Holiday Cooking Safety

Millions of families across America will have their kitchens working overtime over the next few days. Fire departments usually see an increase in calls this time of year.
News 25’s Kristen Durand spoke with the Biloxi Fire Department and shares some tips on how to keep dinner from going up in flames.
It can happen in an instant. One minute you’re smelling that delicious turkey or casserole and the next you’re smelling smoke. Biloxi Fire Chief Joe Boney says one way to keep your holiday meal from going up in flames is to not leave food you’re cooking unattended. “That’s probably one of the largest reasons for kitchen fires is they’re left unattended. You hear people talk about putting their turkey in the oven and then going to bed. You know there’s a lot of things that can happen.”
Fire officials also say if you see smoke in the oven, do not open the door. Don’t wear baggy clothing when cooking and avoid overcrowding the stove. Assistant Fire Chief Mark Dronet said, “If there happens to be a fire in the pot, if you can turn the stove off and then take the pot lid and then slide it from underneath over the top of the pot, it will help extinguish it. If you take the oxygen away from it, it will help put it out.”
Another tip: do not throw frozen food into burning oil, a common mistake for those deep frying turkeys. “Make sure that the turkey is completely thawed and dry the turkey off before you put it in the grease. You’re going to bring the temperature up to about 350 degrees and before you lower the turkey into the grease, turn the burner back off, put the turkey in there. If it does boil over, there’s no flames. Once you know it is settled in there good, you can turn the heat back on,” said Dronet.
What can you do if a fire gets out of hand? Firefighters say to have a fire extinguisher on hand and know how to use it, but more importantly just call 9-1-1. “The big thing to me is to make sure you’re comfortable with your surroundings and when that becomes uncomfortable, get out of that. In other words, if you do happen to have a fire, get out and call us. We’ll be there,” said Boney.