Be Careful in the Kitchen
(ARA) - A kitchen is perhaps the busiest room in the home – and the most dangerous. The ingredients of extreme heat, blade-sharp utensils, breakables, heavy-gauge cookware, the pressures of time and bustling activity in the kitchen can combine for a perilous mixture of mayhem.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, most home fires in the United States are caused by cooking-related accidents.
As cooler weather brings more people indoors at mealtimes, safety in the kitchen is of utmost importance. The Cookware Manufacturers Association offers these tips to ensure the best possible safety environment in the kitchen:
* Keep the handles of cookware away from the edge of the stove where they can be bumped or grabbed by young children. Watch also that handles don’t extend over adjacent burners.
* Never leave cooking food unattended, particularly when heating a skillet. Foods and oils can get so hot that they will smoke and burst into flames if left unattended.
* Keep a fire extinguisher within easy reach of the stove, yet away from direct heat.
* If a pan catches fire, don’t move it. Smother it with a lid, baking soda, etc. and turn off the heat source if it’s safe to do so. Do not throw water on a grease fire.
* Cookie sheets should not be used to catch spills in the oven. Overfilled bakeware can cause dripping food to catch fire.
* Keep knives sharp. A dull knife must be forced to cut, which can cause it to slip toward fingers.
* Clean up spills right away to avoid slips and falls.
* Sweep up broken glass immediately. Wrap pieces in paper before throwing away and then take the trash out. Loose glass in a trash bag can cut someone who doesn’t know about its broken contents.
* Unplug kitchen appliances when not used and keep cords away from heating surfaces.
* Keep pets, particularly birds, away from the kitchen. Particles released into the air from cooking can harm an animal’s sensitive respiratory system.
A vast store of information on cooking, cookware and bakeware is available from the Cookware Manufacturers Association at its Web site: www.cookware.org.
Courtesy of ARA Content