Cooking Fire Safety | Travelers Insurance (2024)

FAQs

Cooking Fire Safety | Travelers Insurance? ›

First, when cooking, never leave the cooking area unattended. Don't cook when tired, drowsy, or under the influence of alcohol or medication. Avoid wearing loose clothing that might drop over or onto a heat source. A circular shape appears on the screen with a person in it who appears be asleep.

Stay in the kitchen while you're frying, grilling, boiling or broiling food. If you have to leave the room—even for just a moment—turn off the stove. Keep your cooking area free of combustible materials. Keep anything that can catch fire, such as food packaging, oven mitts and towels, away from your stovetop.

Cooking is a Leading Cause of Home Fires. Cooking related fires are the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries and 47 percent of them start as the result of cooking equipment left unattended, according the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA).

Turn Off the Oven and Wait

What you can do to extinguish the fire is to remove the heat source. Turn off the oven and let it cool down as much as possible when a fire is inside it. With no more power and limited oxygen, the fire will eventually dwindle. Wait until the fire completely dies out.

Keep combustible items such as tea towels and paper towels at least one metre away from cooking and heat sources. Make sure kitchen appliances are clean and in good working order. Keep a fire extinguisher or fire blanket stored within easy reach but away from the cooking area.

While any household appliance could, theoretically, cause a fire, these are the most common culprits: Cooking ranges. Stoves are an obvious culprit when it comes to house fires. The most common causes are human error or electrical or mechanical problems inside the stove itself.

The No. 1 cause of all cooking fires is leaving the stove unattended. Because cooking is something that is done daily, it's easy to forget how dangerous it is to heat grease or oil at a high temperature. People oftentimes walk away from a hot stove “just for a minute” — and that “minute” can turn deadly.

Cooking. Unattended cooking is listed as the number one cause of residential fires. Here are a few proven tips to help reduce the risk of starting a fire while cooking: Never leave your stove unattended when cooking.

The 4 Cs are essentially a useful acronym / mnemonic device that highlights the four key areas of food hygiene that can help prevent the most common food safety problems such as foodborne illnesses. According to the Food Standards Agency, the four Cs are Cleaning, Cooking, Cross Contamination and Chilling.

What is the Danger Zone in cooking? ›

Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone."

Turn Off the Heat: Immediately turn off the burner where the fire is located. This stops the fuel source from feeding the flames. Cover with a Lid: If it's safe to do so, carefully place a lid over the burning pan. This helps smother the flames by cutting off their oxygen supply.

Reheating food that has become contaminated will not make it safe – When in doubt, throw it out! Food in cans, jars, bottles, and other permeable containers may appear to be okay, but if they have been close to the heat of a fire, they may no longer be safe. Heat from a fire can activate food spoilage bacteria.

Discard all food that has been near a fire. Food exposed to fire can be damaged by the heat of the fire, smoke fumes, and fire-fighting chemicals. These fumes and chemicals cannot be washed off. These include: • Foods stored outside of the refrigerator, such as bread, fruits, and vegetables.

Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the spread and impact of a fire.

Cooking Safety Tips

Always stay in the kitchen while using the stove. Turn off the stove if you leave the room. Designate a “kids-free zone” that is at least 3 feet away from the stove. Always turn pot handles toward the back of the stove and use the back burners whenever possible. Roll up sleeves before cooking.

Don't allow kids to roast hot dogs or marshmallows without supervision. Also, make sure the cooking tool is long enough so kids can stand at a safe distance from the fire. Don't ever leave a campfire unattended. If you're ready to leave, put out the fire completely using a fire extinguisher, water, or dirt.