Recipe for a Safe Kitchen this Holiday Season

Did y’all know that cooking is THE number one reason for home fires and injuries? I have repeatedly shared with y’all the importance of having a smoke alarm in your home but another safety item that is essential, is a fire extinguisher. And well, the kitchen is the perfect place to keep one handy.

I feel like people who don’t make time to take the precautions to protect their home, are the same ones who have the mindset, “it won’t happen to me” or “I’ll be able to take care of a fire before it gets out of hand”. It’s a dangerous mindset and why take the chance? The winter months are the deadliest season for home fires and most fatal home fires happen in homes with no smoke alarm or no working alarm. It takes no time to set up a smoke alarm and place a fire extinguisher in a good place.

Here is my #recipeforsafety:

Install smoke and CO alarms. If you have one that is a thousand years old, you know, that came with the house, then chances are, it doesn’t even work properly, if at all. Kidde alarms are super easy to setup and use, and their battery life rocks, along with the other cool features!
Place a Kidde Fire Extinguisher in a safe, accessible spot in your kitchen. Under the sink counter, attached the door, is a great place for it.
Cook with caution! Don’t leave your kitchen if you’re frying, broiling, or grilling. Be sure to keep all mitts, food packaging, and towels away from your cooking areas. It’s really easy to lay a mitt down by the stove and that’s a big NO-NO!
Don’t panic! When you have a small grease fire, smother the flames by placing a lid on it and turning off the burner or use your fire extinguisher. But if, at any point, you have doubts about getting the fire out, YOU GET OUT and call 911.

Also, Truett loves to help in the kitchen so before we cook together, I explain rules and I never leave his side. If you are cooking but don’t plan to have kids cook, try to create a kid-free zone so that the little ones aren’t running around you and the stovetop or oven. Honestly, a simple paper airplane landing in the cooking area can cause a fire….and we have a lot of paper airplanes flying around here!

I also use wooden spoons when cooking, hence the name of my food blog, so I’m always extra careful because they can also catch on fire and with our gas stove, it makes for even more reason for me to be cautious. We haven’t experienced any fire scares in the kitchen or home but I’d like to think it’s because we do take so many precautions. Do you guys have a recipe for safety? Have y’all had any fire scares in your home throughout the year or during the holiday cooking season? If so, what happened and how did you handle it? Let me know! I wanna hear your stories.

I always share the Kidde safety products with you guys because I know they work and more importantly, they care about your safety. They truly do and I’m lucky to be able to partner with them. I love when I find companies like that, don’t you? If you get a chance, check Kidde out on Facebook. They’re always sharing statistics that blow me away and occasionally fire disasters that make as an important reminder to make your home safe. It can happen to anyone! I’ve seen families in our own community lose everything due to cooking, heater, and Christmas tree light fires. Don’t NOT do something to help protect your home y’all.

May you be blessed with the abundance of love, happiness, & safety this holiday season!!