Kitchen safety
As families are spending more time cooking at home, we are urging you to take care in the kitchen as February presents plenty of opportunities to showcase those culinary skills.
With Pancake Day, Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year all on the calendar this month, we’re launching our kitchen safety campaign to make sure everyone stays safe while rustling up some tasty treats.
The initiative comes after it was revealed that in the last five years 61% of fires in Staffordshire homes started in the kitchen with distraction being one of the main causes.
Top 10 cooking tips
- Look when you cook. Take any pans off the heat if you have to leave the room. If your pan does catch fire do not remove or attempt to extinguish it. Get out!
- Do not use a chip pan, use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer instead
- Do not leave children alone in the kitchen whilst cooking with the hob or oven
- Do not place anything metallic in the microwave
- Keep electrical leads away from water and keep electrical leads and cloths away from the hob
- Avoid cooking if you have been drinking alcohol
- Keep the oven and grill clean, a build-up of fat and grease may catch fire
- Take care if wearing lose clothing as it can easily catch fire particularly when using the hob
- When you have finished cooking, double check that you have turned off the oven
- Do not use matches or lighters to light gas cookers. Spark devices are safer.