Nine kitchen safety tips for the holidays
The kitchen may not seem like a dangerous place, but there are plenty of things that can go wrong if you’re not paying attention or taking appropriate safety measures. For example, unattended cooking is the #1 cause of kitchen fires, but the kitchen can also become a risky environment for other personal injuries and illnesses. Considering how easy it is to get distracted while preparing food, especially in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s important to practice kitchen safety.
We want to ensure that you and your family have a happy and healthy holiday season! Here are nine holiday cooking safety tips to help you stay safe and healthy and enjoy all the delicious food you prepare together.
1. Skip rinsing raw turkey
This one may not seem like it fits with the typical safety tips in the kitchen, but it can actually help keep you and your guests out of the hospital. While it’s a good standard practice to wash fresh produce before you eat it, the same rule does not apply to meat or poultry. In fact, doing so may increase your risk for foodborne illness and infection, which can be quite serious.
Many people think that if they rinse the turkey before they cook it, they’ll wash away harmful bacteria like Salmonella that poultry can contain. Logically, this may make sense, but this practice is much more likely to cause bacteria-containing droplets to splash across the sink, cooking surfaces, utensils and nearby food, contaminating the entire kitchen. This leads to bacteria in more areas than before you started, posing a risk for cross-contamination.
Instead, experts recommend patting the turkey with a paper towel before cooking and then washing your hands with soap and water to keep harmful germs contained.
2. Stay organized for safety
The holiday season often means that there are lots of ingredients in the kitchen, perhaps multiple ovens cooking at once, and sometimes many hands involved. This can easily lead to things being forgotten, misplaced and potentially mixed up. That’s why organization is key. Having a kitchen safety plan in place and a clear setup can help minimize the risk of cross-contamination or injuries.
Before you remove all of your ingredients and kitchen equipment, it’s important to decontaminate all cooking surfaces, appliances and utensils. This ensures that harmful pathogens don’t contaminate the food you’re preparing.
It’s also important to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before cooking and before handling each new ingredient. This is especially important when working with raw meats and fresh produce, for instance.
It’s easy to become distracted when there’s too much going on in the kitchen. Focus on cooking one recipe at a time. It’s helpful to pull out all of the ingredients you need for a recipe and lay them out together with the measuring tools needed. Then, when you’re done with one ingredient, you can put them away one by one without missing a step. This is also a good time to put used utensils in the dishwasher or the sink to wash for the next recipe.
3. Keep children, pets and guests out of the kitchen
Have you ever heard the saying, “Too many cooks in the kitchen?” This applies not only to those doing the cooking but also to just how many people (or animals) may be present in the kitchen at one time. Too many bodies can be a hazard waiting to happen.
Why is this a kitchen safety rule? Every year, half a million people in the U.S. sustain a burn injury requiring medical treatment. Children are particularly susceptible to burns due to curiosity — like wanting to touch the oven or stovetop. Because of this, it’s important to either keep small children out of the kitchen or closely supervise them while you’re preparing a holiday meal — especially when heating equipment is in use.
It’s also wise to keep pets out of the kitchen while you’re cooking since they can pose a tripping hazard (like when your dog lies down behind you). You might accidentally knock hot ingredients off of the counter or stovetop.
4. Sharpen knives before use
Some of the most important kitchen safety guidelines involve sharp and pointy utensils like knives. Lacerations (cuts) from knives are the most commonly sustained kitchen injury, affecting thousands of people in the U.S. every year. Many knife cuts require a trip to urgent care for stitches.
To avoid ruining your holiday with a knife injury, take extra care when you’re handling these potentially dangerous utensils. Dull knives can be more dangerous than sharp ones because they require more pressure to cut through things and can slip more easily. Sharpen your knives before using them to ensure they’re ready for slicing and dicing.
Furthermore, safe knife handling is important. When you’re walking with a knife, hold it blade-down. Use a knife appropriate for the ingredient you’re cutting. Cut all food on a flat surface (like a cutting board).
You'll be surprised by how many “avocado hand” injuries take place when people are careless. And when you set the knife down, make sure it’s a safe distance from the countertop’s edge.
5. Never leave appliances unattended
Kitchen safety means not leaving your cooking appliances unattended while they’re in use.
By keeping a close eye on stoves, burners, ovens and fryers, you’ll be able to intervene in the case of a faulty appliance, excess smoke or cooking fires. You’ll also be able to ensure that pets and small children don’t sustain burn injuries due to lack of supervision.
