Thanksgiving is just around the corner and NES wants customers to stay safe while saving energy during the holidays. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, cooking is the main cause of home fires at any time of the year, but it is especially common on Thanksgiving. The average number of home fires in residential buildings on this day is often double the number of these same fires throughout the rest of the year. Whether you’re cooking for the family or hosting a Friendsgiving, NES offers some simple tips to stay safe while cutting your energy costs in the kitchen this holiday season.
KEEP THE OVEN DOOR CLOSED It’s hard to resist cracking the oven to check the status of a roasting bird that’s filling your kitchen with such wonderful aromas. Remember that doing so causes the oven to drop its temperature, meaning it will require even more energy to cook your food. Instead, turn on the oven light and monitor items through the window.
STUFF THE OVEN Pies, potatoes, vegetables and turkey all need to be roasted or baked. Whenever possible, put several dishes in the oven at once to cut down on the amount of time the oven stays on throughout the day.
FIRE UP THE MICROWAVE OR AIRFRYER Many side dishes can be cooked in a microwave or air fryer instead of the oven. Microwaves use just a fraction of the electricity that ovens do, and, of course, can dramatically reduce cooking time. A slow cooker can help ease the oven’s burden as well.
CHOOSE THE PROPER BURNER To use your cook-top range as efficiently as possible, choose pots and pans that are relatively the same size as the burner you’re cooking on. That way you will effectively heat up food without wasting energy. Large amounts of energy are lost when a small pot sits on a large burner.
KEEP CHILDREN AWAY FROM THE STOVE Kids will want to sneak a bite before the food is done, so keep an eye out! Keep children and pets at least three feet away from the stove, hot foods and hot liquids. If at all possible, use the back burners while cooking instead of the front burners.
ONLY USE A TURKEY FRYER OUTDOORS Frying a turkey can be a tedious task! Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors at a safe distance from buildings and any other flammable materials. Make sure that the fryer is on a sturdy surface, away from things that can burn.
CHECK YOUR SMOKE ALARMS You may be using a crockpot to slow cook that pot roast overnight. Make sure your smoke detectors and alarms are working, and be sure to have working smoke alarms close to where anyone may be sleeping.
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