Avocado Hand is a “Thing” You Don’t Want

The Chicago Tribune reports that "Avocado Hand" is increasingly showing up in urgent care centers/ERs, which is a stabbing of the hand while trying to 'de-pit' the delicious avocado fruit.

I was way ahead of the trend five years ago when I used a paring knife in attempt to stab the pit of an avocado. The tip slid off the pit, sending the blade into the flesh of my left ring finger. It didn't actually hurt, but there was a decent amount of blood. Maybe most annoying was that My Honey - who knows his way around the kitchen - had suggested to me more than once that the technique was not very safe and offered an alternative, which clearly fell upon deaf ears.

Sounds like people who try stabbing at the pit with a long knife often end up sliding the blade into the webbing between their thumbs and forefingers. This particular wound sounds much more painful. However you slice it, it's suggested that you apply pressure to the wound to stem the bleeding.

My mishap resulted in five stitches, which the crew at Urgent Care in Frandor easily handled- there's not even a scar now.

Michigan State University Senior Executive Chef Kurt Kwiatkowski shows us how to do it the right way here: