Extremely weird butternut squash reaction

[Nyleve]

Ok this was so weird. I know it's happened to me before, so it's not just a one-time thing but I just can't figure out why. I was peeling a raw butternut squash with a vegetable peeler and then cut it into chunks to roast. The specific logistics are pertinent here: after peeling, I held the squash in my left hand and cut it into chunks holding the knife in my right hand. After finishing, I noticed that the palm of my left hand was, well, sort of shrivelled and dried up. I washed my hands well thinking that I just had some dried squash juice on it. But no - it just got worse. Eventually, the skin on the palm and fingers of my left hand became so stiff that I could barely open my hand all the way. Then...the skin began to crack and flake off. It was just like a chemical peel! My right hand, which did not contact the squash at all, was perfectly normal. No amount of hand cream helped. This effect lasted about 5 hours. My hand is now fine. Any explanation????

[ChefShell]

the starches that are released are putting a "coating" on your hand. the same thing happens to me. it dries and it seems like it will never wash off no matter what. totally know what you're talking about. it is possible you're having an allergic reaction, but highly doubt it because you wouldn't be able to eat it and your right hand would be effected somewhat. in order to avoid this, put the squash in the oven whole at 400 degrees for about 30-45 minutes until fork tender. cool and then the peeling just, literally peels away from the flesh. much easier and no "raw" peeling required. i do this in my cooking classes for a butternut squash bisque all the time. i never cook it any other way anymore. if you want chunks or a dice, just cook it less or until it's like an almost done potato.

[mirage]

Your explanation sounds right, I just have a slight quibble: It is possible to have a skin allergy and still be able to ingest the substance. My daughter's skin is allergic to lobster "juice". If the liquid from steaming the lobster drips onto her skin she breaks out in a burn-like rash which is extremely painful. She, however, eats lobster regularly. Just makes sure it's grilled and she uses a fork! Strange but true.

[ciaolette]

Absolutely true, I once had terrible rashes from eating whole mangos, when the juice got on my hands and on my face. But I eat mango all the time with out any tummy upset...
lucky I am not a monkey... or I would have to be a monkey with a knife and fork.

[lgss]

There's something in the mango skin that affects some people.

[KaimukiMan]

its the sap, many people are allergic. the juice on skin can also cause a rash, but usually its the sap.

[Chefshell]

oh absolutely, you can be allergic to things dermatologically and still be able to ingest them. didn't mean that it was absolute. our daughter can't touch eggplant with her hands but can eat it with a fork and i'm the same with strawberries. sorry for the confusion.

[sixelagogo]

wow! i thought it was just me!!...when i worked as a prep cook in a pro-lobster place, i had to wear latex gloves taped to my chef coat to avoid the wrath of lobster juice : 1 drop would leave an itchy, inflamed red mark on my skin for the entirety of the day

[Hojo]

It was probably not an allergic reaction simply because of the fact that there was no pain or sensitivity reaction to the "cracking of the skin" that would be caused by increased blood flow to the afflicted area. I would probably agree with the starh coating idea.

[Heidi Claire]

Deep orange colored squashes and pumpkin contain many enzymes that react on the skin in much the same manner as a glycolic acid chemical peel. In fact, there are many, many pumpkin facial peels presently on the market. It seems that you may be hyper-sensitive, or even allergic to the concentrated enzymes to realize such a strong contact reaction.

[Carb Lover]

Yeah, the same thing happens to me everytime I work w/ a butternut. The first time I had a mini-freak out b/c my whole hand seemed to stiffen and get numb. Now, I just immediately scrub my hands w/ dishwashing soap and a dobie. It still feels a little strange for about 30 min. to an hour, but then returns to normal. Your reaction of 5 hrs. seems like a long time, so maybe you should consider wearing food gloves when handling it in the future.

[Nyleve]

Glad it's not just me. I didn't think it could possibly be. And since I don't have any other allergies, I very much doubt it's an allergy. I will definitely use gloves next time I work with a raw butternut squash.

However, I am thinking of marketing it as a natural facial peel....

Oh just kidding. However....

[keruin]

Me too! Me too! Is it okay to eat the squash afterward? Oh dear, this is weird. Is it some kind of toxin? Or am I being paranoid?

[beth]

I too just had this exact same react to peeling butternut although I have had comtact with this type of sqash before with no reaction.
Do you think if you wash your hands immediately it can lessen the reaction?
Thanks to everyone for writing in - you saved me from freaking out about my blistery peeling hand!

[doodlemom]

I too had this reaction (thank dog I could run to the internet to see what was up!). In any event, I found that spraying my hand with Simple Green (an organic and very powerful cleaner) immediately stopped the numbness and apparent allergic reaction. I am somewhat allergic to squash and have all sorts of contact dermititis issues, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this.

[Kagey]

How odd. I wonder why it happens to some people but not others.

I'd only offer what may be an alternative solution: don't peel the squash. I've found that in most recipes, it's fine to leave it on (wash first, of course). I actually like the texture of it, too.

[chefbeth]

The same thing happens to me every time I forget to put gloves on when peeling butternut squash. It will also happen, to a lesser degree, if I peel a lot of sweet potatoes, pumpkin or mango. To a far lesser degree it can happen with carrots. I always put it down to the enzymes that all of these foods have in common and to the high beta-carotene content. I've also noticed that it has happened to everyone else who works with me, so I never gave it too much thought. It doesn't appear to be harmful -- just kinda icky.

[jumpingmonk]

with mango its not that suprising. Mangos are actually in the Anacardiacae family, whose most familar member in this country is poison ivy. Terefore if you are very sestive to poison ivy it is best to handle mangos with gloves. Cashews are also members and in fact thier oils are ven worse (can leave permanent scars) but most of this oil is in the nut shell which is removed before selling (which is why you can't find in the shell cashews in the market) still if you are sestive it is often a good idea to avoid contact with cashews, especially raw (unroasted) ones (roasting destroys the oils) and of course if you live somewhere where it is warm enough to grow your own cashew tree be very careful harvesting.

[Calipoutine]

I was stunned the first time it happened to me. My skin just started to peel off. I was so freaked out. I always wear gloves now when dealing with butternut squash.

[kalailyliani]

this just happened to me for the first time! glad i'm not the only one hehe! I was prepping a butternut squash for some butternut squash fries... i started freaking out cause my fingers started to swell and the skin started to crack... weird!! i love food science :)

[HillJ]

http://books.google.com/books?id=Zrcl...

Two relatives are dermatologists and pointed me to this link as many of their patients work in the food industry and often complain about prep reactions on the job.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Yep, that happens to me, too. I usually roast them, so peeling later is easier, but sometimes I want cubes and then I peel and slice with gloves on.

[JimRoberts]

Washing hands normally: no dice. Lava soap and a fingernail brush: the orange coating comes right off, with a little bit of scrubbing.

Gloves next time!