Family, food, football…and fire? Did you know that Thanksgiving Day is the top day for cooking fires? According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, the chance of kitchen fires on Thanksgiving Day triples, with unattended cooking being the top cause. And with the rise in popularity of deep-frying the turkey, deep fryers are a close second with the high temperature of the oil used to fry the turkey. We hope your Thanksgiving is filled with a lot of things, none of them being an insurance claim.
Kitchen safety tips for Thanksgiving:
- Keep anything flammable, including oven mitts, wood utensils, and towels away from the stovetop and open flames.
- If you decide to deep-fry your turkey, make sure your deep fryer is placed outdoors away from anything that could catch fire.
- Test the batteries in your smoke alarm before Thursday.
- Stay nearby the stove when cooking and never leave the stovetop unattended while the burners are on.
- When cooking, check to make sure you don’t have on any loose clothing that could drag over the flame while stirring or reaching for something.
- Check to make sure all candles have been extinguished after your guests leave.
We hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!