Cooking at Home: A growing trend 

For today’s college students, learning to cook has never been easier. Whether you’re following a recipe on TikTok, watching a YouTube tutorial, or browsing thousands of recipes online, culinary instruction is only a few clicks away. In fact, more Americans are preparing meals at home than they did a few decades ago, reflecting renewed interest in cooking and meal preparation.^[1]

While many cooking videos focus on creating flavorful meals, they often overlook an equally important topic: kitchen safety. Preparing food safely involves more than following a recipe. It also requires knowing how to prevent burns, cuts, and fires and how to handle food properly to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.^[2]

The kitchen contains many potential hazards, including sharp knives, hot surfaces, boiling liquids, and open flames. Fortunately, most accidents can be prevented by following a few basic safety practices. Learning these skills can help you prepare meals with confidence while protecting yourself and others.

Kitchen Fire Safety: The Riskiest Room at Home

Kitchen safety rules

Whether you’re cooking at home or in the school foods lab, be sure to follow these kitchen safety rules to prevent accidents. The rules are adapted below from Taste of Home’s “Top 10 Kitchen Safety Do’s and Don’ts.”

Rule 1. Learn how to extinguish a fire.

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires, so it is important to know how to respond if a fire occurs. Before cooking, make sure you know where the fire extinguisher is located and how to use it.

Important Fire Safety Tips

• Never pour water on a grease fire. Water can cause burning grease to splatter and spread the fire.
• For a small stovetop fire, turn off the heat and carefully cover the pan with a lid to smother the flames.
• For an oven or microwave fire, turn off the appliance and keep the door closed.
• If the fire cannot be controlled quickly and safely, leave the area and call emergency services.

Many fire extinguishers can be operated using the acronym PASS:

• Pull the pin
• Aim at the base of the fire
• Squeeze the handle
• Sweep from side to side

The video below demonstrates why water should never be used on a grease fire and explains how to use a fire extinguisher safely.

RULE 2. USE KNIVES SAFELY

Knives are one of the most useful tools in the kitchen, but they are also a common source of injuries. Surprisingly, a dull knife is often more dangerous than a sharp one because it requires more force to cut and is more likely to slip. Keeping knives sharp and using the right knife for the job can help prevent accidents.

When using a knife:

• Use a stable cutting board.
• Keep your fingers curled away from the blade.
• Cut on a flat, secure surface.
• Carry knives with the blade pointed downward.
• Wash knives carefully and never leave them hidden in a sink full of soapy water.

The video below demonstrates basic knife skills, including how to hold a knife, position your fingers, and cut food safely.

RULE 3. DRESS FOR SAFETY.

What you wear in the kitchen can affect both your safety and the safety of the food you prepare. Loose sleeves can brush against hot surfaces or open flames, increasing the risk of burns. Choose clothing that fits comfortably and does not interfere with cooking tasks.

If you have long hair, tie it back before preparing food. This helps prevent hair from falling into food and reduces the risk of hair coming into contact with hot equipment, flames, or moving appliances.

A few simple precautions can help make cooking safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable.

Rule 4. Wear shoes with closed toes and rubber or leather soles. 

Have you ever dropped a knife, broken a plate, or spilled hot liquid? Now imagine it landing on your foot. That’s why close-toed shoes with low heels are essential in the kitchen. Leather shoes are the best choice—they provide protection from:

• Sharp falling objects like knives or broken glass

•  Spills of hot water or oil

• Other unexpected kitchen accidents

The right footwear doesn’t just complete your outfit—it helps keep you safe.

Rule 5. Prevent burns.

Always turn pot and pan handles inward and use the rear burners when possible to prevent spills and burns. Keep dry potholders or oven mitts nearby when handling hot cookware. Never use wet mitts or cloths—moisture conducts heat and can cause painful steam burns.

RULE 6. STIR AND LIFT AWAY FROM YOUR BODY

Hot foods and liquids can produce steam that causes painful burns. When removing a lid from a pot, lift it away from your face and body so that steam escapes in the opposite direction. Likewise, stir hot foods away from yourself to reduce the risk of splashes and burns.

A simple change in technique can help prevent accidents when cooking with hot foods and liquids.

RULE 7. Protect Yourself and Your Equipment.

Hot glass cookware can break if it is placed on a cold or wet surface. To reduce the risk of breakage, place hot glass dishes on a dry potholder, trivet, or cutting board and allow them to cool gradually.   Metal utensils can scratch the surface of nonstick cookware, reducing its effectiveness and shortening its lifespan. To protect the cooking surface, use wooden, silicone, or other non-metal utensils whenever possible.

RULE 8. PREVENT CROSS-CONTAMINATION.

One of the simplest ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illness is to keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from ready-to-eat foods. Harmful microorganisms from raw foods can spread to fruits, vegetables, bread, and other foods through cutting boards, utensils, and countertops. This process is called cross contamination.

To help prevent cross-contamination:

• Use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
• Use a separate cutting board for fruits, vegetables, and other ready-to-eat foods.
• Wash cutting boards, utensils, and countertops thoroughly with hot, soapy water after preparing raw foods.

Glass expands when it gets warm and shrinks when it cools quickly, which can cause it to break. The best place to set hot glass lids and pans is on a trivet, cutting board, or potholder to avoid breakage.

Rule 9. Prevent slips and falls.

• Clean spills immediately.
• Keep walkways clear.
• Use nonslip mats if needed.

Rule 10. Keep electrical appliances away from water.

• Dry hands before handling appliances.
• Inspect cords for damage.
• Unplug appliances when not in use.

Attributions

This chapter is an adaptation of “Chapter 17. Food Safety” in Human Nutrition:2020 Edition by University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Food Science and Human Nutrition Program licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.