| |
 |
| COOK SAFELY |
Nearly two thirds of all domestic
fires happen because of cooking.
That's an awful lot of fires. The
kitchen is the single most dangerous place in your home. |
| The fact is that time and again it's the
same problems that cause fires in kitchens across the country. If you know what
those problems are, the chances you'll have a fire in your kitchen are hugely
reduced. |
| 7,000 reasons to be careful |
| 7,000 people are injured in kitchen fires
each year (and that doesn't include the people who are killed). Don't be one of
them. Know what to do and what not to do in the kitchen. |
| Deep Frying |
| Deep fat frying causes the most common
type of fire. 4,000 people are injured in these kinds of fires each year. Think
about what you're doing when you're deep frying. You're heating several pints
of oil to extremely high temperatures. The oil can not only cause terrible
burns, but it can go up in flames. In fact, it's an ideal fuel for a fire, and
difficult to put out. |
| A few tips: |
| Never fill the pan more than one third
full. |
| Dry food before putting it in (water can
make the oil explode). |
| Test the temperature with a small piece
of bread or potato. If it crisps quickly, the oil is hot enough. |
| If the oil starts to smoke don't put the
food in. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool. |
| Don't ever leave the pan unattended. |
| If there are flames, never throw water
over the pan. It will explode. |
| The safest way to deep fry is to use a
thermostat-controlled electric deep fat fryer. Its thermostat stops it from
overheating. |
| Dealing with a Fire in the
Kitchen |
| The first rule is get out if you're not
sure you can handle the fire. If it's spread from its starting point then it's
almost certainly already too big. |
| But if a pan catches fire: |
| Don't move it (it could give you terrible
burns). |
| Turn off the heat if it's safe to do so -
but never lean over the pan to the controls. |
| Never throw water over it. |
| Run a cloth under the tap, wring it out
carefully, and cover the flaming pan. |
| If you have a fire blanket, put it over
the pan. |
| Don't use a fire extinguisher on a pan
filled with oil. |
| Leave the pan to cool completely. |
| If you can't deal with the fire, close
the door on the way out and call 999. |
| If it's an electrical fire: |
| Pull the plug out or switch off the power
at the fuse box. This may stop the fire immediately. |
| Smother the fire with a fire blanket, or
use a dry powder or carbon dioxide extinguisher. |
| Never use water on it. |
|
|
|