Preventing Kitchen Fires | Kitchen Safety

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kitchen safety

Recipe for Safer Cooking: Follow these tips to protect you and your family when in the kitchen. Kitchen safety is important and whether stirring up a quick dinner or creating a masterpiece four-course meal, here’s a recipe for safer cooking you need to use daily.

To Prevent a Cooking Fire in Your Kitchen

  • Keep an eye on your cooking and stay in the kitchen. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires.
  • Wear short or close-fitting sleeves. Loose clothing can catch fire.
  • Watch children closely. When old enough, teach children to cook safely.
  • Clean cooking surfaces to prevent food and grease build-up.
  • Keep curtains, towels and pot holders away from hot surfaces and store solvents and flammable cleaners away from heat sources. Never keep gasoline in the house.
  • Turn pan handles inward to prevent food spills.

To Put Out a Cooking Fire in Your Kitchen

  • Call the fire department immediately. In many cases, dialing 911 will give you Emergency Services.
  • Slide a pan lid over flames to smother a grease or oil fire, then turn off the heat and leave the lid in place until the pan cools. Never carry the pan outside.
  • Extinguish other food fires with baking soda. Never use water or flour on cooking fires.
  • Keep the oven door shut and turn off the heat to smother an oven or broiler fire.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Make sure you have the right type and training.
  • Keep a working smoke alarm in your home and test in monthly.

Kitchen safety matters so make sure you have smoke detectors installed and a fire extinguisher on hand.