TikTok users are being advised to brush up on their safety knowledge if they’re thinking about taking part in a viral cucumber trend.
Cucumber salad is the go-to food this summer, thanks to 23-year-old Logan Moffitt’s daily videos sweeping social media.
The Canadian has earned himself a loyal 63 million followers on TikTok due to posting simple yet delicious recipes on the platform.
While each video differs, the base of Moffitt’s clips sees him slicing up a cucumber on a mandoline before mixing the plant with a concoction of ingredients.
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A mandoline slicer is a culinary utensil and is considered the easiest way to slice vegetables uniformly.
However, using the vegetable cutter can be extremely dangerous as one TikToker called Jackson Dean recently discovered.
In a clip posted earlier this month, the social media star was trying to recreate one of Moffitt’s viral cucumber salads when disaster struck.
Dean caught the tip of his finger in the mandoline and was rushed to the nearest hospital.
After sharing the clip - which has since amassed over 76 million views - the content creator confessed in a follow-up video he ‘didn't understand the dangers of that kitchen devilish tool’ before testing it out.
Moreover, he revealed practitioners had successfully treated his wound and that it was on the mend.
An expert's warning on using mandoline slicers
Following Dean’s accident, a professional cook has revealed their surefire ways for remaining injury-free while using a vegetable slicer.
Meg Sullivan recently told Buzzfeed that Dean’s viral video was a ‘harsh lesson in hubris’ and that you should ‘stay humble’ when using a mandoline.
“Take your time and stay focused,” she wrote, as well as telling budding Gaz Oakley’s that they should be slicing their cucumbers on a chopping board.
“I'm sorry to go against the TikTok trend, but we HAVE to stop slicing directly into precarious and flimsy plastic containers and start using mandolines stabilised on flat cutting boards, if only to help with my poor nerves,” she explained.
What does Logan Moffitt advise you to do when using a mandoline slicer?
Following the accident, the ‘cucumber man’ himself has announced another way to remain injury-free in the kitchen.
In a video posted earlier this week, the star opened with his signature ‘Sometimes you need to eat an entire cucumber’ statement while holding the item above a vegetable slicer.
“Let me show you the best way to do it,” he began. “Start by slicing your entire cucumber. These gloves make it so your fingers don’t get cut.”
What are cut-resistant gloves?
As it says on the label, cut-resistant gloves are designed stop chefs, delivery personnel and more from slicing into their hands using knives.
While no glove is ‘cut-proof’, cut-resistant gloves can protect against the sharpest of blades, meaning you can slice vegetables to your heart’s content without worrying about ending up in emergency care like Dean.
Because honestly, no matter how delicious that viral cucumber salad sounds, it’s not worth bleeding for.
Topics: Food and Drink, TikTok, Health, Social Media
Ella Scott