Safety in the kitchen urged on Thanksgiving

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Busy home cooks are being urged to take extra care in the kitchen on Thanksgiving.

Cooking is the number one cause of building fires in Minnesota, according to the State Fire Marshal. Thanksgiving is associated with more home cooking fires than any other day of the year.

"You're cooking more food than normal, you've got more people than normal in your house, people are running around, you've got lots of things to do and it's easy to get distracted," said Jason Viana, a preparedness manager with the American Red Cross - Northern Minnesota Region. "When you're cooking you need to always make sure that you're focused on what you're doing."

Cooks should take a few simple precautions, Viana added. They should always stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or broiling food and keep children and pets away from cooking areas.

Cooking surfaces should also be cleaned to cut the risk of grease fires. Turkey fryers should only be used outside, away from the house, deck and garage, he said.

The number of home cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day is three-times the average of fires per day, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Grease fires are a particular problem. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, the fire protection group says cooks should "smother the flames by carefully sliding a lid over the pan (make sure you are wearing the oven mitt). Turn off the burner. Do not move the pan. To keep the fire from restarting, do not remove the lid until it is completely cool. Never pour water on a grease fire."

Cooks should turn off burners when no one is in the kitchen and make sure there's a fire extinguisher handy, Viana said.