Holiday Cooking Safety Tips You Need to Know

Keep your holiday season safe and festive with these need-to-know tips.

Share these important holiday cooking safety tips with your family and community today!

Family cooking meal with text Cook Safely This Holiday Season

This holiday season, as you enjoy the company of your family and friends and gather to eat delicious food, make sure to take the proper safety precautions while cooking.

Here are some cooking safety tips to keep the holiday season festive and happy.

  • IMPORTANT NOTE: Always call 9-1-1 first in the event of a fire or other emergency
  • Clean your oven and stove! It reduces the potential for grease fires
  • Use turkey fryers outdoors and place them on a sturdy, level surface away from flammable items
  • Keep an eye on the food you are cooking and never leave it unattended. Your cooking area should also be clear of possible combustibles such as oven mitts and food wrappers
  • Never store items in your oven as they can catch fire when preheating
  • Avoid letting children near the kitchen when cooking or utilizing electrical appliances

Take precautions to make your home fire-resilient:

  • Have working smoke detectors (they can reduce home fire fatalities by 50% when they are present)
    • Test your smoke detectors monthly to make sure batteries are working
  • Place fire extinguishers on every level of your home and ensure that they are properly charged and are the appropriate grade:
    • (A) Trash or wood fires
    • (B) Liquid and grease fires
    • (C) Electrical fires
    • ABC extinguishers put out all three classes of fires.

Learn how to use a fire extinguisher and other ways to make your home fire-resilient here.

Enjoy your holiday season! To learn more holiday cooking safety tips, visit Ready.gov.

Holiday wreaths