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Food-safe gloves can protect skin when preparing hot peppers, strongly staining produce, or irritating ingredients. They can also be useful during cleanup, but gloves do not replace proper handwashing or safe food-handling practices.
For hot peppers
Wear intact disposable nitrile or other food-contact-safe gloves when cutting hot peppers. Avoid touching your eyes, face, phone, handles, or other surfaces. Remove gloves without contacting the contaminated exterior, discard them, and wash hands thoroughly.
Choosing gloves
- Look for food-contact suitability and an appropriate size.
- Nitrile is a common latex-free choice with useful puncture resistance.
- Avoid powdered gloves for food preparation.
- Use heavier reusable gloves for cleaning, keeping them separate from food-preparation gloves.
Prevent cross-contamination
Change disposable gloves whenever they tear, become contaminated, or when moving from cleaning tasks back to food preparation. Never wash disposable gloves for reuse.
Heat limitation
Thin food-preparation gloves are not oven mitts and do not protect against hot jars, boiling brine, steam, or canner surfaces. Use proper heat-resistant tools and a jar lifter for those tasks.
Safe-use reminder
Protective equipment does not make an untested recipe safe. Follow a current research-based recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, USDA, or extension services.
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