Evening star., 1936-01-04
National Safety Council
Gives Kitchen Distinction
Of Worst Room in House
Children Are Especially Liable to Injury
When Trying to Investigate All the Shiny
Instruments and Lights.

sources, OF course. IOr0 uQOleum, or |
a rubber mat with upcurling edge, |
may prove a distinct hazard. The
habit Of climbing on chairs to reach |
articles put away on the top shelves |
of high cupboards has been response
Bile for a good deal of misery-all |
kitchens and pantries should be
equipped with short Stepladder. or
set of chair-steps when the mountain
goat tendency is about to be in
dulged.
In actual cookery dangers loom
high, wide and handsome. AS we
mentioned before. deep fat frying is
one of them. Pans should always
be turned so that their handles cannot
be grasped by a child when they are
on the top of the stove: also this
keeps them from being knocked over
if some one happens to brush against
the side of the stove in moving back
and forth. Petcocks are usually just
the right height to attract young
ster-it Is wise to have your range
equipped with safety cocks which
cannot be turned without first lifting
or turning a clip.
MANY WOMEN" says the council,
N have been burned by steam
when taking a top off a roaster or
other cooking dish. The top should
be taken of farside first, so that the
burst of steam will escape away from
the face. In deep fat frying it is ad-
visable to have no one else in the
room. Grease burns are terribly pain
full. The potatoes or other food to
be cooked should be thoroughly dried
before immersion in the grease be-
cause water causes the grease TO sput-
ter and fly" (And right there is
bit of helpful knowledge that I don't
believe many women have discovered
for themselves. 1t is certainly good
rule to follow)
Most modern gas stoves arrive from
the manufacturer properly adjusted,
but it is well to make sure that on
there is a good vent on the outside
to carry away unburned gases. The
burners should be checked up on to
see that they are in the proper ad-
justment to prevent the production
of carbon monoxide gas, of which
we have been hearing so much lately.
The kitchen should be we'll ventilated
while the cooking is going on. but
care should be taken that there will
be no sudden draught to blow out
the flame on the top of the stove.
Also, it is we'll to remember that in
many localities, due to some outside
disturbances. there is occasionally
! reduction in the flow of gas being
p;ped into the house-this sometimes
permits the open burner to go out,
and, when the gas comes on again,
full-strength, there is no match ready
to light it-so that it trails its in
sidious breath to the far corners of
the house in short order.
Electrical equipment may be one
cause of fire in the kitchen. All such
material should be kept in apple-pie
condition and repaired at the first
sign Of weakening insulation or loose
connections. Be sure that all cur
rent is carefully turned OF when the
implement is not in actual use-never,
for instance, leave an electric pressing
iron switched on just while you answer
the telephone or the doorbell or take
a peek" at the baby. Turn 1t off-no
matter how short you expect the in
terval to be.
TIN CANS and bottles should be dis
posed of at once and not left in
waste baskets or any other place
where a creeping child might find
them. Bottle caps are another men,
ace to the very young-they have a
horrid tendency toward slipping down
the throat when mothers back is
turned.
Teach the children how to cut
things properly II they are to help you
when they grow older. Always cut
away from the body. so that If the
blade slips no damage is done. I will
never forget an awful sight encoun-
tered by me a few years ago when I
was keeping house in Europe. The
cook would never cut the large round
loaf of bread in any way except by
clasping it to her capacious bosom
and slicing directly toward her heart
with the longest, Notwithstanding
bread knife it has been my misfortune
to meet Every time she did this 1t
gave me the jitters, and although I
don't know whether she is still hale
and hearty or not. would feel more
comfortable about the situation II
could shift that slicing motion of hers