KITCHEN SAFETY AND EXPENSES BEGINS WITH LIMITING DISTRACTIONS

 

You might think what I’m about to say is NOT a big deal until something happens to you or even worse someone you love. Both mental and physical distractions while cooking can produce a ruined meal, injury, death or damage to your house or apartment.

Don’t turn your kitchen into an episode of Kitchen Nightmares.

It’s so easy to get caught up in everyday life that when we get home it’s tough to turn off from the work day. How we choose to try and do that may affect the way we prepare meals in the kitchen and potentially your wallet depending on the outcome.

• You or someone else could lose a life
• You or someone else could get injured
• You burn and ruin your meal
• You cause a fire

What are distractions?

Distractions are anything that takes your eyes and mind off the task(s) at hand.

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You may be one of those people who are able to multi-task and do it all but when I’m in the kitchen I like to think I’m on the job. Imagine you were a chef in a restaurant but you’re actually in your own kitchen. You decide to leave what you are doing at the stove to answer the doorbell. Not everyone has a kitchen at the front of the house so that means an even further distance occurs from the food cooking in the kitchen.

Instantly you might think, oh no I’m in the middle of cooking however it’s SO EASY to forget that once you start a conversation. We’ve all done it. Don’t be ashamed to tell the person you are cooking and to call or come back at another time.

It might only be once the smoke reaches the front door or even worse fire that you click back to chef mode. You can’t do this while you are at work in a kitchen and doing so at home is no different. You must always keep your mind in the kitchen and your eyes on the food.

If your spouse comes in the kitchen and wants to give you a hug, kiss make it quick. Tell him or her that cooking time is hands off time and to save it for later even thought it may seem harmless and fun. Why? because you’re cooking. If you must then turn off the stove and get on with your adventure otherwise save it for later.

 

Kitchen distractions apply to everyone

 

Today I wanted to touch on a few kitchen distractions as a reminder to be safe while you are cooking and to remember that it only takes seconds for something to happen. We are all human so even the most prestigious chefs will limit their distractions to keep focused on the task at hand.

Don’t allow kitchen distractions to cook up a disaster or you may be paying for it with money, emotion or lies that your meal was amazing.

Keep these kitchen distractions in mind before you start to cook so you prepare your space.

 

Technology

 

Hands up how many of you have burned a meal because you got distracted by social media? I thought so.

Just as texting and driving is a huge distraction the same goes in the kitchen with potentially fatal results or severe injury. We live in a time where we are always connected to the web which means it’s hard for some people to log off to take time to do what they need to do.

Whether it be your computer, your smart phone, the television or even taking photos with your camera keep in mind that these kitchen distractions which may seem like everyday normal distractions can actually set you back in the kitchen. If you have kids you will want to set an example for them as well because they may just follow the leader later in life.

 

Kids and Pets

 

When myself or my wife cooks our son is always there tugging on our pants, calling out for us or making a disaster because we’re not paying attention to him like we typically do. When you’re a parent it’s not easy to tell your child you’re cooking and to find distractions for them so you can limit your own.

The biggest worry is that if we lose our mind for a moment thinking about the meal that our son might touch a hot oven or oil might splat or even worse he touches a frying pan somehow and it spills on him. Even though keeping the handle of a pot or pan inwards is recommended for safety of the cook a child will always find a way.

When your child is of cooking adventure age and interested to help you in the kitchen which is a great idea this too can become part of the distractions of disaster. It’s important that if you do go this route to keep your eye on the prize otherwise you may be ordering in take-out food.

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Our dog loved food just like every other dog and as soon as he heard the pots and forks he was right there next to us watching every move we make. He was waiting for that piece of cheese or meat to accidentally fall to the floor so he could hoover it up or he would just be in the way so we were climbing over him or having to go around him.

It’s always best if you have a pet who can’t stay away from the stove to be put in another room or trained to stay away from the stove. Not only are animal distractions a hazard to your meal but the pet risks getting burned or injured if they come around while you have the stove open or you’re cooking with oil.

 

Chores

 

How would you feel if you knew that the chef was washing dishes and cooking your meal at the same time? Even worse he took a bathroom break in the middle of sautéing your vegetables because he could no longer hold it any more? I’m sure many of you by now have said you’ve done this at home but wouldn’t want it to happen when you are eating out at a restaurant.

If you are by yourself in the kitchen cooking you should NEVER leave the kitchen unattended for anything. It’s best to turn off what you are cooking if you are alone and need to step away or find someone to watch over your meal while you bolt to the bathroom.

Leave the sweeping and dishes until the end of the meal so your main focus is the meal. This way you won’t forget ingredients, add the wrong ingredients or burn the meal.

 

Alcohol

 

Do you remember Pasquale the Italian TV chef who always sang and drank wine while he cooked? That style of cooking is fun and I do the same sometimes but alcohol should always be enjoyed in moderation. You wouldn’t want your chef at a restaurant preparing your meal and drinking a beer at the same time would you?

Probably not and if you try to prove that it’s different then I fail to see how. Maybe being on the job is different from cooking at home however the same results can happen if you are distracted from cooking a meal.

We all know what happens when we drink alcohol and how our bodies react to a few drinks. Alcohol not only distracts you from the job you are doing it may also bring on drowsiness. If you drink too much alcohol your body may react in such a way that you wander off to find a bed or couch and fall asleep.

You forget that you are cooking because all your body wants to do is sleep. If you plan to drink while you cook make sure that you have supervision or limit the amount that you drink so you don’t go overboard. Not many people are caught drinking and driving even know that they were behind the wheel drunk. The last thing you want to do is endanger people’s lives while you’ve got your chef’s hat on.

Cooking a meal and alcohol is never a great mix even when handling the BBQ in the summer. I have a beer or two just like everyone else but I don’t go overboard. When you’re at home it’s nice to enjoy the relaxation but also remember it’s not safe to do so if you plan to drink more than the kitchen police allow.

I’ve only touched on a few kitchen distractions today as a reminder to everyone that cooking is fun but it’s important to focus on your tasks and try not to get side-tracked by the little things that could cause unanticipated results.

Happy Cooking everyone!

Chef Mr.CBB (Has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Ha)

Discussion Question:

Have you ever been caught up with kitchen distractions that caused an undesirable outcome? Share your comment below and tell us what happened and what you would have done differently or do differently now.

 

October Grocery Game Challenge

 

Join in the 2016 Grocery Game Challenge (GGC) fun and post your grocery shop in the comment section of each GGC blog post. Here are the rules to get you started and where you’ll also find a link for the updated 2016 GGC schedule. Please feel free to download, save and even print the schedule so it’s handy.

New monthly prize: $10 President’s Choice Gift Card for Canadian residents only BUT If you want to play from outside of Canada and have PayPal and you win I will pay you $10 Canadian. I use a random online generator to pick the winning ballot every month.

If you missed any grocery game posts for the month I will post the line-up each week below for you so you don’t have to go looking for past GGC posts for the month. Alternatively, just click on the “Grocery Game Challenge” tab on the blog side-bar to see past posts.

October Grocery Game Posts

• 12 Practical Ways To Afford Expensive Food For Less– Last shop for September
• Celebrate Crocktoberfest with Cheap Crockpot Recipes
• 15 Valuable Grocery Store Services For Customer Retention
• 5 Supermarket Annoyances That Cause You to Spend More Money
• Overpriced Grocery Store Items You’re Wasting Your Money On

 

 

Zehrs

• 1 x Sealtest Milk 2% $4.27

Total Out-of-Pocket $4.27

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