Thanksgiving Electric Safety
Thanksgiving is almost here! Travel plans, extended family, and busy kitchens are probably taking up your thoughts and time. As you prepare to nurture gratitude with your family this Thanksgiving, make sure you’re keeping them safe during the meal preparation.
Over 2,000 residential fires occur on Thanksgiving Day, mostly originating in the kitchen, as reported by the United States Fire Administration. Follow KREMC’s food prep safety tips during your Thanksgiving cooking.
- Make sure each smoke alarm in your house is up to date. They should be installed in every bedroom, outside every sleeping area, and on each level of your home. To keep your smoke alarms effective, remember to test their batteries every month and replace them annually.
- Design an efficient escape route through your house and help your entire family learn the route well. If your Thanksgiving meal prep was to start a fire, even your extended family and visiting friends should know how to exit the house safely.
- Before you begin the cooking process, clean every surface of your kitchen so that spilled grease or collected dust doesn’t put your kitchen at risk of a fire.
- Don’t abandon your meal prep! If you’re helping in the kitchen tomorrow, it will be easy to feel distracted by all the time-sensitive tasks you have to accomplish before the family gets hungry. Don’t rush through your cooking process, no matter how much there is to be done. Make sure you don’t leave any cooking equipment unattended because you could be creating a fire hazard. If you need to move to another task, have someone else take over for you.
- Thanksgiving meal preparation can feel stressful at times, especially when the potatoes get left on the back of the stove or the turkey is forgotten in the oven. There’s a greater risk than missing a part of your Thanksgiving feast, though. Forgotten food could start a fire if the oven is left on long enough or a burner doesn’t get switched off in time. To prevent this (and to make sure everything gets on the table), set a timer for each dish that goes in the oven or sits on the stove. It may also be helpful to plan the order of your meal prep ahead of time, so you always know what food is where, and what electric appliances are being used.
- In addition to fire prevention, we also want to help you stay safe from burns in the kitchen. If you have children moving in and out of the cooking space, or helping with the preparation, stay attentive to their whereabouts and make sure they know what appliances in the kitchen could burn them. To protect you and your family from burns, use oven mitts whenever necessary, choose a back burner whenever possible, and wear sleeves that don’t fall beyond the wrist to help prevent fires when you’re working around the stove or oven.
- If you’re using appliances like hand mixers, coffee makers, or toasters, plug them in an outlet that’s away from the sink so you’re not creating electrical hazards. To ensure safety throughout the day, unplug electric appliances as soon as you’re finished using them. The outlets in your kitchen should always be Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter-protected.
When the turkey is ready to be carved and each dish is on the table, steaming with autumnal herbs and sauces, you’re ready to feast! Kosciusko REMC wishes your family safe cooking and a bountiful Thanksgiving meal. Right before you join the family around the table, check each electric appliance in the kitchen to ensure you won’t be returning to a kitchen fire after the meal. Happy Thanksgiving from KREMC!
Further reading:
Electric Safety Tips for Your Home Office
How to Stay Warm in Winter and Keep Your Electric Bill Low