⚠️Fire Protection in the Kitchen⚠️

Question 1

What are the nine tips for fire safety?

Answer 1

1. Stay in the kitchen when cooking (never leave cooking unattended and turn off all appliances when you leave the room)
2. Stay alert (be rested and never be under the influence)
3. Wear short or close fitting sleeves (will catch fire)
4. Turn pot handles in (can be bumped or grabbed, causing burns)
5. Clean cooking surfaces (free of spills that could catch fire)
6. Keep combustible items clear of stove (curtains, dish towels, plastic)
7. Operate microwaves safely (oven mitts to remove items, remove lids carefully)
8. Don’t overload electrical outlets (examine cords, discard any damaged)
9. Working smoke alarms save lives (Test monthly, replace batteries once a year)

Question 2

What are the three things to do if you have a kitchen fire?

Answer 2

1. Put a lid on it (for grease fires - use oven mitts and slide a lid or cookie sheets over the flames and turn off heat source)
2. Oven/microwave fires (for oven and microwave fires - close door and turn off oven/microwave)
3. Use portable fire extinguishers (for small container fires - portable fire extinguishers can be effective as long as the right extinguisher is used by someone trained to use it)

IF FIRE DOES NOT STOP IN ANY CASE, LEAVE HOME AND CALL 911

Question 3

What do fire protection experts recommend for fire extinguishers?

Answer 3

To have one for the kitchen, garage and workshop

Question 4

What are fire extinguishers divided into?

Answer 4

Five categories based on different types of fires, as well as a number that describes the amount of fire it can handle (higher the number, the more fire-fighting power)

Question 5

What are the five categories of fire extinguishers?

Answer 5

Class A: for ordinary combustible material (paper, Wood, plastic) geometric symbol - green triangle

Class B: for flammable or combustible liquids (gasoline, grease, oil) geometric symbol - red square

Class C: for electrical equipment (appliances, wiring, circuit breakers, outlets) geometric symbol - blue circle

Class D: for combustible metals (magnesium, potassium, sodium) usually in labs, geometric symbol - yellow decagon

Class K: for cooking oils, trans-fats or fats in cooking appliances, geometric symbol - black hexagon

Question 6

What fire extinguisher should you have?

Answer 6

Class ABC

Question 7

What are the three most common types of fire extinguishers?

Answer 7

Water extinguishers: for class A fires ONLY as it can make grease, electrical and chemical fires much worse; only use if you’re sure the fire contains ordinary combustible materials only

Dry Chemical extinguishers: for class A, B and C fires; filled with foam or powder and pressurized nitrogen

Carbon Dioxide extinguisher: for class B and C fires; contains CO2, which is non-flammable and highly pressurized (such high pressure that it commonly shoots bits of dry ice out the nozzle); doesn’t work well on class A as it might not displace enough oxygen to put out

Question 8

What are the two types of dry chemical extinguishers?

Answer 8

BC - the regular type; filled with sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate; leaves mildly corrosive residue

ABC - multipurpose type; filled with mono-ammonium phosphate, a yellow powder that leaves a sticky residue that can damage electrical appliances

Question 9

Why are dry chemical extinguishers better in some ways? Why are CO2 extinguishers in some ways?

Answer 9

Dry chemical - leaves non-flammable substance (reduced likelihood of reigniting)

CO2 - don’t leave a harmful residue

Question 10

How are not all fats created equal?

Answer 10

All oils are pure fat but saturated and trans-fatty acids seem to be the cause of health concerns

“Partially hydrogenated” food items should be avoided

Question 11

What are healthy oil choices?

Answer 11

Super-saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils are healthier options

Question 12

What is the smoke point?

Answer 12

The temperature to which an oil can be heated before it smoked and discolors (indicating decomposition)

At this point, the oil emits unpleasant odors and unsavory flavors

Question 13

What is the flash point?

Answer 13

The temperature at which the oil can erupt into flames

The smoke point is a warning of the flash point and therefor knowing the smoke points of oils can warn you about flash and fire points

Question 14

What is the difference between the flash point and fire point?

Answer 14

Flash point - there are tiny wisps of flame

Fire point - a fire is blazing

Question 15

What are the best oils for cooking?

Answer 15

Those with high smoking points

Question 16

What 7 factors will decrease the smoke point of any fat?

Answer 16

1. Combination of vegetable oils in products
2. Presence of foreign properties (batter)
3. Temp to which oil is heated
4. Presence of salt
5. Number of times oil is used
6. Length of time oil is heated
7. Storage of oil (exposure to oxygen, light and temp)

Question 17

What are the flash and fire points for fats?

Answer 17

Flash - 600 F

Fire - 700 F

Question 18

How should you put out an oil fire?

Answer 18

Never put it out with water, it’ll splash the oil and spread it more quickly

Smother the fire with a lid and/or suffocate it wit baking soda or a proper fire extinguisher

Question 19

What other point is very dangerous for oils?

Answer 19

The boiling point (bubbling)

It should be removed from heat immediately

Question 20

What is special about oils used for frying? What are the best oils for deep frying (9)?

Answer 20

These oils or fats should have a high smoke point (not butter or margarine that have love smoke points)

Best oils for deep frying are refined safflower and sunflower oils, peanut oil, safflower oil, soy oil, canola oil and refined almond, avocado and cottonseed oil (if you can afford them)

Question 21

Can deep frying oil be used more than once?

Answer 21

If the food particles are removed by straining the oil through a coffee filter or sieve/funnel lined with a double layer of cheesecloth, the oil can be covered, sealed tightly and refrigerated to use one more time

Question 22

Why is the temp of the fat all important?

Answer 22

If the fat isn’t hot enough, the food will absorb it and be greasy

If the oil can’t take the heat, it’ll get too hot and burn

Question 23

Why do foods need to be deep fried at higher temps? What happens when it is fried at lower temps?

Answer 23

Deep frying uses temps anywhere from 325F to 400F

These higher temps lead to thinner crusts and less oil absorption (only 8-25% oil absorption), as well as a golden, crispy and well flavored product

Frying at lower temps takes longer and results in a lighter color, less flavor and increased oil absorption

Question 24

What are refined oils?

Answer 24

Oils extracted from clean oil seed/oil cakes by solvent extraction for further refining to produce clear oil; it has a negligible flavor and aroma (good for delicately flavored dishes)

Used as medium, high and deep frying oils (225F-450F)

If the oil is bland and pale, it’s refined

Question 25

What are unrefined cooking oils?

Answer 25

Oils that are typically used for salad dressings, marinades and sauces or light cooking oils and Should NOT be cooked at high temps

Contains a range of bioactive components that are healthy and provide full bodied flavor (but also make it prone to oxidation)

Processed by cold-pressed and expeller-presses methods allowing them to carry true flavors that can dominate what dish is made with them

For medium heat temp (212F-320F)

Question 26

What is the one unrefined cooking oil that can be used for deep-frying?

Answer 26

Safflower oil

Question 27

Compare refined and unrefined oils for three points

Answer 27

Color (pale vs dark)
Temp (higher vs lower)
Flavor (bland vs strong)

Question 28

What is the one refined oil that would not be used to deep fry foods?

Answer 28

The one refined oil not good for deep frying is butter as it burns at a lower temperature that most oils (can be used for sautéing however)