Tips to avoid cooking fires when preparing Thanksgiving feast
MIAMI - Millions of Americans will spend a big portion of Thanksgiving in the kitchen getting the meal ready, but it's important to remember accidents are common this time of year.
"It's about three times as many fires on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year," said Alexander Hoehn-Saric, chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
During the course of the year, there are 165,600 cooking fires on average, according to the CPSC. That leads to an estimated 200 deaths and 3,200 injuries.
Grease or oil in a pan can easily catch fire and trying to put the fire out with water may actually make it much worse.
Fire experts say you want to cover the fire with a lid so it burns itself out.
Deep frying a turkey has become very popular, but it can also be very dangerous. Placing a turkey that hasn't been properly thawed in hot oil can cause an explosion. Accidents with turkey fryers have led to nearly $9.5 million in property damage since 2000, according to the CPSC. Experts say only use fryers in wide open areas and not in a garage or near a home.
"Never overheat the oil. Use an oil with a high smoke point. Never overfill the turkey fryer as well. That can cause splashing and burns if it is overfull," Hoehn-Saric said.
In the kitchen, the CPSC says the best way to prevent fires is to pay attention to what you're doing when cooking and keep anything flammable away from the burners and oven. Also, make sure kids are not near the stove.
