Thanksgiving is a wonderful time filled with food, family, and hazards. From frying turkeys, burns, cuts, and other hazards; the crowded marathon cooking can lead to any number of injuries and property damage. To protect yourself and your home try to be wary of the following risks.
Turkey Hazards
From classic oven baking to smoking the meat, there are many ways to cook your turkey. While most methods of cooking a turkey are safe, deep frying stands out as a potentially dangerous method.
There are several factors that make this specific form of cooking dangerous: turkey fryers tipping, users can overfill the pot with oil and increase the risk of spills, and if left at the improper temperature they can overheat and explode. Read tips on how to properly deep fry your turkey here.
Another danger with turkey is not properly cooking the meat. Most turkeys are large and plump, so cooking the whole bird can take a lot of time. The minimum temperature for a turkey to be safe for consumption is 165 °F according to the USDA, you can check this with a food thermometer at the thickest point of the bird. If you do not have a thermometer, you can pierce the thickest part of the turkey meat and see if liquids run clear. If the juices look pink or red in tone, the turkey is not fully cooked. Undercooking the turkey can lead to salmonella and food poisoning.
Knife Safety
Cooking accidents account for the biggest personal injuries on Thanksgiving. The two most common are burns and hand injuries from mishandling knives. Make sure you are taking your time and practicing safe knife handling skills while carving your turkey. Always be aware of where your hand is in relation to the blade. When placing a knife on a counter or table, always make sure the handle is facing you, making it easier to pick up. Be aware of guests and children when handling a knife. When not in use, knives should be placed somewhere kids cannot reach and guests do not need to be.
Fire Safety
Thanksgiving leads to the holiday season with the most home cooking fires, as there are approximately two to three times more fires on this food-driven holiday than any other day of the year. According to FEMA’s research from 2017 to 2019, Thanksgiving had “an estimated average of 2,300 residential building fires” in the U.S., causing approximately “5 deaths, 25 injuries and $26 million in property loss.”
This is for a multitude of reasons, but the most common reason is of course cooking. According to the same study, 74% of fires on Thanksgiving are related to cooking. There are remarkably simple ways to avoid this disaster.
- Clean your oven: leftover food and spills can catch fire, especially if you are using your oven all day. Making sure you have a clean oven to avoid any unexpected fires.
- Be careful with your dishes: Check and make sure all the dishes and cooking utensils used are heat safe. Using materials that cannot endure high heat can cause fires, melted plastics, and may even explode materials like glass.
- Watch your food: A lot can happen on Thanksgiving, full houses, multiple dishes, football; the holiday is a busy and distracting time. However, do not let that cause one of your dishes to slip through the cracks. Less solid dishes such as pumpkin pie can spill or bubble over and cause fires to start. Unattended dishes can be overcooked and start to burn as well, so make sure you or your sous chefs have an eye on everything.
Slipping and Falling
An unforeseen danger in your kitchen can be spills. Water, oil, alcohol, there is a multitude of liquids getting poured, mixed, and ingested in your busy kitchen. The crowded kitchen is the perfect place for a spill to happen and go completely unnoticed. Running kids and busy adults alike can miss these spills and fall, sometimes with dangerous items like glassware, knives, and hot food. To avoid these, watch your steps, take your time, and clean up the kitchen as you go.
Thanksgivings should be filled with tasty food, good company, and good memories, not hospital trips and disaster! To keep your Thanksgivings drama free, make sure to be safe in the kitchen and focus on the important things you are grateful for.
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