Thanksgiving is the peak time for home cooking fires in the U.S and for food borne illness.
ย โ The two most common days for cooking fires in the United States are Thanksgiving and the day before.ย Cooking causes an average of 158,400 home fires per year, which is 44% of all home fires in the United States.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires withย more than three times the daily average for such incidents compared to other days. Christmas Day and Christmas Eve rank second and third, respectively.
The American Red Cross, Cascades Region, offers safety steps everyone can follow if they will be preparing their familyโs Thanksgiving feast.
โCooking is the leading cause of home fires, home fire injuries and the second leading cause of home fire deaths,โ said Jonathan Seibert, Red Cross Regional Disaster Officer. โMost happen because people leave cooking food unattended. We want everyone to have a safe, enjoyable holiday, soย pleaseย donโt leave the kitchen while youโre cooking.โ
COOKING SAFETY TIPSย Follow these safety tips and visitย redcross.org/fireย for more information, including a fire escape plan to practice with your family.
- Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling
,ย or broiling food. - Use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on.
- Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking.
- Keep kids and pets at least three feet away from cooking areas.
- Keep anything that can catch on fire โ potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, and towels or curtains โ away from your stove top and oven or any other appliance that generates heat.
- Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.
- Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen.
- Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving home to make sure all stoves, ovens and small appliances are turned off.
Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen, on each level of your home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside bedrooms if you sleep with doors closed. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year. If you cannot afford to purchase smoke alarms or are physically unable to install one, the Red Cross may be able to help. Contact yourย local Red Crossย for more information.
HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN SAVES LIVESย Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, working with community partners, has saved at least 2,212 lives by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in high-risk areas across the country. To learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved, visitย redcross.org/homefires.
About the American Red Cross:ย The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nationโs blood and is the primary blood supplier to 65 hospitals throughout Washington and Oregon; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members, and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.ย ย American Red Cross โ Cascades Region
Four steps to aย happy (and healthy) holiday meal
Families,ย friendsย and Thanksgiving guestsย can stayย safe from foodborne germs by practicing four simple steps thisย holiday:ย Clean,ย Separate,ย Cookย andย Chill.
Clean:ย ย Washย hands and surfacesย often
- Wash your handsโฏat least 20 seconds with soap and water before, during and after preparing food, and before eating.
- Always wash hands after handling uncooked meat, turkey and other poultry, seafood, flour, or eggs.
- Wash utensils, cutting boards and countertops with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item.
- Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running water.
Separate:ย Avoid cross contamination
- Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and their juices away from other foods when grocery shopping.
- Keep raw or marinating meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from all other foods at the bottom of the refrigerator; store raw meat, poultry, and seafood in sealed containers or wrap them securely so the juices donโt leak onto other foods.
- Use one cutting board or plate for raw meat, poultry, and seafood and a separate cutting board or plate for produce, bread and other foods that wonโt be cooked.
Cook:ย To the proper temperature
- The only way to tell if food is safely cooked to a temperature that kills germs is to use a foodโฏthermometer. For example, turkey should cook to an internal temperature of 165ยฐF (74ยฐC).
- This chart provides aย detailed list of temperatures and foods, including shellfish andย precooked ham.
Chill:ย Refrigerateย promptly
- Never leave perishable food out for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if exposed to temperatures above 90ยฐF).
- Package warm or hot food in clean, shallow containers and then refrigerate โ it is OK to put small portions of hot food in the refrigerator since they will chill faster.
- If the food is exposed to temperatures above 90ยฐF, like sitting in a hot car or at a picnic, refrigerate it within 1 hour.
- Thaw frozen food safely in the refrigerator, inโฏcold water, or in the microwave โ never thaw food on the counter because bacteria multiply quickly in the parts of the food that reach room temperature.
Check out thisย informative videoย showing how to safely prepare your Thanksgiving meal.
For more information, visitย OHAโs Food Safety web page