BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 03 - 12:09 AM

Just so long as you consider one of my favorite ingredients--garlic--non-toxic!

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Rapparee
Date: 03 Mar 03 - 09:12 PM

The best cooking tip I ever had I learned myself:

Non-toxic in, non-toxic out. It might not taste like much, but it won't kill you.

Naturally, this doesn't apply to chemistry labs, etc., but only to "normal" kitchens.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 09:43 PM

Three little tips: Buy and use a basting bulb to remove hot grease from pans. Got this tip from my sister, who learned in nursing school that many bad burns would have been prevented by a simple basting bulb.

Buy and use a collander for draining boiling water.

Watch out for pieces of plastic wrap which fall on the floor and can cause falls because they are unnoticeable and slippery.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 06:57 PM

The GFCI plugs are next to the sink, where most of our cooking activity takes place.

The appliance that I liked but the movers broke a couple of years ago was my food processor. The safety latch on the lid that had to push into the motor housing in order to turn it on was broken off when they dropped the box. I wasn't able to order another lid, but finally figured out that I could shove a narrow piece of bamboo into the same slot and operate the processor. I don't think this is TOO unsafe, because you can't walk away from it and leave it running, you have to stand with it for it to run. This probably comes under the heading of necessity (and no replacement budget) being the mother of invention.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: SINSULL
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 04:53 PM

When you are remembering not to put the knives in the dishwater and then go answer the phone, make a mental note NOT to do the same with the Cuisinart blade.
Mary, with the numb finger tip.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: gnu
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 04:17 PM

Well, I wouldn't put all my kitchen circuits on GFCI's, but it is the second safest way to go (actually, third, if you consider human monitoring number one, which it is). The next generation above GFCI has to do with arc protection.... anyway... for those of you with a mind for safety in the home, try this... www.inspect-ny.com

It's one of the best sites dealing with residential safety issues. I have saved lives with the info I gleaned from ol' Dan.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 04:16 PM

Lack of a circuit interrupter in old appliances is another reason not to buy old stuff at the thrift and flea markets, unless you are savvy enough to update them yourself.

Our alarms are tied into a security service; a 'phone should be handy to the kitchen in order to to report false alarms.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: CarolC
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 03:56 PM

Glad to hear it, Stilly River Sage. I agree with you. I think we should all let Joe be the one to decide which threads should or should not be consolidated or deleted.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 03:22 PM

I put GFCI plugs in all of my kitchen plugs wit the remodel, as well as in the bathrooms. (We have one unintended redundancy because there is also a GF breaker out in the box in the back yard that serves the bathrooms). And many appliances, such as hair dryers, now come with their own GFCI unit in the cord. It would be a great idea on things like crock pots.

I always used to put heavy duty foil on the bottom of my oven--they even make a roll of the stuff that is wider and heavier and meant for the bottoms of ovens. Learn something new every day. (I have just been too lazy to put it in the latest oven. Which is apparently just as well).

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 03:06 PM

The one thing that most people seem to ignore is the hazard or electrical appliances. Any outlet that you use in the kitchen, be it for a crock pot, toaster, electrical skillet or whatever, should have a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI or GFI) in the circuit. If you have a short, this will break the circuit quickly. This is especially true if the outlet is anywhere near the sink.

I am surprised that the electrician did not mention this as it is now a part of the code in many areas.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 02:49 PM

I don't start threads often, so it was well-considered that this might reign in future cooking topics to the existing ones. Joe is welcome to lump it in with others if he deems it necessary.

Rick, be sure not to burn yourself, in addition to not burning your house! When you're trying your deep frying, be sure to wear cotton clothing--in case of a fire or a spark it just smolders, it doesn't burst into rapid flame like a lot of others. Before Nomex (those yellow shirts and pants) forest fire fighters always wore cotton clothing on the job.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 02:18 PM

Well I'll tell ya...spilling all that hot lard was bad enough, but I swear, had I HAD a FIRE, I'm sure I would have panicked.

Yes, I've found the extinguisher, but I MIGHT NOT have been able to find it in a panic situation. Heather's dad almost burned his house down a few years ago after a kitchen accident, and it scared the crap out of us over here.

Sometimes I'm pretty smart, and sometimes I'm so stupid I can hardly BELIEVE IT!

I will NOT leave the kitchen when something's deep-frying.

Cheers, and thanks for startin' the thread.

