It’s T-minus 24 hours to turkey day. And all that home cooking comes with a risk even bigger than the danger of overeating. Cooking accidents are the No. 1 cause of home fires and related injuries in the United States. And on Thanksgiving Americans report about three times the normal number of fires.
How not to become a statistic:
1. On the range: Those pilgrim-shaped oven mitts and turkey tainted potholders? Keep them away from the stovetop. The same goes for wooden spoons and other utensils as well as the cardboard and paper packaging from your food.
2. Be there: Stay in the kitchen the entire time you’re frying, grilling or boiling food. If you have to leave the kitchen even for a moment, turn off the stove.
3. And time: Get a timer for anything you’re simmering, baking or boiling, especially if you have several things going at once. You’re smartphone has an app for setting multiple alarms.
4. Don’t drink and cook: If you’ve been imbibing, slaving over a hot stove probably isn’t the place for you.
5. Put a lid on it: Keep a lid nearby that you could use to put out grease fires. If flames spark on your burner, smother them by sliding the lid over the pan and turning off the stovetop.
6. Fry fastidiously: The deep-fried turkey is almost as traditional as the oven-baked bird these days. Set up that giant vat of oil more than 10 feet away from your house and don’t walk away.
7. Dry it out: Don’t drop a frozen or wet turkey into boiling oil. Extra water can make the oil bubble over. If oil spills out of the fryer and onto that super hot boiler, you’ve got a fire on your hands.
8. Finger on the trigger: Keep a fire extinguisher handy, no matter where you’re doing the cooking. But don’t try to fight a blaze that will win. If you have to flee the kitchen, make sure to close the door behind you. That will help contain the flames.