TOMA Foundation for Burned Children

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Kitchen Safety: How to be a Careful Cook

The most basic rule to kitchen safety is to stay with food while it's cooking, and turn off appliances as soon as you are through using them.

Whenever you are cooking, make sure children stay out of the way. The combination of hot foods or liquids and children underfoot can be devastating. Always turn pot handles toward the back of the stove to prevent curious hands from pulling them off. Put appliances toward the back of the countertop, and secure dangling cords.

When Is The Last Time You Cleaned The Oven?

Grease builds up on the insides of ovens, stovetops and microwave ovens, and can catch fire easily. Clean these appliances regularly, especially if something is spilled.

Some Other Fire Safety Tips To Remember In The Kitchen:

Wear close-fitting sleeves to prevent them from dangling into a flame or onto a hot burner.

Always test the temperature of foods before serving to a child. Microwaves tend to heat unevenly, so make sure that portions given to a child are not too hot.

Never add water to a dish containing hot oil. It will splatter violently.

Keep paper towels, dish towels, pot holders, etc. away from the stovetop.

Heat oil slowly. If you set the burner temperature too high, the oil can catch fire.

The inside of a microwave oven may feel cool, but the food you cook inside it can get dangerously hot. Use a potholder when removing food from the microwave.

Remove lids with caution. Steam burns can be just as serious and hard- to-heal as flame burns.

Never put water onto a cooking fire. If a pan catches fire, slide a lid over the pan, then turn off the burner. When approaching the fire, hold the pan lid at an angle so that flames do not burn your arm.

If something catches fire in the microwave oven, simply turn off the microwave, and leave the door closed. Do not open the door. Opening the door feeds oxygen to the fire.

Cool The Burn. If you do receive a burn, it is very important to stop the burning process. Hold the burned area under cool running water for 10- 15 minutes. If the burn blisters or chars, regardless of how small an area, seek medical attention.

NEVER put oils, salves or butter on a burn. This traps in heat and promotes infection.

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