An Ounce Of Prevention. Safety First This Holiday Season

It is easy to take safety in the kitchen for granted.  You get comfortable doing what you always do and suddenly there's a fire, a issue with cleanliness or a cut from a sharp knife etc.  All it takes is one minute of lost focus and accidents can happen.
Here's a few tips and tricks you should be aware of while busy preparing your holiday meals.
*  Keep cold water running in the sink while you pour hot water from a pot of vegetables.  It prevents the steam from scalding your hands.
*  Don't let oil heat to the smoking point.  It may ignite.  It also makes food taste bitter and irritates your eyes.
*  Sharp knives should be kept in plain view in wooden holders - but out of reach of young children - instead of among other utensils in the drawer.
*  When broiling meat, place a few pieces of dry bread in the broiler pan to soak up dripping fat.  This not only eliminates smoking fat but also reduces the chance that the fat will catch fire.
BURNS:
*  To help relieve pain from minor burns and reduce swelling of minor bumps and bruises, keep clean, damp sponges in your freezer.  When you burn or bruise yourself, apply a frozen sponge to the affected area.
*  Soothe a minor kitchen burn by rubbing it gently with the cut surface of a cold raw potato.
*  To relieve painful burns on hands, dissolve a few aspirin tablets in a bowl of cool water and soak.
FIRE:
*  Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over grease flare-up or blazing broiler.  If fire is snuffed out quickly, a partially burned steak could still be edible after the soda is rinsed off.
*  Never use flour as an extinguisher.
*  If fire is in your oven, immediately turn off heat and close the oven door.  Shutting off the air supply will smother the fire.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderfully Happy New Year.
Steve & Kim