How To
By
eHow Home & Garden Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
The Stove and Oven
Step1
Remain in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stove. Many fires begin when no one is in the kitchen to supervise.
Step2
Turn off the stove if you are leaving the room. Do not walk off while a burner is still on; you may end up being gone much longer than expected.
Step3
Do not leave the house if you are cooking something in the oven. Check the food regularly to ensure everything is as it should be.
Step4
Clean the surface of your stove on a regular basis in order to rid it of any greasy buildup that could easily catch fire.
Step5
Use a timer when you are baking in the oven or simmering on the stove. This will serve as a reminder to you to check food regularly and make forgetting about it much more difficult.
Step6
Cook on the back burners when possible if you have children in the house. This will prevent them from trying to explore. Also, turn the handles on pots inward so that kids can't try to grab them. It's also a good idea to do this so that nothing can snag on them, knocking them over.
Step7
Refrain from holding a small child while you are cooking.
Step8
Remove any potentially flammable items and materials from the stovetop area. Included in this would be kitchen towels, drapes, pot holders/oven mitts, papers and plastics.
Other Kitchen Areas
Step1
Avoid cooking anything with metal in the microwave. Also do not put non-food items such as clothing in the microwave.
Step2
Simplify your electrical outlet usage: you should have only one plug per socket.
Step3
Keep electrical appliances out of water, and don't place wet items on top of them.
Step4
Clean out your toaster from time to time, making sure that there is not a lot of debris build-up left inside. Keep it away from curtains as well.
