“These types of fires peak on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), many home cooking fires involve the stovetop/cooktop with unattended cooking as the common cause of these fires.”
To keep you and your loved ones safe, follow these simple cooking safety tips:
- Be on alert. If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop/cooktop.
- Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling, or broiling food.
- If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off your range or stovetop/cooktop.
- If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the kitchen while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
- Keep your cooking area clean and free of combustible materials.
- Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food
packaging, towels, or curtains — away from your stovetop/cooktop. - Clean up spilled or spattered grease in the oven or on the stovetop/cooktop; built up grease can catch fire.
- When cooking wear close-fitting clothing or short sleeves so your clothes won’t catch on fire. Loose clothing can easily brush over a hot burner and catch fire.
If cooking in a microwave:
- Never attempt to heat articles that are not approved for use in a microwave.
- Use only microwave-safe utensils and containers.
- Remove food from packaging before defrosting in a microwave oven.
- Never use recycled paper products in microwave ovens.
- Do not leave a microwave oven unattended when microwaving popcorn, since the heat buildup can cause fires.
Kitchen fire safety tips should a fire occur when cooking:
- On the stovetop/cooktop, smother the flames by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the stove.
- For an oven fire, turn off the oven and keep the door closed.
- In a microwave, turn it off immediately and simply wait until the fire suffocates.
- Never open the microwave door until you are absolutely certain that the fire is out. If in doubt, call the fire department.
Additional Cooking Safety Tips:
- Use back burners and turn pot handles toward the back of the stove to prevent knocking the pots over or children pulling them down.
- Keep children away from the stove when cooking by using a safety gate for younger children and marking, with tape, a 3-foot ‘no-kid zone’ for older children.
- Use oven mitts when cooking or handling hot food and drinks.
- Stir and test food cooked in the microwave before serving.
- Open heated containers back to front and away from you.
“For additional information on cooking fire safety, visit the National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Fire Administration.”
