Cooking Safety Tips
Cooking is the leading cause of reported home fires
Home Cooking Fires Peak at Holidays
On Thanksgiving, more than three times the daily average of home cooking fires are reported. Christmas Day and Christmas Eve both have nearly twice the daily average.
- Stay in your home when cooking a turkey and check on it frequently.
- Turkey fryers that use cooking oil are not safe. Use an infrared or electric fryer. Do not leave the fryer unattended.
- Keep anything that can catch fire -- oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels -- away from the stovetop.
- If the oven catches fire, turn it off and keep the door closed.
- Keep a lid nearby to smother small grease fires. Slid the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop.
- When a cooking fire starts, get everyone out of the house and call for help outside.
Operate Appliances Safely
Using cooking appliances properly is key to staying safe in the kitchen.
Microwave
- Plug the microwave directly into a wall outlet, never use an extension cord.
- Only use microwave safe dishes, never use aluminum foil or metal.
- If a fire starts in the microwave, leave the door closed, turn it off and unplug it from the wall.
Pressure Cooker
- Place the pressure cooker in an open space, giving enough room for the steam to ventilate.
- Never cover the steam release valve on the pressure cooker.
- Don't leave your home when using a pressure cooker.
Slow Cooker
- Keep items that could catch fire away from the slow cooker.
- Make sure the slow cooker is in a spot where it will not get bumped. If the lid gets dislodged, the liquid could boil away, which could cause the appliance to over heat and catch fire.
