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Store knives in a wooden block or in a drawer. Make sure the knives are out of the reach of children. Follow these knife safety tips to prevent injury.
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Never cook in loose clothes and keep long hair tied back. You don’t want anything accidentally catching fire (not to mention hair ending up in the food!).
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Never cook while wearing dangling jewelry. A bracelet can get tangled around pot handles.
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Keep potholders nearby and use them! Be careful not to leave them near an open flame.
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Turn pot handles away from the front of the stove. Children can’t grab them, and adults can’t bump into them if they’re out of the way.
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Don’t let temperature-sensitive foods sit out in the kitchen. Raw meat, fish, and certain dairy products can spoil quickly, so refrigerate or freeze them right away.
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Wipe up spills immediately. Keep the floor dry so that no one slips and falls.
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Separate raw meat and poultry from other items whenever you use or store them. This precaution avoids cross-contamination of harmful bacteria from one food to another.
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Wash your hands before handling food and after handling meat or poultry. Hands can be a virtual freight train of bacteria.
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Get a fire extinguisher for your kitchen. This device may not do much for your cherries jubilee, but it can avert a disaster. You should do your best to prevent a kitchen fire, but sometimes it’s out of your hands. So, make sure you know how to use the extinguisher before a fire breaks out. You can’t waste any time reading the directions amidst the flames.