Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful time to get together with family and friends and reflect on the many things for which you’re thankful, but did you know that more than 4,000 fires occur on this holiday each year? According to the American Red Cross, Thanksgiving Day has more than double the number of home cooking fires than an average day, so it’s crucial to keep safety in mind in the kitchen on this day. Use the following Thanksgiving safety tips we’ve compiled to help keep your Turkey Day accident and fire free.
Before you start cooking, it’s a good idea to test your smoke alarms to make sure they are functioning properly.- Wear tight-fitted clothing with short sleeves to prevent loose materials from falling into hot food on the stove and possibly catching fire. If you have long hair, be sure to tie it back while cooking.
- Remain in the kitchen when you have food cooking on the stove so you can keep an eye on it and stir it as necessary.
- Child proof your kitchen. Be sure that knives and all other sharp objects are out of the reach of children, and that cords that belong to appliances, like your coffee maker or electric mixer, are not dangling off the counter.
- Supervise or designate a responsible adult to supervise children and pets at all times. To prevent accidents from happening, they should never be allowed within three feet from the stove, as the oven will be extremely hot and any splashes or steam from food on the stove could cause burns.
- Keep all items that could catch fire, such as potholders and food wrappers, away from heat sources while cooking.
- Although your turkey may take hours to cook, it’s important to remain home the entire time it’s in the oven so you can check on it frequently. To keep track of cooking times, it’s helpful to set timers for your turkey as well as any other dishes that require extended time on the stove.
- Turn all pot and pan handles inward while cooking to help prevent spills, burns and other accidents.
- After your work is done in the kitchen, double check to make sure you’ve turned off your stove, burners and all other appliances.
- Did you decorate your home with candles? If so, after your guests leave, it’s a good idea to walk through your home to make sure that all flames have been extinguished.
For many families, Thanksgiving is a fun, festive day that gets everyone in the holiday spirit. Keeping our Thanksgiving safety tips in mind will help you prevent accidents and ensure that Thanksgiving remains a wonderful, memorable day for your family. At Eaton & Berube, the safety of you and your family is important to us. For additional safety tips and useful resources, please subscribe to our blog or contact us.