Abstract
This study evaluates how different culinary spatula (turning shovel) designs affect cooking performance during stir-frying. A straight-handled spatula (0°) and three bent-handled spatulas (15°, 30° and 45°) were evaluated across two handle length levels (25 cm and 30 cm). The criterion measures included food-frying efficiency, work posture and subjective rating of perceived discomfort. In a laboratory experiment, 13 female participants were required to simulate a food-frying task with each spatula. The participants ranked their preference after all tests had been completed. The results showed that both the angle of the bent handle and the handle length significantly affected the four criteria. Bent-handled spatulas could effectively reduce palmar flexion/ extension and radial/ulnar deviation, and increase food-frying efficiency, comfort and subjective preference. In general, a benthandled spatula with a 15° angle and a handle 25 cm in length was the best for female cooks stir-frying task.
Highlights
Occupational safety and health problems are important issues in the catering industry
The Occupation safety and Health Council conducted a survey to examine the occupational safety and health problems faced by kitchen workers in Chinese restaurants
The results showed that 80% of the cooks had experienced work-related injuries and over 60% of the cooks had asked for sick leave because of accidents at work
Summary
Occupational safety and health problems are important issues in the catering industry. According to Labor Department [1] statistics, catering remains an industry in Hong Kong with a high rate of workrelated accidents. In 1999, 58841 cases of occupational injury and death were recorded, of which 12549 cases occurred in the catering industry, representing 21% of the total number. The Occupation safety and Health Council conducted a survey to examine the occupational safety and health problems faced by kitchen workers in Chinese restaurants. A total of 471 cooks in 159 Chinese restaurants were interviewed. The results showed that 80% of the cooks had experienced work-related injuries and over 60% of the cooks had asked for sick leave because of accidents at work
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