Kitchen Safety

  • Wash hands thoroughly for 30 seconds with soap and warm water. Rinse well and dry with clean towel.
  • Paper towels work best to eliminate the spread of germs. If not wash your dish towels frequently.
  • Counter space and sink area should be cleaned before and after with disinfectant cleaner.
  • Eggs should be stored in refrigerator at 40° in the original carton. Any spills of raw eggs should be cleaned immediately and wipe area with disinfectant clear.
  • Keep hair tied back.
  • Raw dough or batter should not be eaten and should be covered and refrigerated if not baked right away.
  • Place oven rack in proper position before preheating oven.
  • Always keep 2 clean oven mitts close to the oven. To avoid being steam-burned, do not use a damp/wet potholder.
  • Have your cooling racks ready before taking hot pans out of the oven.
  • Before removing hot items from oven or stove make sure you have a clear traffic path.
  • Make sure the temperature in your refrigerator is 40 degrees or under. Get a good refrigerator thermometer and place it where you can see it, and check it often.
  • When you want to refrigerate a hot dish, first leave it cool down with the lid open so before you put it in the refrigerator. If you refrigerate a hot dish in before it cools, it will warm up the refrigerator, endangering everything else in there.
  • If you must store cleaning chemicals and other possibly toxic non-food items in the kitchen, always store them on shelves below food items, if they leak, they can’t get into your food.
  • Don’t use appliances near the sink or other water. If one falls in, it can electrocute anyone nearby. If you have a wall socket near the sink, make sure it has a “Ground Fault Interrupter” type socket assembly.
  • Turn pot handles toward the rear of the stove to reduce the risk of scald burns.
  • Keep flammable materials away from range or stove. If the stove is near a window, use short, flame-resistant curtains. Do not put napkins, towels or paper containers on the stove top.
  • In the case of an oven fire, turn oven off and close door. If fire does not go out use a fire extinguisher or douse with flour or baking soda. For a stove a fire always give yourself a place to escape. If it is possible to safely turn off the electricity or gas feeding the fire, do so. If you have a small pan fire, shut off the heat and cover the fire with a lid. Never pour water on a pan fire involving grease, or try to carry it to the sink or outdoors.
  • Run cool water over a burn for 10 to 15 minutes. This will minimize skin damage and ease the pain. Never apply butter or other grease to a burn. If the burned skin is blistered or charred, see a doctor immediately.
  • For safer water temperatures to prevent scalds from hot tap water, keep your hot water heater set at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
  • Every home should have working, UL Listed smoke detectors and fully charged UL Listed fire extinguishers strategically placed in the kitchen.