Executive Maids Suggests Kitchen & Cooking Safety

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Hygiene and Personal Protective Equipment
Always wash your hands before beginning to work in the kitchen. Also, wash your hands at regular intervals as necessary while you work. Keep nails clean to prevent the spread of germs. Cover any cuts with waterproof dressings. Change the dressings when work in the kitchen is finished. Remove any jewelry that might get in the way and tie back hair. Never wear dangling sleeves that may get caught in appliances or catch on fire.
Use the proper lifting techniques when lifting and carrying heavy loads in the kitchen. Clear the path you intend to take especially when taking something hot out of the oven. When lifting, bend the knees and use the legs to lift. Be careful when carrying liquids, especially hot ones. Never lift beyond your own lifting capacity.

Always clean up messes and spills to prevent falls. Close cabinet doors and drawers when done. Use a sturdy step ladder to reach for things. Do not step on objects that are unstable. Personal note. For those of you know do not know me personally, I am vertically challenged – 5’0″ and I use this same step stool in my kitchen.
Stoves
Stoves can be a source of many accidents in the kitchen. Always make sure the pilot lights are working on gas stoves. If they don’t, turn the dials to off and wait for the gas to disperse before relighting. Never leave pan handles over burners. Keep hot dishes and crockery out of reach of others to avoid burns. Use oven mitts when handling hot dishes. Round pot holders or mitts are preferable. When folded diagonally, square mitts can get into the flame and catch on fire. Use caution when working with steam to prevent burns.
Fire
Kitchen fires can be serious. They often involve igniting combustibles and flare-ups of things being cooked. Defects in ovens, burners, electrical and gas connections are also hazardous.
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Keep flammable materials away from range or stove. If the stove is near a window, use short, flame-resistant curtains. Do not put napkins, towels or paper containers on the range. Watch cooking pots and use lowest practical heat. Use care when lighting ovens on gas ranges that do not have a self-lighting feature. Check that all burners and oven are off when finished and before going out or retiring. Teach children how to properly use cooking equipment. Do not use flammable fuels to start a fire in a cook stove. For outdoor grills, use the starter fluids or electrical igniters made for that purpose.
When a fire occurs, assess the situation. Always give yourself a place to escape. Create, post and practice fire escape routes! If it is possible to safely turn off the electricity or gas feeding the fire, do so. If a pan is on fire, shut off the heat and tightly cover the fire with a lid. This should be done only if the fire is small. Never pour water on a pan fire involving grease, or try to carry it to the sink or outdoors.


More will be covered in our Fire Saftey Posting.
Food Safety



In the event of a power outage, foods stored in the refrigerator and freezer will stay fresh for a period of time if the doors are left closed. A full, tightly packed freezer will stay frozen for 48 hours if the door is closed. A partially filled freezer will last for 24 hours. Any cooked foods that thaw should be eaten immediately or thrown away. Uncooked food that still has ice crystals on it or is still cold (40 degrees F) can be safely refrozen. Never store raw food with cooked food!!!!
Following basic safety rules in the kitchen can help reduce the chance of fires, accidents and food poisonings. Make sure everyone who uses the kitchen is aware of these rules and enforce them.
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