A Watched Pot, Never Boils Over!

Many residential cooking fires could be prevented if the cook would pay more attention to food cooking on the rangetop rather then leaving the kitchen to answer a ringing phone, sleeping, or even leaving the house.

Fully 73 percent of the 2,085 fires studied occurred when cooks left the room while food was on the range or in the oven, according to a 10-city study on the behavioral causes of household cooking fires conducted by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) and the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM). Unattended cooking was the leading cause of such fires, the study found.

"People need to be reminded to watch what they're cooking," commented AHAM President Bob Holding. "In today's time-pressed society, we need to take a moment to consider safety."

To protect yourself and your family, AHAM, NASFM and the Peabody Fire Department remind you to:

• Stay in or near the kitchen while cooking, especially on the rangetop;
• If you must leave to answer a door or a phone, carry a potholder or wooden spoon and set a timer as a reminder of the cooking food;
• Cook only when fully alert--never if you are extremely tired or have taken medication that promotes fatigue;
• Keep the lid that fits the pan in which you are cooking nearby -- if a fire begins in a pan, slide the lid on, turn off the heat, and wait for the pan to cool; and
• Remember to remove pans from heat sources when you're done cooking, and make sure the range and oven are turned off.

"Cooking is a necessary, often pleasurable part of our daily routine," NASFM President Tom Brace commented. "We urge everyone to make sure it doesn't result in tragedy."