The Top Kitchen Safety Tips You Need to Implement

It’s time to talk about how you can put a few kitchen safety tips into practice to make sure your kitchen is ready for action. And not the place of action you know?

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Kitchen Safety Tips: Preventing Cross-Contamination & Maintaining Hygiene

Ensuring food safety in the kitchen means being mindful to prevent cross-contamination & maintaining proper hygiene practices. Practice good personal hygiene, such as washing hands thoroughly before handling food items to prevent foodborne illness. For obvious reasons, you don’t want your raw meat in the cooking area mixing with the paper towels you’ll be using to dry your hands off. The right place for that is more like a cutting board on a stable surface or in a bowl or dish. 

Preventing Cross-Contamination

Cross-contamination occurs when harmful bacteria like e. coli from one food item spreads to another. This can happen when raw meat for example comes in contact with contaminated surfaces, other food packaging, metal utensils, or your hands. To prevent cross-contamination, keep raw meats, poultry, seafood & eggs separate from your ready-to-eat foods. Those are things like fresh fruits, vegetables & cooked dishes. Use separate cutting boards too to avoid transferring bacteria. That’s big.

Separate Raw Foods

But have you ever considered that the contamination doesn’t have to only happen on the countertop? You can reduce the risk of contaminated cooked foods or raw foods you plan to eat by storing them away from raw meats, poultry & seafood.

The best way to do this is by storing those things in sealed containers or reusable plastic bags on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator. This will prevent juices from dripping onto other foods. And then when you’re making your meals, have specific areas of the kitchen countertop for handling raw ingredients vs cooked foods. That might not always be possible, but do the best you can. And then of course wash hands & all your tools thoroughly with soap & water before & after handling raw foods to prevent spreading microorganisms around.

Proper Cleaning & Sanitizing

The homemade vinegar cleaner is effective so I highly recommend using it. It does require some elbow grease through on caked up surfaces like the back of the stove, the oven door or maybe a heavily greased stove top. Also wash your dishcloths, sponges, and kitchen towels regularly in hot water and replace them frequently to prevent the buildup of bacteria. And to keep that horrid smell out of your space hello. They get the worst funk when you don’t lay them out flat to dry.

Here are five additional kitchen safety tips to prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen:

1. Color-Coded Cutting Boards. Use color-coded cutting boards for different types of food to avoid confusion and ensure that each board is designated for a specific food group. For example, use one color for raw meats, another for fruits and vegetables, and a different color for cooked foods.
2. Separate Storage Containers. Store leftovers and prepared foods in separate, tightly sealed containers to prevent potential contamination. Label containers with the date to ensure they’re consumed within a safe timeframe. And remember, it’s not always just for you – the keeper of the kitchen who knows what’s going on. These are general guidelines but they’re helpful for your family too.
3. Use Disposable Gloves. When handling raw meats or other potentially hazardous foods, consider wearing disposable gloves to minimize direct contact and reduce the risk of spreading bacteria. Best practice is to dispose of gloves after each use and wash hands thoroughly.
4. Sanitize Kitchen Tools. Regularly sanitize kitchen tools and equipment, such as can openers, food processors, and blender blades, to remove bacteria that may accumulate during use. Follow manufacturer instructions for proper cleaning and sanitizing procedures.
5. Be Mindful of Utensil Placement. Avoid placing utensils or serving spoons directly on kitchen countertops or other surfaces where they may come into contact with bacteria. Use designated utensil holders or rest them on clean plates to maintain hygiene during meal preparation.

Preventing Kitchen Fires or a House Fire

The kitchen is the heart of the home but most kitchen fires can quickly escalate & pose some really serious risks. Residential cooking fires in the kitchen are actually the leading cause of home fires. So the most important things to be proactive & prevent fires. And it’s defffffinitely important to be prepared to respond a kitchen fire (or house fire). While having a residential fire extinguisher nearby is a great way to be ready, best practices are to prevent common risks in the first place. 

It’s not enough to just say kitchen fires are the leading cause of fires in the home. Because maybe you don’t realize this, but there are different types of fires to be aware of. Microwave fire, electric fires, grease fires! We’ve hit on some this already so here are just a few extra kitchen safety tips we haven’t covered yet.

Preventing Kitchen Fires

   – Regularly clean cooking surfaces like stovetops, ovens, and exhaust hoods to remove grease buildup. That grease is good & all for the pot beside the stove hello, but it can ignite when exposed to high temperatures so….no go. Bacon fat for cooking things, grease build-up begone – one fire hazard eliminated.

   – Use caution when cooking with oils & fats. Back to this jar of bacon fat. You’ve got to pay attention when cooking. It (& others) can easily ignite when overheated so monitor oil temperatures. And please just never leave hot oil unattended. It can quickly turn into a burning pan. If you need to step away, put your pot in a safe place, like the back of the stove. Away from small children who like to pull things down. Don’t leave any open flame on or your heat source if that’s a glass cooktop or a hot plate. Just keep hot food & oil, pans & such a safe distance from anything or anyone that can cause it to fall. Because not only might you have a fire on your hands, but a slippery floor is a fall risk. So obviously wipe up any oil spills immediately.

