BLOG: Kitchen Safety for Your Special Day

The time has come when many of us partake in the traditions of the season – family gatherings, turkey, football, pumpkin pie, and third-degree burns.

That’s right; the Thanksgiving holiday is the peak day for home cooking fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

The typical Thanksgiving cook has so many things baking, boiling and frying at once that it’s easy to understand why so many fires happen this time of year. In fact, the NFPA says that cooking is the number one cause of home fires and associated injuries, amounting to more than 155,000 fires per year in the U.S.

So, to keep yourself and your family safe whenever you entertain, here are some kitchen-related tips from the NFPA, the Red Cross and personal experience:

• Keep flammable items – recipes, oven mitts, wooden or plastic spoons or towels – away from the stove top.
• Stay in the kitchen while frying, broiling or grilling foods. Turn off the heat if you must leave the room or answer the phone.
• Use a timer when baking or roasting foods, and check simmering items regularly.
• If all your burners are going at once, keep the foods that cook the longest on the back burners so you don’t have to reach over them often.
• Before you take a pot off the stove or out of the oven, make sure you have a safe place to put it down. Make sure your path is clear of bags, toys, kids and pets. Call out loudly to warn others that you’re coming through with hot food.
• Make sure that your smoke detectors are working.
• Keep snacks and beverages outside the kitchen to keep kitchen traffic to a minimum.

For more information, check out these links from the NFPA and the Red Cross:
NFPA urges caution when preparing holiday meals
NFPA Thanksgiving Safety Tips
Red Cross Kitchen Safety Quiz
Red Cross Kitchen Fire Fact Sheet

When Turkeys Fry

Turkey frying has already produced a casualty this holiday season. If you must fry a turkey, then use the utmost caution, so that you dazzle your friends with food, not fire. Here are a few important tips from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Food Network expert Alton Brown:

• Never fry a turkey indoors, in a garage, on a deck or wooden patio, under a carport or breezeway or near anything that can catch fire. Pick a level open area for cooking.
• Determine the amount of oil needed by putting enough water in the pot to cover the bird to a depth of a half-inch. Remove the turkey and mark the water level. Dump out the water, dry the pot and fill it with oil to the marked level.
• Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of your oil, and check the temperature frequently. Remember that, once heated, the oil will stay very hot for some time even after the burner is extinguished.
• Never put a frozen turkey in hot oil. Avoid dangerous flashover by thawing and drying the bird before cooking.
• Raise and lower food slowly to reduce splatter and avoid burns.
• Have a partner help you raise and lower the turkey from the fire so that no one is standing directly over the hot oil. (Of course, you could indulge your inner food geek and build one-man rig like this one.)

For more information, click on these links:
CPSC Safety Tips for Turkey Fryers
Turkey Frying Safety Info from the UL

Regardless of what traditions you observe, times to gather with family and friends are increasingly rare and precious. Giving time and attention to safety concerns can ensure that your special days produce only happy memories. Take care, and be safe!