by Effie Moore Salem

Created on: August 14, 2008   Last Updated: September 09, 2010

Safety in the kitchen means slicing onions, cabbages, carrots and not fingers. It means not splashing hot grease on your hands and not falling on slick or greasy floors because food has been dropped and not immediately cleaned. Safety means not tripping over a sink mat that's not properly secured. Kitchen safety means giving time and attention to those accidents waiting to happen. And these accidents are all waiting to happen, and are are everywhere.

Special attention must be given while preparing food, cooking food, while cleaning up, and in food preservation. An excellent way to make your kitchen safer is to get in the habit of observing  good safety rules when working in the kitchen. Take one appliance at a time and think how you can effectively make your kitchen a more safe work space:

The Stove: Always use a timer when cooking. If your stove does not have one buy one. They are inexpensive and can be purchased for around ten dollars or less. In fact if your stove has a timer, a second one will be needed for that extra pot that has a different cooking time. Never, never, leave the kitchen while cooking without a timer to remind you have something on the stove. There are small timers you can carry in your pocket to remind you while elesewhere in the house that something is on the stove and needs be looked after.

Check handles on pots and skillets and never use those that are loose. Either tighten the screws or throw the pot out and buy a new one. Keep these handles away from the sides of the stove so no one will rush in and overturn a skillet full of hot food on themselves.

Be careful with hot grease.  Keep water away from a hot skillet of grease. Water from a wet spatula used in turning your fritters will cause splattering of the grease and this could cause a nasty burn. Use an inflammable pot holder instead of a towel to hold hot pots when dumping food into colanders. If towels are used around the heating element they could easily catch fire. Keep your stove clean and free of grease. Wash and dry the drip pans at least once a week, oftener if they have spilled food on them or are greasy.

Under the sink storage: Keep a fire distinguisher in this area within easy reach and know how to use. Keep all your clean up supplies in their original containers. Do not put them in other containers without labels. If there are small children in your house keep this cabinet locked form them. Keep dangerous chemical out of the way of small children. Keep cabinets

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