   – Keep combustible materials back. Away. Out of reach. This is things like curtains, dish towels, baggy sleeves, extra long sleeves or long hair. Keep it all away from open flames or hot surfaces. Girl, really. Avoid wearing loose clothing & opt for safe clothing like fitted sleeves, maybe even wear shoes of some sort with grips if you expect any spills, leaks or drips in your kitchen activity that day.

   – Preventing burns & scalds is simple in this way. Always use oven mitts or pot holders when handling hot pots, pans, or dishes. Be cautious around hot liquids & steam. Make sure they’re safely contained & away from the reach of children. Keep pot handles turned inward on the stove to prevent accidental spills or tipping.

   – When it comes to electrical safety, be mindful of using kitchen appliances & extension cords for example. This could cause electrical fires. Keep cords away from heat sources & water & never overload electrical outlets. Regularly inspect appliances for any signs of damage or wear.

Creating an Emergency Escape Plan

   – Develop a clear emergency escape plan with your family. For one thing it needs to outline an evacuation route. How would you get out of your kitchen & home if you had to. And where would you meet outside the home? Who’s responsible for who & what, that sort of thing. 

   – Practice that emergency escape plan regularly so that everyone knows what to do & where to be. There’s no good times to get this right. There’s always dinner to make, dishes to wash, clothes to clean & all that. Make this a priority though. If you need help, you can find some resources (& possibly support or instruction) through your local emergency services department.

Knowing How to Use Fire Extinguishers & Safety Equipment

   – If you don’t own a residential fire extinguisher (which I really recommend you do), familiarize yourself with the nearest location of one. Commercial kitchens have em, you need one. Or do you not eat? Ahahaha If you live in an apartment, this is easier than you think. It’s probably in a hallway or stairwell. Once you know where it is or where you put it, check it every now & again to make sure it’s good.

   – But you also need to know how to handle fire extinguishers too. Remember the acronym PASS: Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle & Sweep from side to side. Your local fire department or american red cross chapter may be able to give you some training with this. Although you can find their phone numbers online, you should write it down or save it to your phone in case internet goes out & you can’t search it again. 

   – Last piece, install a smoke detector/smoke alarm & carbon monoxide detectors in key areas of your home. They need batteries usually & should be tested regularly.

Kitchen Fire Statistics

I just wanna hop in to share some stats on kitchen fires. The simple steps & cooking safety tips I shared so far just might help you avoid one or the need for medical attention or a trip to the urgent care center. Here’s a few stats I pulled from the National Fire Protection Association. They have a TON of info from cooking to escape planning & more.

• Cooking equipment is the leading cause of home structure fires & home fire injuries, accounting for nearly half of all reported residential fires.
• Unattended cooking is the leading contributing factor in cooking fires, with the majority of these fires starting on stovetops.
• On average, U.S. fire departments respond to over 170,000 home structure fires involving cooking equipment each year, resulting in hundreds of deaths & thousands of injuries.
• The majority of kitchen fires occur during the dinner hours of 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with weekends seeing an increased risk of fires compared to weekdays.
• Grease fires are particularly hazardous, as they can quickly spread and cause extensive damage. Attempting to extinguish a grease fire with water can exacerbate the situation, leading to rapid flame spread and potential injury.

These statistics emphasize the importance of kitchen fire safety and the need for proactive measures to prevent fires and protect households. By following these precautions and being prepared for emergencies, you can minimize the risk of kitchen fires and ensure the safety of your household.

Childproofing the Kitchen

Now kitchen safety is a really hot topic if there’s kids around. You might need to take some extra steps to childproof the area so you can minimize the risks. So here’s a few quick tips.

1. Secure Appliances & Cabinets

   – Use stove knob covers to prevent children from accidentally turning on burners or ovens. They’re easy enough to replace if you don’t have them.

   – Store heavy or breakable items on higher shelves out of children’s reach.

2. Supervision & Education

   – Never leave young children unattended in the kitchen, especially when cooking or using appliances. Keep kitchen equipment & other potentially hazardous items out of reach of childre too.

   – Teach the kids about kitchen safety rules from an early age. Despite being young, it’s never too early. I mean you wouldn’t just put hot food in their mouth without blowing it or cooling it down. So teach them what hot steam looks like over cups & point out the dangers of hot surfaces, sharp edges & power switches.

   – Encourage your child/ren to ask for help when they need it. But make space to include them in the kitchen so they can learn how to properly handle different food products & kitchen gear safely.

​Learning how to practice kitchen safety is going to be huge given the amount of time we’re about to spend there. But it’s all worth it. It’s part of the process & journey to becoming more self-sufficient. To eating really good food, preserving more of it & not breaking the bank on groceries, equipment or medical bills hello

You’ve got this lovely!