Safety Moment #3 : Kitchen Appliances and Tools

Kitchen appliances have enhanced our lives with comfort and convenience. Proper care and regular checks are necessary to correct or avoid hazards and ensure safety.

Basic safety steps:
· Always purchase appliances and equipments that are tested and passed by the regulatory authority of your country of residence.
· Always follow the appliance manufacturer's instructions for installing and plugging into electrical power.
· Follow the manufacturer's instructions for use and cleaning the appliance.
· Keep all electrically powered appliances and equipments away from sinks and areas where water is used.
· Check that all cords are in good condition and not knotted or coiled. Never use worn, frayed or otherwise damaged cords or appliances.
· Always ensure that appliances are not carrying more than the recommended load. Do not overload circuits by using multiple plugs, extension cords or the like.
· Do not allow appliance cords to dangle over the edge of counter tops or tables.
· Unplug appliances when not in use. If an appliance smells funny or doesn't function correctly, have it repaired or replaced.
· Before leaving the house and especially leaving for holidays ensure that appliances not in use are switched off and plugs are disconnected.

Food processors/Mixers/Choppers:
· Always use push sticks or tamps to feed or remove food from these types of machines.
· Do not use your hands to feed smaller pieces of meat through slicers.
· Do not open up or put your hands into an operating machine to stir contents or guide food while the food is processing.
· Make sure the processor is off before opening the lid or adding items.
· Do not wear loose clothing or jewellery that could become caught in machinery.
· Turn off and unplug the machine before disassembling and cleaning or removing a blockage.

Coffee Makers:
· Do not place hot coffee makers close to the edge of counters where people passing by may come in contact with them.
· Check to make sure the coffee filter is in place before making any coffee.
· Do not remove the filter before the coffee has stopped dripping.
· Never stick your fingers into the chamber of a coffee grinder to get beans to drop into the grinder; tapping on the outside of the container will encourage beans to drop into grinder.

Steamers:
· Do not open the door while the steamer is on, shut off the steam, and then wait a couple of minutes before releasing the pressure and opening.
· Clear the area around the steamer before opening.
· Open the steamer door by standing to the side, keeping the door between you and the open steamer.
· Use oven mitts to remove hot trays from the steamer.
· Place hot, dripping steamer trays on a cart to transport. If trays are carried by hand, they will drip on floors and create a slip hazard.
· If a steamer is stacked, remove the tray from the top steamer first, then the lower one, to prevent burns from rising steam.

Pressure Cookers
· Shut off the steam supply and wait for the pressure to equalize before opening the lid of the pressure cooker.
· Stand to the side and open the pressure cooker away from yourself, keeping the open lid between you and the pressure cooker.

Kitchen Knives:
Asha has written a comprehensive article on Safety tips about Kitchen Knives at Aroma. Read it here.

To be continued...

Disclaimer: All information is taken from various sources on the internet.

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