Safety in the Kitchen
Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and related injuries, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Of all the rooms in your home, the kitchen may be where we are most often on autopilot. Maybe that’s the most dangerous element — more dangerous than the open flames on our range tops, the appliances overloading, and not nearly enough outlets — the simple fact we’re not paying attention. The kitchen is the center of the family, the hearth of the home, how could it possibly be that dangerous? Stop and think: we stumble awake in the morning, head to the kitchen to start the coffee then leave the room to get ready for work. Did we notice that telltale electrical fire smell or notice the frayed cord? We put a pot of water on to boil for tea in the afternoon, then answer the phone. How many times have we forgotten the teapot and returned to the kitchen only after we realize the pot is empty and red hot? The list of potential mishaps, or worse, is endless and can be reduced to the fact we are distracted.
The following are all very obvious fire safety tips. Read them anyway and try to remember how many times you have not followed them.
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Never leave cooking food unattended. If you’ve got a turkey or roast in the oven, you don’t have to set up camp at the kitchen counter, but don’t leave the house. Check the oven frequently and use a timer to remind you the feast has finished cooking. These same guidelines apply to baking or boiling. If you’re frying, grilling or broiling food, stay in the kitchen. If you have to step away for even a brief time, turn the burner or broiler off.
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Keep counter tops free of combustible materials: dish towels, oven mitts, pot holders, paper or plastic packaging or bags. If your kitchen layout includes a window close to the cooking surfaces, try mini-blinds rather than drapes. A small grease fire can be easily contained just by putting a lid on the pan and turning off the burner, but once that fire ignites the drapes you’ve got a serious situation on your hands.
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Grease on the range top, broiler, oven and exhaust fan needs to be cleaned up immediately.
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Avoid wearing loose clothing, especially dangling sleeves, while you’re cooking.
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Double check range burners and oven settings before you sit down to eat. You may not realize you’ve left a pot or pan on a low setting. Before you retire for the night, do one final kitchen check.
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If you have a kitchen-exclusive fire extinguisher, it should carry at least a BC rating.
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Consider a smoke alarm in the kitchen. This assumes you have an alarm on every level of the home. Place it out of drafts that would blow normal cooking smoke towards it. This reduces the nuisance alarms and subsequent urge to deactivate the alarm to keep it quiet.
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Older kitchens were not wired for the number of appliances found in most kitchens today. Rather than overloading circuits or using extension cords, unplug one appliance to make room for the next. Keep cords away from hot surfaces and water. If a cord becomes frayed, repair or replace the appliance.
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Plug microwave ovens and other heat-generating appliances directly into the outlet rather than using an extension cord. Make sure every member of your household who uses the microwave knows that tin foil or metal can never be placed in it. Try to avoid operating a toaster or toaster oven under overhanging cabinets. If your kitchen layout offers no alternatives, stay in the kitchen while those appliances are turned on.
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Create a three-foot child-free zone around the range and oven. Just in case, keep pot and pan handles pointed to the side rather than extending over the edge of the range. Get in the habit of using the back burners.
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Keep an eye on pets in the kitchen, especially dogs large enough to check out what smells good on the stove or cats that consider all surfaces their personal domain.
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We’ve already outlined how to extinguish a small grease fire in a frying pan. Leave the lid on the pan until it is cool to the touch to keep the fire from re-starting. If that roast catches fire in the oven or steaks on the broiler, keep the door closed and turn off the heat. Other food fires can be extinguished with baking soda (the basic ingredient of dry chemical foam extinguishers). Never use water or flour to put out a kitchen fire. Water can spread a grease fire and flour can cause an explosion.
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