Although a forest fire may have its origins nowhere near your kitchen, only you can prevent a fire from starting in your very own kitchen. (You can’t blame Smoky The Bear for this!) While this may seem like an obvious statement, many people are unaware that their kitchens are dangerous places and in many instances, a fire waiting to happen.
Prevent kitchen fires by keeping curtains, dish towels and long flowing sleeves away from the cook top. I myself, while awaiting company and preparing some jambalaya, was a bit too preoccupied and didn’t notice a pot-holder that was too close to the fire on the stove. It started to smoke and the detector went off and well, it was a close call. This could easily happen to you if you are not careful.
I know smoke detectors are a pain in the neck (and even lower) most of the time. The one time you need them, however, it is an entirely different story. Install one just outside the kitchen. Check the batteries, which will sometimes squeak like a dying mouse, when they are ready to replace.
According to the Fire Safety Institute, placing a lid on a stovetop fire is the quickest way to douse it. (So now that old expression, “put a lid on it” has come home to roost.) A fire extinguisher can make the situation worse by flaring flames up into the curtains or cabinets.
Other safety tips include: keeping electrical plugs well away from water, turning handles inward out of spilling distance and getting used to using the stove’s back burners. Consider buying a step stool with non-skid rungs to reach the high shelves. Use a non-skid mat for the kitchen floor rather than a scatter rug. Equip electrical outlets, especially those near the sink, with ground fault circuit interrupters. They cut the flow of electricity when plugs or wiring get wet.
If you follow this advice, will your kitchen be forever safe? It certainly will be forever safer than it was before. For the real truth, you’ll have to ask my jambalaya.
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