Gobble Up Safety On Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is a day of gratitude, family, friends, and, of course, food! Safety in the kitchen is important, especially on Turkey Day –the leading day for home cooking fires!

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates an average of 1,800 cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving Day each year;  three times the number on any other day of the year. And, cooking fires are the number one cause of residential fires.

Turkey Day is almost here. Are you ready to gobble up …safety?

Follow these TIPS:

• Never leave food on the stove or in the oven unattended.
• Avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing and long sleeves that can easily catch fire while cooking.
• Keep children away from the cooking area; watch them closely if they insist on being mini chefs.
• Keep flammable items like potholders and paper or plastic bags away from the stove and oven.
• Turn pan handles toward the back of the stove to prevent accidental knock overs.
• Make sure you have a working smoke alarm on each level of the home, and inside and outside bedrooms.

Also, keep safety in mind when using a turkey fryer. A TURKEY FRYER can go from start to fire in less than a minute. CPSC’s demo shows how fast this can happen.

CPSC staff is aware of 216 fire or scald/burn incidents involving turkey fryers that occurred in the last two decades (between 1998 and 2018.) These incidents resulted in 81 injuries and more than $9.7 million in property loss.

If putting some yummy in your tummy includes frying a turkey, do it ONLY OUTSIDE and AWAY from your home. Away from your home means NOT inside your garage or on your porch. Do not overfill the oil in the turkey fryer, and always keep an eye on the bird when it is in the fryer.

Let your Thanksgiving Day be full of thanks, and make sure you gobble up safety!