According to the”¯National Fire Prevention Association”¯(NFPA), Thanksgiving is the leading day for home cooking fires, with 1,630 breaking out in 2018 ”“ 250% above the daily average. The second highest day for home cooking fires was Christmas Day, with 740 incidents. Following safe cooking practices from the NFPA and the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) this holiday will help ensure an accident or a preventable fire does not occur:”¯
- Remain in the kitchen while cooking.”¯ Whether you”™re frying, grilling, baking or broiling food, it”™s always a good idea to supervise cooking directly.”¯”¯
- Most cooking fires involve the stovetop, so keep anything that can catch fire away from it and turn off the stove when you leave the kitchen, even if it”™s for “just a second.””¯ A second is all it takes for a house fire to start.
- If you”™re simmering, boiling, baking or roasting food, check it regularly and use a timer to remind yourself that you”™re cooking.
- For homes with children, have the kids remain outside the kitchen area while food is being prepared. Pets should also be kept out of the kitchen while you”™re cooking. The safest chef is an undistracted chef.
- Make sure your smoke detectors are functioning by pressing the “test” button.”¯ If needed, replace the batteries ”“ and if not functioning after testing, install brand-new smoke alarms. (If you have smoke alarms with sealed-in batteries that do not function when tested, replace the entire unit.)
- Clothing ignitions lead to approximately 16% of home cooking fire deaths. It is important to wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves as loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners or gas flames and catch fire. Keep the cooking area clean and combustible materials away from your stovetop. Built-up grease as well as oven mitts, food packaging, wooden utensils, towels, curtains and other materials on or near the stove can catch fire.
Deep-frying turkeys is extremely dangerous, especially when done without care. If a turkey fryer must be used, follow these tips:
- Use your turkey fryer only outdoors on a sturdy, level surface that is well away from things that can burn. Turkey fryers can easily tip over, spilling hot oil across a large area.
- Make sure to have a “3-foot kid- and pet-free zone” around your turkey fryer to protect against burn injuries.
- Thaw your turkey completely before you fry it. A partially frozen turkey will cause hot oil to splatter.
- Determine the correct amount of oil needed by first placing the turkey in a pot with water. An overfilled cooking pot will cause oil to spill over when the turkey is placed inside.
Check the temperature often with a cooking thermometer so the oil won”™t overheat and start a fire.
- Use long, insulated cooking gloves that protect hands and arms when you handle these items. The pot, lid and handles of a turkey fryer can get dangerously hot and cause burn injuries.
