With a number of children inspired by culinary personalities, chef and restaurant programs and wanting to participate more in the process of getting meals ready, First Aid For You has partnered with the Travelling Kitchen to offer some timely tips for kitchen safety.
1. Adult supervision
Adult supervision is vital. Always ensure there is an adult (someone over the age of 18) around watching and helping.
It’s important to allow older children (ages 12-16) an opportunity to do some kitchen preparation with supervision at a safe distance. For younger children (ages 6-12), it’s recommended that an adult is always watching.
“Explain to the kids the concept of sous chef (an assistant chef), and how vital they are in restaurants, and that they can be your sous chef in the home kitchen, listening to your instructions and making sure the meal is prepared properly and safely,” suggests Director of First Aid For You, Mary Dawes.
2. Separate liquids and electricity
Keep liquids away from electrical cords and appliances to prevent electrical accidents.
It doesn’t take much to cause an electrical accident, faulty or frayed wiring, burned out sockets or old appliances can cause fires and electrocution if not checked on a regular basis. Consider the next time the electrician is around, to have them check power points in the kitchen and ensure all kitchen wiring is safe. Taking care of your electrical needs at home is crucial for both safety and functionality. To ensure peace of mind, it's best to hire a qualified electrician and for more information on finding the right professional, visit this site.
3. Clean space
The importance of a clean space and being a clean chef is vital. Encourage the kids to keep clean with a new apron - why not treat them with one embroidered with their name? - and to clean as they go.
Not only does this make cleaning up at the end easier, it’s safer to work in a clean, organised space and helps prevent cross contamination.
“Use separate chopping boards when preparing meats and vegetables, different knives to cut chicken to vegetables and always wash hands in between different food preparation tasks”, says Karen Koutsodontis, Director of The Travelling Kitchen.
“Emphasising the importance of washing hands doesn’t have to take away from the enjoyment of preparing a meal, consider singing a song with little ones while washing hands together. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, is a great song as it takes as long to sing, as it does to wash hands thoroughly,” adds Mary.
4. First Aid kit handy
Finally, having a first aid kit IN the kitchen and showing the kids what each component is for will ensure they know where to go and what to use, should an emergency arise.
Education is key in these situations and First Aid For You’s has workshops suitable for kids aged 4-12 years to help equip children with vital first aid skills.
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Contact First Aid For You on 1300 853 050 for more information. Visit The Travelling Kitchen online about their incursions into the kitchen.
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