If you have been reading all of our articles on kitchen and restaurant vocabulary in Spanish, you will know how important it can be to have confidence in another language in a field that is so natural to us, as is the kitchen. And if you are one of the few chefs or kitchen workers who have not gone through our articles, I can tell you that this one that we bring today has to be a “must” in your readings, safety is not negotiable, it is not one of those items that you can leave for later.
At the time of an emergency, immediacy is paramount, and as you can imagine that immediacy is affected if you do not speak the same language, those seconds in the middle of the chaos are the difference between being ready or not. If you are ready, let’s get started!
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Safety Tools in the Kitchen
Let’s start with everything that allows us to be comfortable and safe in the kitchen, elements that are almost an extension of our body (and I’m not only referring to knives), the goal is to achieve that naturalness with which we handle everything in the kitchen, is the same with which we talk about them in Spanish.
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Guantes de goma | Rubber gloves | Ya hice el pedido de guantes de goma extra para la estación de carnes / I have already ordered extra rubber gloves for the meat station. |
| Guantes de tela (para horno) | Cloth gloves (heat resistant) | El novato no usó guantes de tela para sacar el pavo del horno y se quemó / The rookie did not use heat resistant gloves to remove the turkey from the oven and got burned. |
| Delantal | Apron | Llené de salsa mi delantal / I spilled sauce on my apron. |
| Gorro | Cap | Pocos restaurantes son tan estrictos como el nuestro con el uso del gorro para los cocineros / Few restaurants are as strict as ours in the use of chef's caps. |
| Calzado antirresbalante | Slip-resistant shoes | El calzado antirresbalante es uno de los requisitos para entrar a trabajar aquí / Slip-resistant shoes are one of the requirements to work here. |
| Tapabocas | Mask | Algunos cocineros prefieren trabajar sin tapabocas, pero no es opcional / Some cooks prefer to work without a mask, but it is not optional. |
| Pinzas de cocina | Kitchen tongs | Es preferible sacar el pollo del aceite con las pinzas / It is better to remove the chicken from the oil with tongs. |
| Paño de cocina | Kitchen cloth | No mojes el paño para tomar platos calientes / Don't wet the cloth to take hot dishes. |
Knives are the protagonists in the kitchen, so let’s go with a couple of examples of phrases you can use to refer to the safety you should have with them:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Nunca intentamos agarrar un cuchillo cuando está cayendo. | We never try to grab a knife when it is falling. |
| Al finalizar el día, todos los cuchillos de los chefs van a sus estuches. | At the end of the day, all the chefs' knives go into their cases. |
| Mientras más visibles los cuchillos mejor será. | The more visible the knives, the better |
| Mi afilador no tiene guardamano, no puedo usarlo | My sharpener has no handguard, I can't use it. |
| ¡Luis! ¡No cortes en dirección a tu cuerpo! | Luis! Don't cut towards your body! |
| No uses el cuchillo sin tus guantes anticorte | Do not use the knife without your anti-cut gloves |
| Ese no es el cuchillo adecuado para carnes | That is not the right knife for meat |
| El uso de tabla de picar es obligatorio | The use of a chopping board is mandatory |
Safety Rules in the Kitchen
When we look for kitchen safety articles, we already have a part of the road already traveled because we have lived many hours in the kitchen, from those first cuts, until now, we know what it is like to have a few hours of sleep or, ironically, to be the worst eaters. But when you are looking for someone to talk to you about kitchen safe in Spanish, things change because we are talking about idioms, new words and daily living among colleagues with another culture to communicate. In this list, you will see mainly key safety verbs.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Estar siempre atento a los gritos de alertas | Always be attentive to the warning calls |
| No precipitarse (o hacerlo con precaución) | Don’t rush (or do it with caution) |
| Ser quien dice voy atrás | Be the one who says behind |
| Ceder el paso a personas con mayor carga | Give way to people with heavier loads |
| Conocer los tipos de cortes y la posición de las manos | Knowing the types of cuts and the position of the hands |
| Limpiar los espacios de trabajo | Cleaning workspaces |
| Chequear que el horno y otros demás aparatos estén apagados al no usarlos | Check that the oven and other appliances are turned off when not in use |
| Evitar la contaminación cruzada | Avoid cross-contamination |
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In a section on Kitchen safety rules, we find items that can be overlooked and that keep us safe, so much that they are a mandatory part of kitchen safety legislation.
| Spanish | English | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Ventilación | Ventilation | Para una correcta ventilación, abre las ventanas y activa los extractores de olor / For proper ventilation, open the windows and activate the odor extractors. |
| Salidas de emergencia | Emergency exits | Las salidas de emergencia deben estar visibles e identificadas / Emergency exits must be visible and identified. |
| Rociadores contra incendios | Fire Sprinkler Check | Antes de la apertura, se comprobaron que los rociadores funcionaran / Prior to opening, the sprinklers were checked for proper operation. |
| Extintor | Fire extinguisher | Los extintores de incendio están a la altura propicia al lado de la cocina / The fire extinguishers are at the right height next to the kitchen. |
| Alarma de incendios | Fire alarm | La alarma de incendios debe ser verificada periódicamente / The fire alarm should be checked periodically. |
| Botiquín de primeros auxilios | First aid kit | Un botiquín debe tener una pomada para quemaduras / A first aid kit should have an ointment for burns. |
Cooking Hazards
Let’s point out some of the dangers we face on a daily basis, and more importantly, pay attention to the practical examples so that you will know how to differentiate the words if you find yourself in the middle of one of these dangers.
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quemaduras | Burns | - Me quemé con el aceite / I burned myself with oil - ¡Enrique se quemó con agua hirviendo! / Enrique burned himself with boiling water! |
| Cortes | Cuts | - Estaba sacando ají en brunoise y me corté el dedo / I was brunoising chili and cut my finger. - Diana se cortó el dedo índice, pásame el botiquín / Diana cut her index finger, pass me the first aid kit. |
| Golpes | Hits / Bumps | - Miguel se golpeó con la puerta batiente / Miguel hit the swinging door - Me golpeé el dedo con el martillo de carne / I hit my finger with the steak hammer. |
| Alergias | Allergies | - Ponte los guantes antes de picar la cebolla para que no te de alergia en las manos / Put on gloves before chopping onions to avoid hand allergies. - La orden de la 14 va sin comino, el comensal es alérgico / The order for table 14 goes without cumin, the diner is allergic to it. |
| Caídas | Falls | - Alejandro se cayó ayer, había agua en el suelo / Alejandro fell down yesterday, there was water on the floor. - Me caí hoy temprano por llevar los cordones desatados / I fell down earlier today because my shoelaces were untied. |
All the knowledge we have given you in this article is useful to prevent and respond to accidents in the kitchen. Caution will always be the best of allies in emergencies, and communication is of vital importance for this. Do you know what would be the best way to put into practice everything you read? Yes, by taking Spanish classes specialized in kitchen and restaurants, you go from having some basic knowledge to making sense of it all and having the tools to generate more communication opportunities in the middle of the workday. If you are up for it, see you soon!
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