Serving Up a Side of Safety in the kitchen with UL

cooking tables One of the highlights of my time at BlogHer Food was the Serving Up a Side of Safety event hosted by the nice folks at UL (Underwriters Laboratory). I was in a group of three teams of five to six food bloggers competing in an Iron Chef type competition. Each team was judged on their presentation, flavor, and creativity as well as their demonstration of safety during preparation.

Let me tell you, it was challenging. First, I’m not good at winging it. I need a recipe. Luckily, the fabulous gals in my team are original recipe goddesses:

Marla Meridith of Family Fresh Cooking
Lori Lange of Recipe Girl
Vanessa Druckman of Chef Druck Musings
Amanda Simpson of What We’re Eating
Jenny Flake of Picky Palate

Second, it was a very challenging cooking environment. Not many of us were working at kitchen counters. Instead, we were chopping, mixing and prepping at low tables. (At the end of the evening both my feet and back were killing me.) While we had several kitchens’ worth of utensils, it wasn’t what I was used to. (I use small knives as they give me better control and all they had were huge ones.)

halibut Also, it was hard to get to the sink or trash and the space I had to work at was small. There’s nothing I hate worse than a messy work space. Plus, I’m constantly washing my hands when I cook – and couldn’t that night.

Even so our team made a delicious halibut dish, a beautiful Baked Alaska and an, er, interesting fennel, corn, avocado, dates, peppers and blue cheese chopped salad (my contribution). Thank goodness no one asked me to cook up the fish, as there wasn’t a gas grill in sight.

We didn’t win and I feel that I have to take some of the blame. First, I love strong tastes, so my chopped salad was heavy on the fennel, dates and blue cheese. Unfortunately, I don’t think a lot of others share my adoration for such a weird combo even though I thought it was yummy. Second, I forgot to bring a rubber band to tie up my hair, and the winning team wore shower caps from the hotel – clever gals!

Third, I confess, I also have a bad habit of nibbling while I’m cooking, though I’m very careful not to contaminate the food. Finally, sharing that five years ago I nearly chopped off my fingers with an immersion blender probably didn’t impress the judges. (If we ever meet, ask to see the silver scar on the pad of my left middle finger.)

Fennel salad Since half the time my kids don’t like my cooking, I’m used to culinary rejection. Still, I had a great time hanging out with all the food bloggers and was inspired by the amazing dishes all the teams cooked up.

Serving up a side of safety with UL

Ever since the event, I’ve given much thought to kitchen safety – especially every time I cut my finger or get out that immersion blender. (Yes, I still have it and use it regularly.)

Here are some tips from UL on keeping safe in the kitchen:

Do not pour water on a grease fire. Pouring water on a grease fire can cause the fire to spread. In the event of a range-top fire, turn off the burner, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding a lid onto the pan. Leave the lid in place until the pot or pan is cooled.

UL Logo Evaluate appliances wisely and look for the UL Mark. When purchasing electric cooking products such as electric knives, slow cookers and food processors, look for the UL Mark. The UL Mark is one of the most widely recognized and trusted safety symbols among consumers, and The UL Mark is one of the most widely recognized and trusted safety symbols among consumers. Manufacturers use it to demonstrate that a product meets specific safety standards.

Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen in case of emergency and know how to use it. Make sure the fire extinguisher is UL Listed and rated for grease and electrical fires. Read the directions carefully. The acronym P.A.S.S. can help make sure you use it properly.

Pull the pin; Aim the spray nozzle low at the base of the fire; Squeeze the nozzle to spray the contents; Sweep back and forth as you spray the base of the fire.

Always keep a potholder, oven mitt and lid handy while cooking. If a small fire starts in a pan on the stove, put on a flame-resistant oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Don’t remove the lid until the food has cooled.

When removing lids on hot pans, tilt them away from you to protect your face and hands from steam. If there is an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed to prevent flames from burning you or your clothing.

Never wear loose fitting clothing when cooking. Long, open sleeves could ignite and catch fire from a gas flame or a hot burner. Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. If you have long hair, be sure to tie it back.

Keep smoke alarms connected while cooking. Smoke alarms can save lives. Make sure smoke alarms are installed and working.

Stay in the kitchen while food is cooking. Most fires in the kitchen occur because food is left unattended. If you must leave the kitchen briefly, carry an oven mitt with you as a reminder that something is cooking.

And finally, unplug that immersion blender when washing it with your hands. Sigh.

Anne-Marie Nichols is the Managing Editor Mom Central Food. You can also find her cooking up some healthy recipes at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet.

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Disclosure: Anne-Marie was invited by UL to attend the Serving Up a Side of Safety event, received a nice swag bag and ate too much food.