The most dangerous vegetables revealed

Around 90 per cent of us have injured ourselves in the kitchen, according to a new survey. And surprisingly, vegetables are our biggest threat. Which is a shame, as we're told eating our five a day makes us sexier.

Preparing a vegetable was the cause of 67 per cent of kitchen injuries and the five most dangerous veggies have been revealed as pumpkin, swede, butternut squash, turnip and Jerusalem artichoke.  These vegetables caused the highest number of injuries, which is even more striking if you consider how rarely you eat Jerusalem artichoke compared to, say, carrots.

[Related article: A week of super foods]

The survey, by Just-Eat, explained that 39 per cent of casualties were caused because the vegetable was too tough and difficult to chop. But, embarrassingly, 38 per cent of us admitted that our injuries might have something to do with attempting to chop like professional chefs on TV. Cheers, Gordon.

And despite the popularity of all those cookery programmes and celebrity chefs, we’re still not totally taken with the idea of doing it ourselves. A third of those polled reckon cooking is outright dangerous and 37 per cent claim they’re a danger to themselves when allowed in the kitchen.

 “The kitchen is where some of the most serious home accidents occur and cuts are among the most common types of injury to happen, with tens of thousands of people attending A&E as a result each year,” said Sheila Merrill, public health adviser at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

“Good preparation is crucial when it comes to preventing kitchen accidents such as severe cuts, so make sure your knives are sharp and in a good condition, use a vegetable peeler where appropriate and do not rush chopping. Keep knives out of the reach of children and, if you’re involving young children in food preparation, supervise them at all times and help them to develop good skills in the kitchen.”

And perhaps leave the speed slicing to Jamie Oliver...