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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 slickened or greasy floors because food has been dropped and not immediately cleaned or tripping over a sink mat thats not properly secured. Kitchen safety means giving time and attention to those accidents waitinng to happen. They are everywhere.

Special attention must be given while preparing food, cooking food and while cleaning up and in food preservation. An excellent way to make your kitchen safer is to get in the habit of observing some 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 cost 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 grease that is too hot. 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.

Refrigerator

Routinely check for food that is old and the date has expired. Dump out the excess milk if and buy a fresh supply when the time is up. Cover all your food in the refrigerator and check the cooling mechanism to make sure the right temperature is being is being kept. If in doubt about a food, throw it out.

Cutlery Drawer

Keep sharp knives in their own space away from hands that might not remember to be careful. Also, keep this storage clean and free from contamination from a dirty tray. At least once a week reline the spaces with a folded paper towel and do not allow food crumbs to collect. This area can easily be overlooked.

Dishwasher

Don't turn on your dishwasher and leave the house. Once in a while a lightweight plastic cup or lid could fall through the cracks and land on the heating coils. This may will cause smoking and will no doubt turn on your smoke detector. If you must leave and the dishwasher is on, open the door and that stops it. When you return, close the door and the washing cycle will return.

Watch how you place sharp knives in the washer. If you place the sharp side down there is danger of cutting the plastic in your dishwasher, if you turn the sharp end up someone when reaching in for a fork or spoon cut get cut. Either put them in the back row or for the larger knives, lay them fall on the top shelf, or better still, wash them by hand.

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