Kitchen Safety 101: How to Prevent Cuts, Burns, and Other Injuries

• Don't let flammable things sit near an open flame or heat source, such as fat or cooking oil, paper or packaging, or aerosol spray cans.
• Don’t leave food on the stove or in the oven unattended—set timers to help you remember when to check on the food.
• Know where your fire suppressant materials, such as baking soda, are. Ensure your fire extinguisher is in working order.

Learning the best way to handle knives is the easiest way to avoid cutting yourself.

• Learn basic knife skills.
• Never cut toward yourself.
• Ensure you are using the appropriate knife for each job.
• Wash knives with blades facing away from you.
• Knives should be kept clean and dry in storage, with the blades protected, not loose within a drawer.
• Don’t walk with knives pointing out—hold it at your side, pointing down.
• Don’t leave a knife dangling over the edge.
• Never leave a knife in the sink with other dishes. It is bad for the blade and increases your chance of an injury.

Mandolines are slicing tools designed for speed and accuracy. They’re also exceptionally adept at cutting off fingertips.

Use the handguard or wear a metal mesh glove when using a mandoline. Get comfortable leaving that last nub of carrot, fennel, or union unsliced—you can always save it for stock.

The stovetop

• Never leave a burner on high heat unattended.
• Never walk away from oil or sugar as it's heating.
• If you’re making something that needs to cook for a long time at a low temperature, set a timer so you remember to check it often.
• Don’t leave the gas on for longer than 10 seconds if it’s not lighting. Turn it off briefly to allow it to disperse before trying again.

Pots and pans

• Always keep a potholder handy.
• Open lids away from you, and watch out for steam when doing so.
• Always use a folded up kitchen towel or pot holder when grabbing something hot.

While cooking

Don’t drop your food into the oil from as far away as possible. Instead, lower food into hot oil as close to the oil's surface as possible and away from you. Keep in mind that the oil level will rise when you add ingredients. Oil can quickly catch on fire if it overflows out of your pan.

While baking, roasting or using the broiler

• Position your oven shelves prior to heating the oven.
• Watch your wrists and forearms when reaching into and out of the oven.
• When baking pies or cakes, bake them over a lined sheet tray to avoid letting anything drip onto the bottom of your oven.