Whenever I cook with anything spicy I am typically very careful. I am diligent to not add too much hot anything because let's face it, I am a white girl who was raised by two mid-westerns. I don't really DO spicy. I fake it here and there and while many of my cohorts are squirting half a bottle of Sriracha or as we loving call it cock sauce, all over their eggs I am content with about three to six dots.
The other aspect you must be careful about when cooking with hot things, like Serrano peppers, is to ensure that you wash your hands thoroughly after cutting or even better cut them wearing latex gloves. How many of us actually keep latex gloves in our home kitchens? Yeah, that is what I thought.
One evening I was making chicken tortilla soup and I was cutting Serranos sans gloves. Living on the edge here. I cut one or two peppers off, rinsed my hands at the sink and then went on my merry way chopping and cooking.
All of sudden, my nose began to burn as I was chopping and stirring and cooking. Burn like I have never felt before. Uncomfortable. So I went into the freezer and grabbed an ice cube and iced my nose a little. Temporary relief took hold, but oh so temporary it was. The burn returned with a vengeance. I rinsed my nose in the sink, no relief. Went the refrigerator, thinking there has to be an answer. Ahhh Aloe lotion with lydocane, yes that has to work. HAS TO! Uh... no... no relief.
Suddenly and image of Mr. Umholtz came to mind, my freshman high school lab physical science teacher who first taught me about acid and base levels. mmmm How do we counteract an acid? DUH, with a base. Base, base what is a base in this refrigerator... my eyes locked on the mayonnaise. Mayo... mayo... MAYO!!! I grabbed the squeeze bottle Best Foods, put some on my finger and shoved it up my nose. Oh yeah, this is happening. Ahhh relief, instant and as it turns out, long-lasting relief.
Oh Mayo - your not only delicious, but a life saver as well.
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