5 Kitchen Safety Tips to Keep in Mind this Thanksgiving

The holiday season is one of the best times of year to come together with your family, friends, and loved ones. How will you be celebrating? What traditions do you take part in year after year? What memories will you create this year?

As we look at celebrating Thanksgiving this week, what are you looking most forward to? Whether it is watching the parades, extra football, or hours of cooking making much loved recipes, you need to participate in what brings you the most joy.  Knowing that, for most of us, this will involve a significant amount of time in the kitchen, are you prepared to enjoy the holiday safely? Unfortunately, research tells us that Thanksgiving is the biggest day of the year for home fires.  Let us share five key kitchen safety tips with you that you can use for your holiday celebrations and throughout the year.

1. Never leave appliances unmonitored. It can be all too easy to step away, just for a minute, and leave your devices unmonitored. Less than a minute, however, is more than enough time for a fire to start. Play it safe and watch appliances whenever they are on.

2. Keep track of small hands. Most kids want to help and involving them in the family fun can be incredibly rewarding. Be careful though. Those little hands may grab for hot items as well as knives and breakable dishes. Make sure you have extra help monitoring involved little ones.

3. Check smoke detectors now. There is never a wrong time to check a smoke detector but you want to make sure yours is in working order for the holiday. Check the battery, the sensor, and run a drill, just to be sure everything is in working order.

4. Watch out for food allergies. Do you know what everyone can, and cannot, eat in your household? Be careful to know if there are any allergies you need to be aware of before you enter the kitchen and start cooking.

5. Make sure all extinguishers are in working order. Did you know that there are different fire extinguishers with different purposes? Make sure, first, that you have a working fire extinguisher in your kitchen before you start cooking. Second, take a minute to check in to make sure it is what you need. Gas stove? Electric? Be sure to make sure you have what you need.

Above all, have a safe Thanksgiving! Know that we are your community law firm that is here for you 24 / 7, and that includes during the holiday! Do not wait to contact our office to schedule a free case evaluation.