Cooking Safety Tips from the Red Cross
By: Edited News Release
Updated: November 21, 2012
Thanksgiving is a fun, busy, hectic and distracted day with lots of family and friends around. But for cooks, it is also a dangerous day.
The Red Cross says cooking mishaps are one of the leading causes of home fires - and the kitchen is where more fires break out than any other room in the house.
As you are planning your Thanksgiving meal, the Red Cross has these tips for keeping everyone safe:
To learn how to prevent a fire in the home and how to keep members of the household safe, people can download The Red Cross Fire Prevention and Safety Checklist. (pdf)
(information provided by American Red Cross)
The Red Cross says cooking mishaps are one of the leading causes of home fires - and the kitchen is where more fires break out than any other room in the house.
As you are planning your Thanksgiving meal, the Red Cross has these tips for keeping everyone safe:
- The cooks should start by not wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking.
- Never leave cooking food unattended - stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If someone must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, they should turn off the stove.
- Check food regularly while cooking and remain in the home while cooking. Use a timer as a reminder that the stove or oven is on.
- Keep the kids away from the cooking area. Enforce a "kid-free zone" and make them stay at least three feet away from the stove.
- Keep anything that can catch fire - pot holders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, and towels or curtains-away from the stove, oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.
- Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.
- Purchase a fire extinguisher to keep in the kitchen. Contact the local fire department to take training on the proper use of extinguishers.
- Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving the home to make sure all stoves, ovens, and small appliances are turned off.
- Install a smoke alarm near the kitchen, on each level of the home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside bedrooms. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year.
To learn how to prevent a fire in the home and how to keep members of the household safe, people can download The Red Cross Fire Prevention and Safety Checklist. (pdf)
(information provided by American Red Cross)
