Cooking Safety for the Holidays
It’s just about that time for casseroles, football on TV, elastic pants and the yearly visit from all of the family you (mostly) love! Yes, the holidays are at the front door and so is the chaos and holiday cheer that comes with it. While most of us are making our extensive grocery list and checking our pantry for those essential ingredients, there’s often one thing that’s overlooked during all of that prep: cooking safety.
Oil fires, boiling water, and sharp objects pose a danger to even the most seasoned chefs. Here are just a few quick tips to make your cooking space safer and your holidays cheer-ier:
- First thing first: Remove any loose clothing, roll up sleeves and pull back longer hair (because aside from catching fire, nobody likes hair in their food).
- Backup: A fire extinguisher is just as necessary as butter in the kitchen. Have an extinguisher within reach and know how to properly operate it.
- Slow down: Whatever you can do to prep your food ahead of time will save you from having to rush through the cooking process and help to minimize the risk of injuries.
- Sharpen those knives: Dull knives can be a hazard as they are more difficult to control the cut. Be sure to hold fingers inwards.
- Power of the mitten: Steam and oil burns are some of the most common cooking injuries. Use hot pads whenever you’re handling steamed foods and cooking with oils.
- Since we’re on oils: Know what temperature oils need to be cooked at. If the oil is smoking, it’s an indicator that the oil is too hot. As tempting as it may be, never put out an oil fire with water as the oil can splatter and the fire will spread quickly. Instead, cover the fire with a lid.
Stay safe this holiday season, and remember to give thanks for all of your blessings – big and small!