Rachael knows when to use ice in the kitchen, but when it comes to putting hot or cold packs on a burn or an injury, she asks Dr. Ian to offer up his best first aid tips.

• "Heat is used to expand, always remember that. Ice is used to contract," he explains. "So if something is going to swell - use ice to make it to go down." When you have sore muscles, a heating pad can do the trick. "For example, in the morning you've got that back pain, your muscles are tight - they need to loosen up. Put some heat on there!" Still not sure if you should ice or heat? Follow Dr. Ian's basic rule: "Heat before activity; ice after activity."

• When using ice, apply for 15 to 20 minutes at a time for the first 48 hours. "Don't just keep it on," Dr. Ian says, "because it has a counter-affect to it."

• Ice and cold pack options: You can pick up reusable hot and cold packs at the drug store, or Dr. Ian explains how to make a cold pack of your own. "Take one cup of rubbing alcohol, three cups of water, put it inside a Ziploc and double it so that you have more protection and put it in the freezer. Instead of icing and becoming hard ice it's slushy!" he says. "It's maleable so that you can bend it." If you need something cold and don't have time to make the pack, you can always grab a frozen bag of peas or corn. They work well because they will bend and can easily fit where needed on a sore finger or knee."

• Treating a burn: While it's fine to run a burn under cool water for five minutes or until the pain subsides, Dr. Ian says if you touch a hot pan or stove don't apply ice. "Here's the problem with ice, you can get frostbite from it," he says. "With a burn, you've already ruined the integrity of your skin so you don't want to put ice right on there - you're making it worse." Dr. Ian says other common mistakes include how to treat the burn blister. "Never pop the blister; the blister is important for healing," he adds. "Don't put ointment on it ... that ruins the healing also."