UL offers Thanksgiving safety tips

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, Northbrook, IL-based Underwriters Laboratories is reminding families to keep safety on the menu.

To help prevent Thanksgiving fires and injuries, UL recommends:

• Do not overload the stovetop with too many pots and pans, and keep the area free of clutter.
• Never hold a child while cooking. If possible, keep children out of the kitchen while cooking.
• Never put a glass casserole dish on the stove or over a burner, as it could cause the container to explode.
• Consider avoiding the use of turkey fryers because they pose a number of safety hazards.
• Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.
• Remove lids from pots and pans by tilting them away from you to avoid hot steam.
• Ensure shirt sleeves are short, fitted or tightly rolled when cooking.
• If a small fire starts in a pan, grab a flame-resistant potholder and smother the fire with a lid. Do not remove the lid until the pan has cooled.
• Remain in the kitchen while cooking. If you must leave the room briefly, carry an oven mitt with you to remind you that food is cooking.