Kitchen Safety Tips

Kitchen is a very unique place in every home. It is not just a place where mothers cook for their family and relatives but it is also used by chefs and first time cooks. It is a place where you can try your innovative skill and prepare some delicious dishes for your family or friends or guests. Kitchen includes many things like gas, utensils, sharp knife, and electric appliances such as refrigerator or microwave. These all things make the kitchen complete and ideal for cooking. But at the same time you should know that the place where you spend almost 4 to 5 hours a day for cooking is quite dangerous. You should not only be very careful with all the sharp equipments like knives while cooking but also should be hot surfaces and hot utensils. Following are some tips which would help you out in being careful from dangerous accidents which can occur and also will help you as to how to stay safe in the kitchen:

• Check the wires and cords in the kitchen: Firstly make sure that all the wires and cords of the electrical appliances. Check if they aren’t worn out. The kitchen should have grounded connections to connect microwave or mixer safely. Make sure you do not put electrical appliances on one another for example, placing mixer on microwave or toaster on refrigerator.  These should be separately placed in the kitchen.

• Pets not allowed: If you have pets in your house then it is advisable not to allow them into the kitchen.  They can cause of distraction while cooking.

• Hurry can lead to worries: Never be in a hurry while leaving the kitchen. It is important to stay calm always. Switch of all the switches while leaving the kitchen. Also make sure you turn gas cylinder regulator to off mode before leaving.

• Maintenance: Kitchen should be clean and hygienic. Any spills on the floor or on counter tops should be cleaned immediately.

• Never leave pots or pans on the stove for cooking. Always turn them off before leaving  the kitchen.

• No damaged appliances: Make sure that you have no broken or damaged electric appliances as they can be very dangerous. The broken or damaged appliances can give an electric shock or can create accidents. Bring new appliances at home as early as possible. Also you can buy new appliances by replacing the older one from the shops which normally run such schemes.

• Gas tube: There should be no gas tube hanging on or around the counter-top. Counter-top is a work surface and is usually installed to perform cooking tasks. Spills of food can damage the gas tube and can cause leakages.

• 

  Precautions for gas leakage: If you can smell some gas leaking then do not plug in any electrical appliance.  Do not touch any switch in the kitchen or home. Keep the windows open and allow gas to pass through it.

• Make sure you get your gas stove checked by the professional.

• Always keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. However, make note that it should not be kept near gas stove on hot surface.

• Do not keep any harmful chemicals like acid in your kitchen.

• Do not connect two to three appliances in one plug as this can create accidents.

• Never use extension cords in the kitchen. You can use GFI as it will give you an extra plug and will also regulate the power supply.

• Avoid using synthetic clothing while cooking. Always use cotton cloth or towel to wipe the stove or counter-top.

• Always have a separate place to keep gas lighter, matchstick and sharp knives. You can keep them at higher places where your kids can not reach easily.

• Last but not the least, never talk on the mobile phone while cooking as it can distract you from doing work and can cause injuries.

Child Dangers

Young children and active kitchen areas rarely mix well together. There are so many hazards present that children must either be kept out of these areas or watched at all times while in these rooms. Do not allow kids to enter your kitchen. Especially no to those kids aging less than 10 years. Kids can harm themselves by sharp equipments and hot surfaces. They can also harm themselves by pulling out unnecessary stuff from the cabinets and counter-tops. However if you want to teach your kids about cooking then make sure you are always with them while cooking. Do not allow them to enter the kitchen without any adult member who can guide and direct them as to how one should work in such places.If there is no one else around to supervise your child while you are cooking, then you can take the following preventative measures to best safeguard your youngster against kitchen dangers:

• Install child locks on low cabinets and drawers

• Keep knives and utensils well out of reach

• Stack stored items in a safe and sturdy manner

• Keep the child away from hot surfaces like the stove and oven

• Unplug all electrical appliances when not in use

• Teach your child about basic kitchen safety

It can be difficult to monitor hot food and curious children at the same time. By following the above steps, you can make these two tasks much easier to handle.