeched into the plastic bowl that I poured the sauce into after boiling it. It's stained orange. I scrubbed the hell out of it with dawn and the rough side of the sponge, but it's still stained. After doing the dishes, I realized that slow burn coming back on the skin of my hands, and now I'm kind of irritated. Really don't want to touch my eyes or anything else, right now. Is there anything I should soak this bowl in to get the capsaicin out? Maybe I need to use metal bowls next time, but for now, jfc, this white plastic bowl is stained orange, and I don't want to use it again for any food unless I can get all the heat out of it.
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Powdered Brewery Wash (PBW).  You can get it at any home brew supply store.  I have never tried it for pepper stains, but anything I have ever soaked in this (mix powder with very hot or boiling water has come clean.  Works on pastic as well as metal, and is of course food grade. 
 
Well yes to nitrile gloves, but the thickness matters. 5, 6, 7 mil NO GOOD!  It will leach! You want MINIMUM 10 mil. You can go 12 but 10 is where you get the protection without them being too thick. 
 
Well i'm not an expert at getting pepper oil off bowls... but I can reflect on a recent mistake that I made when handling some of Bhuter's Caramel Morugas with my bare hands.I have never had a worse burn that lasted that long! lol. Lets just say I will be wearing gloves in the future.
 
That being said.. the advice I offer is to use a dish soap with a grease fighting power component. You said you already used dawn, but you may want to check the label to see if it contains it. It should... but my family accidentally filled our dishwashing soap container with hand soap or a non-grease fighting soap. And believe me, it really makes a difference. 
 
A few washes with grease fighting soap took the oil right off and my hands went back to normal shortly after that. If I hadn't had the grease fighting soap, I likely would have not slept that night. My hands were in pretty bad shape. It felt like my blood vessels were dilating due to the shock of the capsaicin burn. 
 
As for how to get it out of a bowl, I might soak the bowl in the grease fighting soap for a few hours. Then rinse and repeat for several times afterward until you see a reduction in the amount of oil present.
 
Hope that helps!
 
-Key
 
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