6. Avoid cross-contamination with different cutting boards
Foodborne illnesses sicken millions of Americans each year, and cross-contamination is a major vehicle for germs in the kitchen like Salmonella and E.coli.
Cross-contamination occurs when you prepare something raw, like chicken, on a surface and then use something else on that same surface without cleaning it between uses. For example, if you prepare raw chicken on a cutting board and then chop your veggies on that same board, any germs from the poultry would get all over your veggies.
Instead, use two different cutting boards in this instance. If you don’t have two available, be sure to wash with soap and dry the board well between uses to prevent the spread of germs.
7. Prioritize fire safety
Four of the most common days for house fires in the U.S. fall on holidays: Thanksgiving, the day before Thanksgiving, Christmas and Christmas Eve.
To improve safety in the kitchen, take precautions to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones. As mentioned before, never leave kitchen appliances unattended while they’re in use.
Keep matches, lighters and electrical cords out of children’s reach. Make sure your smoke detectors are in working order. Do not leave lit candles unattended. And keep a fire extinguisher nearby whenever you’re cooking.
8. Wear closed-toe shoes
If you’re used to following a no-shoes-in-the-house rule, you may want to consider an exception when it comes to holiday cooking and kitchen safety rules. When toes are exposed, they’re more likely to sustain an injury in the kitchen.
Walking around the kitchen barefoot while preparing food can put your feet at risk for injuries from dropped utensils and knives, slipping on wet surfaces or being burned by boiling water or hot oil.
Consider wearing tennis shoes, sneakers or slip-ons with rubber bottoms to help you move around the kitchen quickly and safely, protecting your toes and skin.
9. No metal utensils on non-stick pans
Don't use metal utensils on nonstick pans if you want to maintain the quality of the pans and protect the safety of the food you’re preparing.
This is because the metal can actually scrape off the nonstick surface of these pans over time.
This removes the pan's nonstick ability, and the material can also end up in your food while cooking, which can be toxic. Instead, use plastic, wood or silicone utensils on these pans as part of their regular care.
Kitchen fires: what to expect
Nobody wants to experience a kitchen fire. But even when practicing safety in the kitchen, a kitchen fire can happen in the blink of an eye, whether it’s the result of grease, a faulty appliance or burning food. That’s why being prepared for emergencies is always a great holiday health tip.
There are three main types of kitchen fires:
- Grease fires start when hot oil or fat comes in contact with something flammable.
- Electrical fires may occur when there’s faulty wiring or damaged appliances.
- Combustible fires are flare-ups that occur when materials like fabric, plastic or paper easily light.
Always keep a fire extinguisher in or near your kitchen. If you have a fire in the kitchen, this is generally your first go-to tool to help put it out. Additionally, remove combustible materials from where you cook and keep a lid handy for any pots and pans. When cooking, pay attention to what’s on the stove or in the oven and don’t overheat your oil.
If a fire breaks out, turn off the stove or oven, cover the fryer or pan with a lid and douse the fire with either your extinguisher, salt or baking soda. Never use water to try and put out a kitchen fire, as this can actually make it worse by causing the flames to spread rather than be extinguished.
When cleaning up a kitchen fire, it’s a good idea to wear rubber gloves, goggles and a face mask to reduce the amount of carbon in the air that you’re being exposed to. Additionally, if there’s fire damage, you will need to call a professional to help assess and make a safe cleaning and repair plan.
Kitchen burns
When working with hot liquids, steam or surfaces, there’s always a risk of kitchen burns. If you experience a burn, it may be mild to severe. While a first-degree burn is red but doesn’t blister, second-degree burn blisters and third-degree burn burns to the muscle and bone.
If you get a mild burn in the kitchen, the first thing to do is run it under cool water or wrap it in a cool, damp cloth. Over-the-counter medication can help alleviate pain. Then, be sure to dry the burn with a clean, sterile dressing.
Generally, anything worse than a small, blistered second-degree burn requires immediate medical attention. If you’re unsure whether your burn needs attention, it’s always best to err on the side of caution.
Visit urgent care for any kitchen injury
Kitchen safety is important, and accidents happen. We are prepared to help examine and treat any kitchen injury you may experience. Come visit us at any time! We want to help you heal up and return to enjoy the rest of your holiday season.
If you need help assessing and treating kitchen injuries, visit the experts at a nearby urgent care location. You can walk in without an appointment or check in online. Whether you have a holiday kitchen safety injury or another medical concern, we’re here to help. We’ll have you back to feeling better in no time.
Written by Sarah Thebarge, Physician Assistant
