Why does peeling yam make one's fingers itch?
Because yam contains a kind of saponin, this substance will appear mucus after peeling, and the protein and dioscin contained in this layer of urine will irritate the skin, leading to skin allergy. Generally, it is more common to feel itchy on your hands after peeling yam skin, or there is a feeling of redness and tingling. However, some people have symptoms immediately after peeling yam, and some people have itchy fingers after a while. This is why one's fingers itch after peeling yam.
How to peel yam without itchy fingers?
First, wear gloves. This is the most direct and effective way. Wear gloves when you need to peel yam, or put a plastic wrap on your hands, so as to avoid direct contact between your hands and yam, which will cause one's fingers to itch. However, it is necessary to prevent the gloves from falling or the plastic wrap from breaking to make the mucus stick to your hands.
Second, wash with vinegar. Pour a small amount of vinegar into the washbasin, and then soak your hands in it for 5 minutes, which can effectively avoid the itchy fingers caused by soapy cutin in yam.
Third, steam the yam before peeling it. The saponin in yam will disappear after steaming, so peeling it again will not cause one's fingers itch. However, if you want to eat crispy yam, you can't use this method.
Fourth, bake it on the fire. Because this saponin in yam is afraid of fire, you can bake your hand on the fire after cutting yam, which can make all these substances disappear, thus alleviating the itching. However, this practice is more dangerous, so we should master the fire and avoid getting hurt by it.
5. Wash with vinegar. After peeling yam, you can pour a small amount of vinegar into the water and soak your hands in it for 5 minutes to destroy the soap keratin on your hands. Although this method is not dangerous, the effect is poor.