Thanksgiving Cooking Tips

Whether you are hosting the whole ohana for Thanksgiving or going to someone’s house you will more than likely be cooking some traditional holiday dishes. According to the Hawaii Chapter of the Red Cross, Thanksgiving Day is one of the most common days for kitchen fires and cooking related accidents. Use some of the tips discussed below to reduce the risk of accidents during food preparation and ensure that you have the best Thanksgiving possible.

• Never leave cooking unattended.

This may go without saying for some, but unattended cooking is the number one cause for kitchen fires. If you must leave the room even for a couple minutes, do yourself a favor and have someone else watch the stove or turn it off altogether.

• Keep your kitchen clean, especially around the stove.

Working in a clean kitchen will not only make cooking easier and more relaxed, but it will also keep dangerous fire hazards away from hot surfaces.

• Don’t wear loose clothing while cooking.

We would suggest waiting the change into your Thanksgiving best until after you are done cooking. Dangling sleeves and loose clothing are easily caught in things and often get stained during food preparation.

• Keep young children out of the kitchen.

This may depend on how cautious your children are around hot surfaces, but it’s always good to keep them at least a few feet away from the oven or out of the kitchen altogether. Thanksgiving Day will be much less enjoyable if you child gets an injury during cooking.

• Work with low to medium heat.

Trouble usually starts in the kitchen when the burner is set to too high a temperature and whatever you are trying to cook starts burning. Work with low to medium heat and if you need a burner to be especially hot, make sure you are watching it closely.

• Have a fire extinguisher ready.

Having this one tool around even if you don’t have to use it can give you substantial peace of mind. Most kitchen fires quickly get out of control because the proper safety equipment isn’t available.

• Use timers to remind yourself of cooking times.

If one or several items are in the oven, use timers on the stove or on your phone to ensure nothing gets burnt.

• Double check the kitchen appliances before leaving.

In the chaos of food preparation, it can be easy to forget that a burner is still hot, or the oven has been left on. Before you leave the room after you finish cooking double check the appliances to make sure everything is off.

We hope you use these tips to help keep you and your family safe this Thanksgiving. If you ever have any questions about Maui real estate or how to purchase a property here, be sure to contact the Smith Team. Happy Thanksgiving!

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