Thanksgiving is a joyous occasion to spend time with friends and family enjoying good food. Indeed, Americans spend a lot of time, money and energy to plan Thanksgiving cooking and travel. With so much to think about, follow these four safety tips to avoid any Thanksgiving accidents.
1. Food Safety
Whether your family enjoys turkey, ham, or tofurky on Thanksgiving, be aware of minimum cooking temperatures (this applies for reheating leftovers too!) Use a food thermometer rather than simply looking at food to make sure your meat reaches the minimum temperature to reduce risk of foodborne illnesses.
2. Cooking Safety
The holidays are a great time to impress guests with a new dish, but first review your Thanksgiving safety measures before trying out that flambé! Your kitchen should have a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, and oven mitts on-hand. Remember to never throw water on a grease fire, and use a fire extinguisher instead.
When including children at Thanksgiving, be extra thoughtful about kitchen safety. Place pots and pans on the back burners, and turn handles away from open areas. Keep children at least three feet away from ovens and barbecues. If kids want to be part of the cooking, give them kid-friendly cooking tasks in a safe area.
3. Travel Safety
Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times for travel in America, so it is crucial to prepare for safe travels on Thanksgiving. When it comes to driving, stay alert and use a ride-sharing app to ensure you have a designated driver. If driving somewhere new, be sure to have directions, a traffic app at the ready, and a full tank of gas.
4. Dinner Table Safety
Thanksgiving accidents can happen at the dinner table too! Handle large carving knifes and hot plates carefully. If using real candles, make sure to keep any flammable items like large centerpieces away from them.
We’re Thankful for Our Community
We wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving. In the event of an accident, Long Island Plastic Surgical Group has on call service for immediate and urgent treatment of lacerations, burns, complex wounds, facial trauma, and hand injuries. Add DR.STITCH to your phone contacts and we will be there if you need us!