We inevitably spend considerable amount of time in the kitchen every day and many times we forget about the dangers it brings.
Apart from cooking mistakes, kitchen accidents may be the outcome of a badly designed kitchen. Regardless of the origin, misfortunes like that may cause severe injuries.
Let’s take a look at some ways to create an injury-free environment in the kitchen.
How to Create a Kitchen Safe?
Everyone wants to have the kitchen safe of their dreams. While it is important that you like space and convenience features of your kitchen, it is also important to be safe in it.
Take good care of your kitchen, follow the guidelines provided here and you will be rewarded with the perfect meals that you, your family and friends will enjoy.
1. Keep the Kitchen Harmless
How to keep your kitchen a secure place to be in while utilizing the space you need:
a) Scrub the stove when you are done. Very often oil and fat, or other flammable ingredients, can ignite causing a fire.
However, don’t start scrubbing until the oven is cooled down. Scrubbing it while still hot may lead to an additional injury.
b) Wash away any liquids which end up on the kitchen floor. You can easily slip and tumble, risking additional injury, especially when you have your hands full with food.
At the very least cover it up with napkins or similar in order to remember it is there until you have a chance to remove it.
2. Don’t Leave The Counter in a Mess
Remove plates and silverware once you are finished using them. Put everything back to its place.
You shouldn’t have kitchen items in places where they can get knocked off and fall on the floor. Clear enough space you need for cooking.
3. Keep Your Blades Sharp But Adequately Stored
Knives that have lost their sharpness require more force and strength while using.
That can cause the knife to slip out of your hand and end up somewhere you don’t want it to.
Therefore, it’s imperative that you maintain your knives’ sharpness.
4. Keep Hazardous Items In A Secure Place
Children themselves can be a hazard alone. You wouldn’t want to have dangerous silverware where children can reach.
It would be a great idea to have a special secure place to keep utensils like that. It is just as important to actually return dangerous utensils to their place after using them.
Furthermore, place the heavier pieces on lower racks to ensure they don’t cause havoc in case they fall down.
5. Secure The Glass Pots
Glass can get very fragile when moved from a hot environment to a cold one, and vice-versa.
Therefore, don’t pour cold water into a hot glass pot. After removing it from the stove let it stabilize for a while.
Such temperature shocks may cause it to crack, and if that happens, you should get rid of it immediately.
6. Have A First Aid Kit Nearby
The compulsory items a kitchen first aid kid are: band aids, painkillers, hydrogen peroxide. Nothing should be left to chance, so always be prepared for the worst.
Read more: Belgique Stainless Steel Cookware
When Cooking, Keep Kitchen Safety Rules First
1. Do Not Leave The Kitchen
Whatever food you prepare, simple or complex, make it your responsibility to oversee the entire process and do not leave.
2. Don’t Get Distracted
When you are cooking, you are cooking. It usually involves using dangerous equipment such as sharp objects, and if you are not concentrated on the task, you could get injured.
Recipes often involve keeping an eye on the clock, so set reminders. Don’t engage in additional activities when cooking.
3. Constitute Clear Guidelines For Your Kids
Youngsters can often take your attention away with their needs, so it’s important to make a few rules for them while you are cooking.
Be clear about what they can and cannot do. Also, kids tend to follow the example of their parents, so make sure you follow the rules you make if you want them to do to the same.
4. Wear Appropriate Clothes
Obviously, an apron is mandatory. However, you should also make sure you wear clothes underneath that cover as much of the body as possible.
That way, you are safe from eventual splashes. Remember, wearing a bulletproof body armor might be too much.
5. Use Pots Accordingly
Using pots is inevitable if you cook frequently. They can also lead to severe injuries when not used correctly.
a) Make sure they are not too big or too small. Placing excessive amount of food in the pot may lead to accidents such as spilling or starting a kitchen fire.
Nearly all kitchen pots have a limit, stating the amount of food that can be placed inside.
b) Have the corresponding lids and pans close by. In the event of a fire or the food starts to spill out, having the lid close to you will help you prevent unwanted accidents.
Also, make sure to switch off the stove immediately.
c) Some pots and pans have movable handles. Use that option to make certain that they can’t be unintentionally moved away from the stove, and keep them from children’s reach.
Furthermore, it’s a good idea to use the burners in the back of the stove.
d) Keep your face away from a boiling pot. Often, pots are used to boil food over time, so when you finish cooking and open the lid a considerable amount of steam is released.
Make sure your face is not directly above it.
6. Handle Hot Pots And Pans With Oven Gloves
These are special gloves, insulated for protection. You should use them instead of regular kitchen towels.
The also provide a much firmer grip, so you can carry pots around without the risk of getting burned.
Like conventional gloves or any other clothing you regularly used, they will wear out eventually.
Make sure you get a new pair when this happens. Also, they should be kept dry when used. Handling hot pots with worn out equipment may result in a serious burn.
7. Use Strainers To Separate Food From Liquid.
Utensils such as sieves and colanders are very useful when removing hot leftover liquids from a pot.
Most of the time, when boiling vegetables or pasta there is a lot of water left in the pot. Not handling it with care may lead to getting burned while pouring the water out.
8. Place Flammable Items Off The Stove
A flammable item is anything that can easily catch fire. These include kitchen cloths, serviettes, leftover boxes from the food and similar things.
5 Ways To Stay Safe In The Kitchen
1. Have Sufficient Storage Space
It’s very easy to create a mess in the kitchen, especially if you have a large number of utensils.
It is imperative that you make sufficient space to keep all of the kitchen utensils when not using them.
If possible, create more space and if that is not possible, consider getting removing the items you don’t really need.
2. Illuminate The Kitchen
Having good lighting is crucial for a well-designed kitchen. It provides a sense of comfort and it makes the area more pleasant.
Glare and shadow free light fixtures are recommended.
3. Invest In Non-Slippery Flooring
Having a marble floor looks luxurious and fancy but it’s an extremely slippery and a bad choice for the kitchen.
Wooden flooring is a much better choice. In case you can’t afford to change it, consider placing stable floor mats.
4. Control The Water Temperature
Lukewarm water is safe, but hot water may lead to blisters and burns. Therefore, it is advisable to keep water temperature below 125 degrees in order to avoid unwanted injuries.
Nowadays there are many kitchen accessories available, and there are such that can be installed on the faucet to keep the water at a safe temperature level.
5. Get A Quality Fire Extinguisher
It would be a very good idea to invest in a quality fire extinguisher. There are many potential fire starters in the kitchen and it is good to be prepared in case such an event occurs.
Keep it in a place that is easy to get because you never know when you might need it.
Fire extinguishers is not something we use every day. Therefore, be certain that you know how to operate it and do not wait for an actual fire to occur to start using it.
