Experts give Thanksgiving cooking safety tips

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – It’s Thanksgiving week and you may already be thawing your turkey out for the big meal.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, home cooking fires happen most often on Thanksgiving Day.

While many families are having smaller get togethers this year because of COVID-19, there are many other hazards in your home to be aware of.

It’s Thanksgiving Day and you are getting your kitchen ready to start cooking.

Stop and think about some fire safety before you begin.

Julia Wilson, the Edmonson County Agriculture extension agent for family and consumer sciences education, advises you to wear clothing that is safe to cook in.

“You don’t want to wear long sleeves or something with baggy sleeves or a big baggy shirt because those can be a fire hazard working around the stove, so first you want to make sure you wear an outfit that if you lean over you aren’t going to catch your sleeve on fire,” said Wilson.

Never leave the room while a burner on your stove is on and set timers for dishes cooking in the oven.

The biggest danger for a house fire is people putting frozen turkey’s into hot oil.

All turkeys should be fully thawed before frying according to Marlee Boenig with the Bowling Green Fire Department.

“It needs to be outside where it can have air and if it does spill over it, whatever is under it will not catch on fire so put it on the ground, flat surface. Before you put the oil in put your turkey in there, fill it with water to the level that you want the oil to be at, then take the turkey out. Then you will know exactly how much oil to put in there before you put the turkey in,” said Boenig.

Children and pets can become curious while you are cooking and can grab a pot handle or cause you to trip.

Officials advise having a game or show on to entertain small children and shut pets in another room while cooking.

Small cuts and burns happen to the best of us, so be prepared.

“Have a first aid kit just in case. Have it handy and know where it is so that if there is a burn or there is a cut you can treat that quickly and you’re not trying to find that stuff at the very last minute,” said Wilson.

It is also a good idea to keep an eye on candles in the home that you may have burning for longer than usual.