Wear shoes with flat soles to minimize falls and help you stand in a balanced position. Leather uppers with closed toes protect from burns; cloth shoes absorb spilled liquids and prolong burning.
Keep arms and legs covered for protection, and don't wear leggings; they absorb hot liquids spilled on them. It is important to wear clothes that are comfortable and easily cleaned. If you wear a favorite outfit, you won't relax and will find yourself in awkward positions trying to protect your clothes.
Be careful of long dangling jewelry, it can get stuck in kitchen equipment.
It is also important to keep your hair contained, not just to keep it out of prepared foods, but also for your own safety - hair is flammable.
Long nails are dangerous in a kitchen; they harbor germs and interfere with proper knife skills.
Avoid reaching over the stovetop when cooking and watch your sleeves.
Handle your knives properly:
Keep knives sharp.
Be alert when using a knife; don't get careless or distracted.
Never cut towards yourself; always cut away from yourself.
Don't hold food in your hand to cut it - keep it on a cutting board.
Use the correct knife for the job; i.e. Chef's knife for chopping, bread knife for breads and tomatoes, paring knife for peeling and small work.
Never put your guiding hand on the end of the knife blade for extra leverage; some people might do this when cutting cheese.
Never leave knives in the sink.
Never put knives in the dishwasher.
When walking with a knife, hold it with the side loosely pressed against your thigh.
Don't store knives loose in drawer.
Don't try to catch falling knives.
Preventing burns:
Always have kitchen towels, hot pads, or oven mitts readily accessible.
Never use a damp towel to hold a hot pot or pan.
Be cautious with steam; don't look into a hot pot when opening the lid, and let steam subside first.
Saute or fry foods with high water content carefully; step back when submerging pieces into oil as the water content will cause the oil to spit and splatter.
When sauteing, put item in slowly, starting with end nearest yourself and slowly lower the item away from you.
Keep pan handles turned in and out of the path of people walking by.
Don't carry pots with hot oil; let oil return to room temperature before transporting.
Have a small fire extinguisher and a first aid kit readily accessible. Also make sure that
smoke detectors are placed throughout your house.
Keep curtains, potholders, towels, and any other combustibles away from cooking areas.
Electrical appliances:
Dry hands before unplugging appliances.
Don't pull on cords to unplug.
Don't keep appliances next to a water source.
Have all frayed cords repaired by an electrician.
Keep appliance cords as short as possible to avoid accidents such as tripping or knocking
the appliance over.
Don't plug too many items into one outlet.
When processing hot liquids in a blender (such as sauces and soups), make sure the blender's lid is back on, then cover the lid with a towel and your hand, before proceeding to blend. Also, do not fill the blender more than half-way.
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