Thanksgiving Cooking Safety Tips

Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

“Unfortunately, every holiday season we see a peak in cooking fires during Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,” said John Murray, chief instructor at the Nassau County Firefighters Museum and Education Center. “Thankfully these tragedies can be avoided if folks just follow a few safety guidelines while cooking in the kitchen.”  

The Nassau County Firefighters Museum and the NFPA offer the following safety guidelines.

Safety Tips:

• Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove or stovetop.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.
• Do not wear loose fitting clothing while cooking.
• The NFPA discourages the use of outdoor gas-fueled turkey fryers that immerse the turkey in hot oil.

If you have a cooking fire:

• Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
• Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you leave.
• If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear way out.
• Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
• For an oven fire turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

The , and all recently hosted Watch the video to the right for more fire safety tips.