Thanksgiving is here in less than 3 days, which inherently means that holiday cuisine is also here. Given that kitchens across the country will be fuller than usual, we are sharing our best practice tips for safe cooking for the holidays.
For our clients and community members who will be broiling, baking, and frying their Thanksgiving Day dish staples, we encourage to keep the following in mind.
How to Prevent Kitchen Fires
1. Unplug your kitchen appliances when you're not using them. Appliances that use electricity tend to draw power even when they're not turned on. Unplugging them could not only avoid an accident, but could also save you some money.
2. Install a smoke detector near the kitchen. You should ideally be able to detect smoke as soon as something breaks out in your kitchen, but smoke and steam from everyday cooking could also set off the device. Hence, your safest and optimal positioning for a smoke alarm would be in an adjacent room.
3. Don't put metal in the microwave.
4. Don't overfill pots or pans with oil or grease.
5. Wipe up spills and avoid cooking on a dirty stove. Besides the hygienic concerns, you ideally want to avoid left over oil from heating during the cooking process of your next meal.
6. Always roll up long sleeves and tie back long hair when cooking. This is also a precaution that doubles for both safety and hygienic concerns.
7. Never leave cooking food unattended- accidents often happen when no one is looking.
8. Keep dish towels, pot holders and paper towels away from the stove, as they are often very flammable.
9. Keep your appliances well serviced and clean. Repair when needed so as to ensure that there is no faulty wiring or leaks.
If You Have A Cooking Fire
1. Stay calm!
2. Just get out. Close the door behind you.
3. Call 911
4. If you try to put out the fire SAFELY with a fire extinguisher, ensure that others are exiting and that there is a clear route outside of the home.
5. Keep a lid on hand to smother grease fires. Depriving the flame of oxygen should be possible if you can slide the lid over the fire. Turn off the stovetop.
6. For oven fires, keep the door closed and turn off the heat.
Following these steps will not only ensure that your festivities go uninterrupted, but it will also keep your home and loved ones safe from preventable accidents.
Happy Thanksgiving!