Peter D. Bowden
Residential
Designer

More accidents occur in the kitchen than any room in the home. Mishaps include burns, scalds, and fires that could be easily prevented with a little caution. Add “sliced and diced” fingers, and you’ve got an area that is prone to a host of potential dangers.

Keep sharp knives in plain view in a wooden knife holder or stand. Don’t mix them in with other utensils in a kitchen drawer.

When disposing of tin can tops removed with a can opener, place the top inside a carton or box of some kind to shield the “teeth” and protect yourself or a family member from being cut.

Never use your bare hands to compress trash in a wastebasket. You could cut yourself badly on any sharp object that may be buried inside. (See above.)

Prevent being scalded by steam when pouring hot water from a pot of vegetables into the sink, by running cold water. The steam won’t scald hands and the colder water also protects sink pipes from harm.

Don’t let cooking oil get so hot that it smokes. It could actually ignite.

Place a few pieces of dry bread in the broiler pan when broiling meat. The bread will soak up dripping fat, which can either start to smoke or catch fire.

Smother a grease fire by putting a lid over it immediately and turning off the heat.

Sprinkle baking soda over grease fires or broiler flare-ups.

Never use flour to distinguish fires.

Never throw water or use a fire extinguisher on a grease fire. Water will only spread the fire and the force of the extinguisher can splash flaming grease out of the pan.

Never leave food cooking, unattended, on the stove. This is especially important when cooking with oil or grease.

Keep all paper items, potholders, dishcloths, books and magazines away from stove burners.

Never let electrical appliance wires run across or dip into the sink!

Always wear short or tight fitting sleeves when cooking, especially with a GAS stove. Loose fitting clothing or long sleeves, such as those on a bathrobe, can easily catch fire. (Note: if your clothing should ignite, STOP, DROP & ROLL to put out the flames. Cool burns with water and call 911 for help.)

No matter what, never attempt to move a burning pan. You could become badly burned and inadvertently spread the fire.

If a fire starts in the oven or microwave, immediately turn off the appliance and KEEP THE DOOR CLOSED. This will help cut off air supply and the flames will start to die out. You may want to call the fire department, just in case.

Keep appliances such as toasters and coffee makers unplugged when not in use.

Never disable a smoke detector to avoid false alarms during cooking. Instead, relocate the detector or replace it with a photoelectric type of detector to minimize nuisance alarms initiated by cooking. (SEE SMOKE DETECTORS)