Cooking tips to keep you safe on Thanksgiving

But firefighters say they do see more house fires around Thanksgiving.

“Someone should be staying in the kitchen the whole time”, he said. “By following a few fire prevention tips, you can keep yourself and loved ones safe”.

Even a small amount of cooking oil spilling on a hot burner can cause a large fire.

Keep your cooking area clean, including stovetop, burners, oven, and exhaust fan.

If a fire starts in a stove-top pan, cover it with a lid and turn off the heat source. Smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Never use water to put out a grease fire. Also as a reminder, oven doors should always be kept closed in the event of an oven fire.

When in doubt, get out! Call 9-1-1 after you leave. Test smoke alarms monthly and replace them if they are 10 years old or older.

· To avoid spillage of hot cooking oil, which can cause horrendous injury, care should be taken in positioning turkey fryers as they can be easily tipped over.

Because of this, Hartley, the National Fire Protection Association and many other safety organizations don’t recommend the use of home gas-fueled turkey fryers.

However, we also recognize a few families choose this method to prepare their turkey. If you use a fryer, the OSFM urges you to use extreme caution.

Thanksgiving is just days away and the State Fire Marshall is reminding you to be extra careful in the kitchen.

Propane turkey fryers should only be used outside and turkeys should be fully thawed before going into the oil.

Lower and raise food slowly to reduce splatter and prevent burns.

Turkey frying should always be done outdoors and on level surfaces away from buildings and groups of people, he said.

As turkey becomes leftovers, the holiday weekend is a good time to check on other fire safety measures, Poore and Gibson said.

Never leave the fryer unattended and monitor the thermostat carefully.