Basic Kitchen Safety

Basic Kitchen Safety

 Have you ever given any thought to keeping safe in your
kitchen? Most people probably do not even give safety in their
kitchen a second thought. You just go in there, make something
to eat, clean it up, and that's it. People never think anything
will ever happen to them, much less a kitchen accident.

There are many safety precautions you can take while in your
kitchen. We will discuss several. This will give you a good
start for you to begin thinking about other safety concerns in
your kitchen.

One of the most important items you need close to your kitchen
is a fire extinguisher. Find a multipurpose fire extinguisher.
Make sure it is rated for kitchen fires. When something you are
cooking gets out of control, use a fire extinguisher to put out
the fire. Grease fires don't react to water. Be prepared and use
a fire extinguisher. 

You will need to check your knives. Make sure you keep them
sharp. Trying to "saw" through a piece of meat or vegetable
makes it more likely you could cut yourself. Keep your cutlery
in a safe place with all the handles facing you. This will
prevent you from reaching in a drawer and accidentally stabbing
yourself with a knife. Needless to say, be very careful when
cutting meats or anything. You could certainly do some damage to
yourself.

When you are heating or cooking something on the stove, turn all
the handles in. If you leave the handles out, you or anyone in
your family could knock a hot pan off of the stove and burn
someone. Don't leave anything on the stove cooking unattended.
If it boils over, again someone could get burned.

Microwaves have been with us a long time now. When they first
came out, the important thing to remember was not to put
anything metal in the microwave. This of course includes foil.
The same holds true today. Don't put anything metal in the
microwave, or you may be looking for the fire extinguisher you
have hidden away that we previously discussed.

Keep a close eye on your floors while cooking. If you spill
something, you could take a nasty fall. Clean up any spills
immediately so you don't have to worry about any accidents.

Broken glass is something to always be concerned about. Be very
careful when picking up the broken glass. Do not use your bare
hands; find something to use to pick it up.

Some people keep detergents and other things in their kitchen
cabinets. Make sure they are child and pet proof.

When loading the dishwasher, remember to put the knives and
forks with the tines and blades pointing down. You can cut
yourself just reaching into the dishwasher. 

These are just a few safety items to think about when you are in
your kitchen and by no means do they cover everything. This is
not meant to be a complete list, just a short list and a
reminder to keep a close eye out for things that you see in your
kitchen that may cause an accident.