Tips to Cook Safely This Holiday Season
9/30/2021 (Permalink)
We are entering into holiday season and that means family, food and a whole lot of time in the kitchen. Everyone loves to eat, including the SERVPRO of The Upper Peninsula team, but we are not here to talk to you about eating. We wish we were, but we are here to talk to you about being safe during the preparation process this year:
Prep Food Ahead of Time
The common theme to our tips today is going to be avoiding multitasking and focusing on the meal at hand. When you have two items on the stovetop, a turkey in the oven, and a home full of hungry guests, it can be hard to be careful in the kitchen. To avoid the dangers of multitasking, try making your holiday side dishes before the big day to avoid the madness.
Seek Help for Other Chores
Kitchen fires make up close to half of the house fires annually throughout America. Most kitchen fires are also started by unattended cooking. If you are trying to set the table, vacuum the living room and baste a turkey all at the same time, that could be extremely hazardous. Get your friends and family to help you out with other chores so you can stay focused in the kitchen.
Keep Others Out of the Kitchen
We know the kitchen is the hot spot for guests to gather, but you don’t want it to turn into a literal hot spot. Someone can knock a hot pan or pot off the stove and fires can start when things are getting knocked out of place. Try to enlist the help of one trusted sidekick and let everyone else enjoy their drinks and appetizers in a different room!
Beware All Towels
Whether it be paper or dish towels, you don’t want anything flammable near your stove. The heat or flame from your burners can get hotter or stronger with drips from your pan. There is no sense in risking it, so before you start cooking, locate these items and get them out of harm’s way.
Smoke and burn damage can be difficult to deal with if you don’t know the proper cleanup techniques. Luckily for you, the SERVPRO of The Upper Peninsula team is here to help with whatever you need. Fire, water and mold restoration is what we do and we will be there for you and your family whenever disaster strikes.