OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Preparing a bountiful Thanksgiving feast can be very rewarding and fun. It can also be stressful and dangerous.
With a lot of people congregating in the kitchen and distractions like small children around the house, it can be a recipe for disaster.
Fire departments across north-central Florida don’t want to be dispatched to your address. So, they are sharing helpful reminders on their social media pages in an effort to keep you safe this holiday season.
Ocala Fire Rescue (OFR) says cooking is the biggest cause of home fires and fire injuries, and Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires.
They provided this advice to keep your dinner delicious and safe:
- Make your cooking area safe. Remove things that can burn from the stove. Turn pot handles toward the back so that they can’t be bumped.
- Watch what you’re cooking. Use a timer when roasting a turkey or baking pies.
- Be prepared. Keep a large pan lid or baking sheet handy in case you need to smother a pan fire.
- Stay awake and alert while you’re cooking. If you see smoke or the grease starts to boil in your pan, turn the burner off.
- Prevent burns. Wear short sleeves when you cook or roll up your long sleeves. Don’t lean over the burners. Use potholders and oven mitts to handle hot cookware.
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Deep-frying turkeys has become popular in recent years. OFR warns that this cooking method has many risks – including contact burns, tip overs/ hot cooking oil spills, and fires, among others.
The National Fire Protection Association produced a video to demonstrate the dangers of turkey frying.
If you plan to deep-fry a turkey, here are the best practices for safety:
- Place the fryer outside on a flat surface that can’t burn, such as cement.
- Place the fryer several feet from anything that can catch fire.
- Don’t let children or pets come anywhere near it.
- An adult should watch the fryer while it cooks.
- Use a fryer with thermostat controls. Without these controls, the oil can heat to the point of catching fire.
- Thaw the turkey completely before cooking it so that ice crystals won’t splatter the hot oil.
- Use potholders and oven mitts when handling the turkey.
“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,” said OFR in a release.
