Sticky Notes - Kitchen Safety at Home for Kids

Kitchen Safety at Home for Kids

From our Global Taste Buds Cookbook...

FOR KIDS ONLY --- FACT: Cooking is serious business (and a TON of fun)!

You’ll be extra confident and have more fun when you understand kitchen hygiene and safety. Once you master these tips, your parents will feel more comfortable standing back and watching you soar and explore in your kitchen!

Always Ask an Adult!
Beware of Burners + Blades
Clean your Clappers (video)
Do it as a Team
Eat & Enjoy Everything (don’t yuck my yum!)
FUN is #1!

#1: Clean your clappers! Hygiene FIRST!

To Clean your Clappers - Tie back your hair. Make sure you don't have any loose clothing or dangling jewelry.
Wear shoes! Bare feet risk getting burned with hot mixtures or cut with sharp utensils.
Wash your hands often! Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water. Washing should be all the way up past your wrists and down to the tips of your fingertips. Sing “Happy Birthday” twice or the “ABC Song” once.
Use a paper towel or clean cloth towel to dry off and use that same towel to turn off the water faucet (the germs you shared with the faucet when you turned it on won't jump back on your hands this way!).

#2: Techniques to keep your kitchen safe!

Keep all electrical appliances away from water to avoid shocks! Stay away from electrical sockets, especially if your hands are wet.
Always begin by reading the complete recipe: be sure you understand the instructions. Gather all your ingredients, utensils, and pans that you need before you start.
Be very careful with knives. Kitchen knives should be sharp. Sharp knives work the best and are safer because they cut through foods easily. Use the “bear claw,” “bridge,” and “plank” methods for cutting food. Practice with an adult before you start cooking. Hold and carry all knives with the point side down and away from you. Don’t put knives into soapy water in your sink because someone could reach in and get cut. In the dishwasher, place knives point side down.
Don’t put cooked food on an unwashed plate or cutting board that held raw food. Always use a clean plate. Never taste uncooked food. Remember that raw eggs and flour can contain pathogenic bacteria, so don’t taste any food with uncooked flour or eggs in it.
Be careful when tasting hot food. Foods from the oven should cool for at least 10 minutes for entrées and side dishes, 30 minutes for bread, and 20 minutes for cookies. If the recipe says to cool completely before serving… do it!
Hot mixtures can burn really quickly. Make sure that pot handles are turned away from the front of the stovetop. If the handles are hanging over the front of the stove, the pot with its hot contents could be knocked onto the floor, and on to you. Ouch.
Use hot pads when removing food from the oven or microwave, and never put hot food in your mouth or touch hot food.
If you hurt yourself, tell an adult immediately.
Have a well-stocked first aid kit and a fire extinguisher in the kitchen at all times.
Keep paper towels, dish towels, and pot holders away from the range top so they don’t catch on fire. If a fire starts, call an adult immediately. NEVER put water on a kitchen fire. If the fire is small, throw baking soda on it to smother the flames. If the fire is in a pan, ask an adult to put the lid on the pan to remove oxygen from the fire to put it out. Use a fire extinguisher. If flames are large, call 911 and leave the house immediately.

#3: Let’s get COOKING!

Always begin by reading the complete recipe. Be sure you understand the instructions.
Gather all of your ingredients, utensils, and pans that you need before you start.

#4: Wrap it up! A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen!

When you’re done cooking, clean the kitchen. No complaints! This means wipe up spills, place utensils and bowls in the dishwasher, clean the pans, and put away all of your ingredients.
Not only is keeping your kitchen clean important for safety and hygiene, but your parents will be proud of your acting so so grown up and so responsible that you will be invited to cook up even more fun in your kitchen!

Check out our post about aged-based cooking for more tips and ideas!