Cooking is the biggest cause of home fires and fire injuries, and Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are more than three times as many cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day as there are on any other typical day of the year. So, there’s no better time to focus on safety.
The Tyler Fire Department urges citizens to cook with caution and follow a few safety tips that can help to prevent fires. “No matter how many years you’ve been cooking or how many Thanksgiving feasts you’ve served, you still need to make safety your main ingredient,” says Paul Findley, Tyler Fire Marshal/PIO. Start with these prevention tips:
- Be on alert. If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.
- Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
- If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
- Keep anything that can catch fire – oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, or curtains – away from your stovetop.
- Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot, and kids should stay at least three feet away.
- Keep knives out of the reach of children.
- Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer, or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
If you have a small (grease) cooking fire and decide to fight the fire:
- On the stovetop, smother the flames by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
- For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
If you have any doubts about fighting a small fire:
- Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
- Call 9-1-1 from outside the home.
Five Dangers of Deep Frying a Turkey:
- Turkey fryers can easily tip over, spilling hot oil across a large area.
- An overfilled cooking pot will cause oil to spill over when the turkey is put inside.
- A partially frozen turkey will cause hot oil to splatter when put in the pot.
- Without thermostat controls, turkey fryers can overheat oil to the point of starting a fire.
- The sides of the cooking pot, lid, and pot handles can get dangerously hot.
Frying food puts you at the greatest risk of cooking fires. Before you fry a turkey, review these tips to keep you and your loved ones safe:
- Use your turkey fryer only outdoors on a sturdy, level surface, well away from things that can burn. Make sure it is at least ten feet from your home and not under roof eaves.
- Determine the correct amount of oil needed by first placing the turkey in the pot of water.
- Make sure your turkey is completely thawed before you fry it.
- Check the temperature often with a cooking thermometer so the oil won’t overheat.
- Use long cooking gloves that protect your hands and arms when you handle the pot, lid, and handles of a turkey fryer.
- Consider using an electric or air fryer.
There’s nothing more satisfying than cooking a good meal for the people we love. Make safety a priority in your kitchen at Thanksgiving and all year long.
The Tyler Fire Department wishes you and your family a safe and happy Thanksgiving!