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.