While spending time in the kitchen can be great for helping you learn how to be a better cook, it can also open you up to all kinds of injuries if you’re not careful. Because so many things in the kitchen can be considered dangerous, it’s vital that you know how to reduce the chances of something bad happening while you’re working in the kitchen, especially if you have people in your home that might be particularly vulnerable.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three simple ways to make your kitchen a safer place.
Rethink Your Cooktop
Being in the act of cooking on the stovetop can be one of the most dangerous things that happens in a kitchen. Especially if you have multiple things cooking on multiple cooktops at the same thing, it can be easy to be moving too fast to keep yourself and others safe from things like burns or fires,
One thing you can do to reduce the chances of things like this happening is to update your current stovetop with one that has all of the burners in a row and has the knobs for the cooktop on the front or the side rather than on the back of the stove. By getting an appliance with these changes, you won’t have to reach over a hot burner or cookware to reach anything else. This can save you from getting burned while cooking.
Be Fire Ready
With all the high temperatures that you need to be working with in order to cook in the kitchen, the risk of fires is pretty great. And while you can take precautions to try to avoid fires, it’s also good to have a plan for how you’ll react if and when a fire does happen.
First, you’ll need to know how to respond to different types of fires. For example, you never want to throw water on a grease fire or an electric fire. Knowing this, you should plan to keep things like baking soda and a fire extinguisher handy so that you can use them at a moment’s notice.
Choose Cookware Based On Your Age
The cookware that you choose to use can also play a big role in how safe your kitchen can be. Because of this, you should base the cookware you use on the ages of the people using them.
For small children or older adults in assisted living facilities, you should avoid using cookware or tableware that’s too heavy or can easily break, as this could cause injuries. Keeping sharp knives in easy to reach places should also be avoided if you have children in your kitchen frequently.
If you want your kitchen to be a safe place for anyone in your family to be cooking in, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you make this a reality.