Rosie on the House: Follow safety guidelines to avoid cooking disasters – Green Valley News

The holiday cooking season has kicked off. According to the National Fire Prevention Association, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.

Holiday meals are not the best time to try a recipe for the first time. Work a recipe in advance to find out how complicated it will be, time involved, cooking accouterments, and how it tastes.

Never walk away from an active stove.

Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.

If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, dont use the stove or stovetop.

Stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling, boiling or broiling food.

Check food regularly and use a timer.

Keep anything that can catch fire oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains away from your stovetop.

Vegetable oil by itself is not flammable. However, once it reaches a flashpoint around 600 degrees F, it releases vapors that can catch fire and burn intensely. Autoignition can occur when the oil reaches a temperature of about 700 degrees F.

Heat the oil slowly to the temperature you need for frying or sauting.

If you see wisps of smoke or the oil smells, immediately turn off the burner and carefully remove the pan. Smoke is a danger sign that the oil is too hot.

Add food gently to the pot or pan so the oil does not splatter.

Keep a lid nearby when youre cooking to smother small grease fires.

In Case of a Cooking Fire

Get out! Close the door behind you to help contain the fire.

Call 9-1-1 after you get outside to a safe area.

If you fight the fire, be sure others are getting out of the house and you have a clear way out. (See below regarding fire extinguishers.)

Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled. Do not remove the cover because the fire could start again. Let the pan completely cool.

For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed, If the fire does not go out or you dont want to fight it, get everyone out of the house. Call 9-1-1 when you are outside.

NEVER Use Water On a Grease Fire. Water contains a lot of oxygen. Instead of cooling down the fire, youll have powered it up.

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NEVER Attempt to Move The Burning Pot/Pan Outside. The burning oil could spill, burning you and other flammable objects.

Never Swat The Fire With A Towel or Apron

Youll be fanning and spreading the flame. The material could catch fire. Do not to place a wet cloth over a grease fire, it will only charge it.

Fire Extinguisher: Keep an extinguisher in the kitchen. Tom Louis (ret.), Green Valley Fire District Battalion Chief and now Business Development Analyst with Emergency Reporting, notes that is very important to look at the UL rating on the extinguisher. A and B ratings are for home use. The number that accompanies the letter is the expected square footage the fire can handle. For example, a 10B rated extinguisher can cover roughly 10 square feet.

Louis recommends Tundra Fire Extinguishing Spray. This is a great extinguisher for older homeowners because it is so light at easy to use.

Hood Canisters: Hood canisters will protect a stovetop from grease fires. The tuna can-sized canisters are magnetically attached under the hood or microwave and deploy automatically when the flames from a cooking fire make contact with the fuse on the underside of the canister. The canisters open and drop a fine, dry powder over the flames below, suppressing the fire. Canisters cost between $56 to $200 and can be found at the hardware store.

Cook Top Systems: Mounted under the hood, an alarm will sound when the heat gets too hot. If the heat is not reduced and fire erupts, the system will immediately deploy and, if it is connected to a security system, alert the fire department. City permits and inspection are required. Products and installation of the system generally run less than $2,000.

After a fire, hire a reputable appliance repair company to inspect the appliance to ensure it is safe to use.

For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert since 1988, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8 to 11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and from 7 to 10 a.m. on KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.

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Rosie on the House: Follow safety guidelines to avoid cooking disasters - Green Valley News