Safety Tips for Cooking Easter Dinner

April 13, 2022

Tips for preventing injury while preparing food

Preparing food can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. But a busy kitchen can be a dangerous place as well. The ingredient needed to ensure your safety on the job? Practice an ounce of prevention with the following safety tips. After all, you’ll want to enjoy the holiday with your family.

 Using Kitchen Equipment

• Use push sticks or tamps to push food into machines; never use your hands to push items through.
• Turn off and unplug machines before disassembling or cleaning.
• Never open lids or put your hands into machines while they are on.
• Use hot pads when removing items from the microwave or oven to avoid burns.
• Never place metal, foil or whole eggs into the microwave.
• Stand to the side of a steamer and open the door using the lid as a shield between the machine and your body.
• Always use the machine guarding provided for appliances.

Working with Knives

• Cut in the direction away from your body, keeping your fingers out of the way.
• Wear steel mesh gloves to protect your hands.
• Never try to catch a falling knife.
• Carry knives with the cutting edge angled away from your body and the tip pointed down.

Preventing Strains

• Always lift with your knees and not your back.
• If you’re standing for long periods of time, use a foot rest to shift your weight back and forth.
• Keep your elbows close to your body while cooking.
• If possible, use appliances to cut, dice and mix foods instead of doing it by hand.
• Rotate through various stations to avoid doing the same task repetitively and straining a muscle.

Preventing Slips and Falls

• Clean up spills immediately and use cones or signs to indicate a wet floor.
• Wear non-slip footwear with the laces tied tight.
• Use non-slip floor mats on surfaces that tend to get wet.