Keeping safe is essential every time you are cooking. Several accidents are likely to occur in the kitchen ranging from burns and falling items. Taking precautions and ensuring that every time you are in the kitchen there is safety is the best thing.
We have prepared a guide that will show you some of the things you need to be watchful about in during the cooking process. Some of the things you will need to put in order include.
Putting on the proper attire
It is vital to have the proper attire when cooking both indoors and outdoors. You have to dress depending on the size of the kitchen. A bigger kitchen will want you to have a good apron and gumboots.
In a small kitchen you can put on any form of clothing but you need to ensure that you have proper clothing that will cover from the feet to the head. You are in this case very safe from accidents. Your clothes should be easy to remove in case there is hot oil or water spilling to your body.
Fire safety
It is important to ensure that there is proper safety against fire. While cooking chances of having fires are very high. A fire extinguisher should be a priority in your kitchen. The equipment you use for cooking is good when it is easy to start and stop.
Stopping the source of fire should not be complicated. It is good to have knowledge about the use of the fire extinguisher. Your dressing in this case should be a kind that wont get fire instantly. As much as possible try to lower the chances of accidents.
Using oil
Oil is a huge source of accidents as more than 65% of fire accidents come from frying. Special care is essential every time you handle oil. Turn off your burner when you see some smoke while frying and then be careful when putting food on the oil.
A lid helps a lot when there is small fire. Before it breaks you cover the pan so that the fire stops spreading. Always protect your body with proper dressing so that hot oil does not land on the skin.
Handling and storage of hot items and food
Ignoring the handling protocols for hot items is very dangerous. A handling hot pad or clothe is essential for easy and safe handling. It is good to ensure that you have proper handling tools so that you don’t burn your fingers or cause an accident.
Moreover, you have to place each item in a proper place. Get a proper storage before you remove anything hot from fire. It should be a point where pets and children wont access.
Choice of cooking equipment
Cooking equipment is essential for successful cooking. It also determines how safe you will be while cooking. The best equipment is one that you can easily use and prevent various accidents.
You need to learn how to use the equipment such as the knife and the others likely to cause problems. Proper maintenance for all the kitchen tools is essential so that you lower chances of having them not working. All the equipment must have good and quick location to facilitate ease retrieval.
Preventing falls
Another serious accident that can occur when things fall. It mostly happens when the shelves are too high. Sometimes things can fall off from the hands accidentally.
You have to ensure that you get a stool that will help you to reach the items that are at the higher shelves. Remove the utensils when cleaning so that they don’t fall on you. Each time you have to handle utensils, you make sure that the hands are dry so that they do not slide off the hands.
The placement of the items must also be under caution as they may fall off if you place them on the edges. You also need to ensure that you have dressed properly to quickly manage burns on the even of falls. Cutting items such as the knife and glasses.
Clean the cooking items
Another thing you need to be very careful with is the cleanliness of the cooking items. You have to remove any form of impurities from the utensils. Generally, the utensils must provide the safety you need for your foods so that you don’t use contaminated good.
Maintaining high levels of cleanliness is a good thing. Notably, the highest number of diseases and deaths are usually related to food sources. You have to implement the following measures for hygienic safety.
- Clean your hands with soap every time
- Meat, poultry and meat get easily contaminated hence need separate storage
- Use soapy water for cleaning your hands and also utensils
- Keep meat and poultry covered when doing the margination process
- Sanitize the surfaces such as the counter tops
- Cook meat after thawing not unless it is from the fridge
- Closely follow the food recipes so that you have properly cooked meals
- Always cover the meals after cooking
- Avoid using the kitchen as a store especially for chemicals and gases as they may easily cause accidents
Outdoor cooking
Outdoor events need cooking and the quality must also be as per the standards. You need to ensure that you have chosen a safe location that is away from contaminants. Trees are one thing that you need to be careful with.
Some leaves can fall on food and make it poisonous. It is wise to check on what surrounds the place you want to use for cooking. After cooking, you have to do proper disposal for the items you dispose. Moreover, you have to take caution with how you carry products so that they do not become contaminated before cooking.
Crowding the cooking area
The cooking area must always be free. It makes it easy for you to escape in the event there is an accident. You will also have minimized the chances of having any accidents once you have a clear working space.
A crowded place is not ideal because it brings too much activity in the area as you will have tough times while cooking. It is better to have a few things closer to the cooking pot.
Placing everything in the right place
You have to keep everything in the right place so that you make locating them easy. Oil and other utensils are some of the things you must ensure that they are in a safe location. Knives and other cutting tools must also be in a safe place. Maintaining close and fixed location is the best thing because you will have the ease of locating each item.
Conclusion
Safety precautions are things you cannot ignore when cooking. We have come up with effective measures that will provide adequate safety for you. Adhering an implementing each measure as it is will help in maintaining your kitchen safety.
