Cooking fires are the number-one cause of home fires in the United States. A major cause of those cooking fires? Human error. In fact, the most common examples of human error include:
- Falling asleep
- Distractions
- Careless placement of objects near cooking surfaces
- Unattended cooking
- Overcooking
The peak day for home cooking fires is—you guessed it—Thanksgiving. This, of course, is because the practice of frying that delicious bird has become quite popular over the last few years. However, with quick fixes often come quick dangers. An overfilled pot or improperly thawed turkey can yield catastrophic results.
During the other 364 days of the year, the aforementioned dietary disasters can be avoided with just a little bit of care and these tips (exclamation points used for dramatic—but very real—effect):
- Pay attention at all times! Your food and cooking devices should be monitored constantly (or at least frequently) while cooking. Staying in the kitchen is a great way to make sure this happens.
- Keep the cooking area clear of flammable items! This includes clothing, wrappers, paper, oven mitts, towels, and pretty much any other friend of the flame.
- Use a timer! This helps prevent overcooking and gives you an approximate countdown to chow time; a win-win!
- Don’t drink and cook! Alcohol + relaxation = sleepy time and a heck of a wake-up call when that smoke alarm goes off.
The most important tip of all: Use common sense. If you see a potential hazard before or during meal preparation, take care of it before things get out of hand. It’s also a great idea to keep your smoke alarm batteries fresh and the right kind of fire extinguisher nearby.
If you find yourself in an unfortunate kitchen cooking accident, Rocky Mountain Restoration is just a call away: 480-309-2524.
