Danger lurks everywhere in the kitchen. Sadly, people don’t always know what those dangers are, so they overlook them and put their families at risk. The following are five potential dangers you should look out for and be able to address.
1. Chopping Board Bacteria
One thing you have to worry about is your chopping board. Ideally, you’ll have a chopping board for meat and one for vegetables. You want to wash the chopping board with soapy water every time you use it. Bacteria can accumulate on these surfaces, and this could lead to all sorts of contamination. You and your family can be exposed to things like Salmonella, E.coli, and Listeria, just to name a few things. You can avoid this danger if you clean your chopping board after every use.
2. Low-Quality Cookware
The next thing you want to do is stay away from low-quality pots and pans. Avoid ceramic cookware made with sol-gel. These pots and pans release silicone oil when heated, which is as unappetizing as it sounds. There have not been enough tests on this material to let people know if it’s safe. You don’t need to expose yourself or your family to this kind of danger when alternatives exist. Opt for pots and pans made of blue carbon steel and cast iron.
3. The Chili Pepper Problem
Peppers may not seem too threatening, but they can be if you don’t exercise precaution. Handling peppers could put you and your kids in danger. The content in chili peppers can burn your skin and harm your eyes. This is the reason it’s recommended that you wear gloves when you handle peppers or that you wash your hands thoroughly after handling a pepper. The same goes for hot sauce and salsas as well as any other foods containing capsaicin. If you touch your eyes, you’ll burn your eyes. What if you forget to wash your hands and touch your kid’s eyes with those hands? You want to exercise caution when handling peppers.
4. Overstuffed Shelves
The next thing you want to be careful with is overstuffing your cabinets or fridge. If you buy too much of something, try to organize things so that you can fit everything safely, or start throwing out stuff you aren’t using or items that have gone bad. If you don’t do this, you or someone in your family could have an accident. If you or someone in your family yanks the door to your fridge or cabinet too roughly, something could fall out, which could harm someone in your family.
5. Contaminated Towels
You should avoid using kitchen and dish towels multiple times and using the same towel for various tasks. Cross-contamination is possible if you use a dirty towel to dry your hands or dishes. You should keep your towels separate. The towel used to dry dishes should not be used to dry hands. Be sure to clean the towel bar where you hang your towels. Bacteria could linger there, and it could contaminate your clean towels.
These are some potential dangers lurking in your kitchen, besides things like sharp knives and fire. The kitchen demands your complete attention, so try to stay safe while you’re in there cooking or washing dishes.
