If something catches fire
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association, so the first rule is to stay in the room when you fry, broil or grill. If a pan of oil ignites, the order matters.
- Turn off the burner, and do not try to carry the pan anywhere.
- Slide a metal lid or a baking sheet over the pan to cut off the air.
- Leave the cover in place until the pan is completely cool.
- Get everyone out and call 911 from outside if the flames spread beyond the pan.
For a fire in the oven or the microwave, keep the door shut and turn the appliance off. The fire will starve. Mount the extinguisher near the kitchen exit rather than beside the stove, where you would have to reach through flames to get it.
Burns and cuts
Hold a burn under cool running water for ten to twenty minutes. Skip the ice and the butter, which make things worse. Cover it loosely with a clean, non-stick dressing. See a doctor for a burn larger than your palm, for one that blisters badly, or for any serious burn on the face, hands or joints.
For a cut, press firmly with a clean cloth and raise the hand above your heart. A wound that gapes open, or that still bleeds after ten minutes of steady pressure, needs stitches.
Heat, steam and oil
A damp towel or oven mitt conducts heat straight to your hand as steam, so use dry ones only. Lift the lid of a boiling pot with the far edge first, so the steam rises away from your face. Pat food dry before it goes into hot fat, because water is what makes oil spit. Keep towels and loose sleeves away from the burners, and never use a gas oven to heat a room.
Germs you cannot see
Wash your hands with soap for twenty seconds before cooking and again after touching raw meat, poultry or eggs. Use one cutting board for raw meat and another for food that will be eaten uncooked, or wash the board in hot soapy water between jobs. Do not rinse raw chicken. The USDA advises against it, because the splash spreads bacteria around the sink and counter while the heat of cooking does the actual killing.
Tip Test the smoke alarm nearest the kitchen once a month. If steam from cooking sets it off constantly, move it a few feet farther from the stove rather than pulling the battery.
