Beware of Kitchen Hazards
Here’s a short article brought to me by my favorite home inspector, Pillar to Post. I hope you find it useful!
Preparing a meal in your own kitchen hardly seems dangerous – but statistics show it can be. Here, according to safety experts, are the most common causes of those kitchen-related hospital visits and how you can help prevent them:
1. Knives.
More than half of all kitchen accidents are caused by knives. It’s easier to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp one. You need to use more force, and a dull blade is more likely to slip. To protect yourself, sharpen your knifes frequently. You’ll know a blade is sharp enough when it can slice through the skin of a tomato with barely any pressure.
2. Holding the fingers on your stabilizing hand straight while slicing.
This is dangerous because it exposes your fingertips to the knife. Bend your fingers at the knuckles.
3. Cutting boards that slide on the counter.
To prevent this from happening, place a damp paper towel beneath the board.
4. Damp pot holders.
These are dangerous because they conduct heat instead of shielding you from it. Always have more than one set of pot holders on hand so there will be dry ones ready for you to grab.
5. Cooking in long, loose sleeves.
In a recent five-year period, clothing catching fire during cooking was the most frequent cause of kitchen burns, so be sure to roll up your sleeves or wear short ones.
The kitchen hazard you never heard of: Nonstick pans (such as Teflon and Silverstone) can be dangerous in a surprising way. If accidentally left unattended and allowed to boil dry, these pans can get hot enough after 20 minutes to release enough toxic fumes to make your family and pets sick.