Rick

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: CarolC
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 12:59 PM

Correction: "multiple non-music threads on the same topic that are running at the same time"

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: CarolC
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 12:58 PM

I'm having some difficulty keeping my mouth shut here, Stilly River Sage, in view of your quite vocal stance about what should be done with multiple non-music threads that are running at the same time. But in the interest of peace, I'll keep it to myself.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 10:26 AM

Never meant to make it a big deal, Peg, just a link back to the other list. Probably should have linked instead back to Rick's description of lard running all over his stove and kitchen floor!

I'd add to Mary's list to never store anything in the oven. And even if you never store anything in the oven, still remember to look in before turning it on. I use a pizza stone every so often, and while it doesn't hurt anything to leave it in there when I'm baking other stuff, I don't want to set a cold pan on the hot stone and possibly crack it, so have to sometimes take it out to cool on top before putting whatever I was going to bake into the oven.

When I had work done on the house last summer the electrician talked about the fire code--smoke detectors required in the bedrooms, battery and electric, but no such code for near the kitchen. I have a battery operated smoke detector in the laundry room next to the kitchen, figuring this is close enough that if a real fire should start I'd hear it quickly, but it won't go off just because the oil smokes on the skillet before putting something in it to cook.


SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Allan C.
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 08:47 AM

Use oven mits or "hot pads" every time you need to move a heated pan or dish. It is far better to use the protection and to discover that perhaps it was unnecessary than to burn your hands or to drop the whole thing onto your floor. A young novice cook (who shall remain nameless) learned this lesson the hard way after burning a hole in the linoleum floor and burning some fingers.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 08:09 AM

Or to be totally safe, eat out a lot!!!

I've worked in several kitchens for a total of 8 years professionally, and at home since I was about 10, and never had a serious accident that wasn't sheer stupidity - idiots leaving knives in the bottom of washing up water, or overloading the cupboards so that the heaviest or most fragile thing is at the front and falls out onto your foot or head.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: gnu
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 07:29 AM

Never use aluminum foil in an electric oven to catch slpatter from pizzas or anything else. Use an oversized pan. The problem is that the foil or bits of foil may contact the element. This leads to degradation of the element and eventual "burning through" which results in arcing. Just like an arc welder, and dangerous. I speak from experience.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Peg
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 01:49 AM

stilly river, ENOUGH already! I would not have blown myself to bits, for pete's sake, and actually know a fair amount about fire safety, having been a camper for many years. I do admit I don't know why the person who told me flour was okay for fires said so if it wasn't true, and I was just a child at the time and would not have known the difference, but like I said, it worked. You can quit making such a big deal out of it.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: mg
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 01:26 AM

my landlady taught me something...get everything off the stove top..all pots etc..that way if you leave a burner on there is nothing to catch fire...and she would go "off, off, off, off" as she checked each burner.

Get appliances with automatic shutoffs. Like irons etc. Crockpots make me nervous leaving them all day but I suppose they must be reasonably safe.

Have both kinds of smoke alarms..battery and electric in case you forget the batteries. Also one does better in some kind of fire and the other in the other kind.

Have a fire extinguisher handy.

Basically, try not to fry stuff. That is where the fires mostly start. If you have a forgetful person cooking, limit them to microwaves unless someone is there to watchdog.

Lots of bad bugs around. Use only dishwasher safe cutting boards if you use a dishwasher. Otherwise bleach and sanitize after any meat especially. If you aren't a good housekeeper, get a dishwasher, perhaps a portable 3/4 size one..I have one and I love it (don't of course conclude I am a bad housekeeper!).

Teach your children how to cook early on...healthy salads, stews etc.so you can get out of the kitchen and they will have necessary skills.

mg

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 01:11 AM

Nope, Gargoyle (have you taken your meds this week? You seem crankier than usual), just providing a link between the various successful cooking threads.

But I see it made you look!

Subject: RE: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 01:03 AM

You are a sick puppy - riding on the coat-tails of succesful thread.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: BS: 'Catter's Kitchen-Cooking Tips & Safety
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 03 - 12:55 AM

Okay, Rick, I'll start here:

General Kitchen Safety.

Fire Kills. If you go look at the page on Deep Frying it tells you good stuff like "don't fill the pan more than 1/3 full of oil."

Google has a directory for safe kitchens.

Here is a place that looks like it has a lot of tips and recipes.

We've had great threads on corn bread, stew, fish, to name a few. We seem to get into these cooking jags during cold weather, and we've made some important discoveries. Like when Peg realized she'd had an angel at her shoulder keeping her from blowing herself to bits when using flour to extinguish cooking fires. (I suppose it's like using nitroglycerine to blow out oil derrick fires?) :-)

Anyway, this post is started as a reference for future cooking threads, to refer back to for safe cooking hints and also as a resource for finding unusual ingredients or gadgets.

SRS