Cooking is an invaluable (and delicious!) skill to learn. With practice, you can learn to cook all the appetizers, entrees, and desserts you love, right from the comfort of your own kitchen!
That said, spending time in the kitchen doesn’t come without its share of hazards. And without a few cooking safety tips to lean on along the way, you could be putting yourself and your loved ones in danger.
Luckily, practicing kitchen safety is easier than you might think. Read on to learn how to stay safe in the kitchen no matter what you’re cooking!
- Wash Your Hands Often
One of the most crucial aspects of kitchen safety is maintaining a high level of personal hygiene. Washing your hands before and after cooking helps to keep you and your kitchen sanitary while preventing food-borne illnesses.
In addition, always remember to wash your hands after handling raw meats or eggs, even if you’re still cooking.
- Use More Than One Cutting Board
The worst part about cooking is the clean-up afterward. However, while no one wants to use more dishes than necessary, it’s essential to use at least two cutting boards while cooking: one for fruits, vegetables, and bread, the other for meat, poultry, and seafood.
Using the same cutting board for everything increases your risk of salmonella and other diseases.
If you absolutely have to use the same board for both, start with your fruits and vegetables, then scrub your cutting board with soap and hot water. Only after your board has been washed and dried should you switch to meats and poultry.
- Practice Pan Safety
As a home chef, you rarely cook one dish at a time. Even small family dinners require using more than one pan per meal! With all the movement happening in the kitchen, it’s all too easy to bump into something and send it clattering to the floor.
And while there’s no reason to cry over spilled milk, spilling boiling water or simmering soup is a bit more serious, as it can easily cause injury. To minimize the risk of this happening, ensure that your panhandles are pointed toward the stovetop’s center rather than outward.
- Sharpen Your Knives
A key aspect of kitchen safety is familiarizing yourself with your kitchen utensils; most importantly, your knives. A common misconception regarding knives is that the sharper they are, the more dangerous they become. However, the opposite is actually true!
A dull knife is more likely to slip and cause injury. To keep yourself safe and your stunning Messermeister knives in good condition, invest in a knife sharpener and use it before and after each use.
- Know How to Extinguish a Fire
Out of all the cooking tips to learn, how to extinguish a fire should take top priority. Cooking fires cause an average of $1 billion in property damage per year, not to mention thousands of injuries.
Kitchen fires are a bit different from other common types in that they can’t be extinguished with water. Grease fires, for example, should be covered to be kept under control.
To increase the safety of your kitchen, always keep a fire extinguisher close at hand and familiarize yourself with how to use it.
Cook With Care Using These Cooking Safety Tips
As you can see, staying safe in the kitchen is simple. By familiarizing yourself with your tools and using them correctly, you’ll greatly reduce the risk of injury to yourself and damage to your kitchen.
Now that you have some cooking safety tips to follow, you’re ready to start cooking! Take a look at our blog to learn how to craft mouthwatering dishes and run your kitchen like a professional chef.
