Cooking Safety

Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and a major cause of fatalities. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Follow these safety tips to reduce your risk of fire:

• Stay alert when cooking. Cooking late at night poses a chance that you will fall asleep while cooking, especially if you have consumed alcohol.
• Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, or broiling food. In only a few minutes, oil can overheat and burst into flames.
• Only use a thermostatically-controlled deep fat fryer for cooking with oil. Never heat oil or shortening for deep frying in a pot on a burner.
• Keep the area around your stove free from items that could catch fire easily: paper towels, oven mitts, pot holders, or curtains.
• Have a fire extinguisher handy and learn how to use it.