The kitchen is the busiest place in the house, and every time it’s meal time, the aroma is overflowing. However, there are also many potential dangers hidden in the kitchen. If not handled properly, it may even develop into fatal behavior. Please remember to forward it to the “chef” who often cooks at home, and remember to be cautious.
01.Pour flour next to gas stove
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Source: “Crisis Investigation” column
There was a news report that a couple poured flour next to the lit stove while cooking in the kitchen, causing a flash explosion. Both of them suffered burns of more than 50%.
Analyze the reasons: Flour is very fine dust particles. When poured, it instantly spreads into the air. When it reaches a certain concentration, even a trace of open flame will cause an explosion immediately. Its power is comparable to that of a hand grenade! In addition to flour, other dusty items should also be kept away from the stove.
Correct approach: It is strictly prohibited to pour flour, starch, coffee powder, milk powder, etc. when there is an open flame in the kitchen. The safest way is to turn off the open flame in the kitchen before pouring flour, or move it to a restaurant for dumping. In addition, if the flour accidentally falls on the stove, clean it up with a damp cloth in time.
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02.Microwave eggs or chestnuts
Source: “China Fire” Weibo
Almost every now and then, you will see news on social media about netizens complaining about using microwave ovens to heat eggs and causing them to explode. In addition, some people used microwave ovens to heat chestnuts, causing their mouths to blister and swell so much that they could not open their mouths.
Analyze the reasons: When using a microwave to heat eggs, the water molecules inside the egg/chestnut will rapidly vibrate to generate heat, causing the temperature and pressure inside the egg/chestnut to rise rapidly. When the pressure reaches a certain level, the egg/chestnut will explode, and the egg liquid or chestnut will explode. Kernels can also splash out of the microwave. Except for eggs and chestnuts, foods with shells and films cannot be heated in a microwave oven.
Correct approach: It is strictly prohibited to use a microwave oven to heat eggs, chestnuts, bagged milk and other foods with a sealed structure.
03. Frozen food goes directly into the oil pan
Source: “International News” column
Many people may encounter such a situation. When cooking, they suddenly find that the meat they want to eat is still frozen in the refrigerator. They can't wait to put it directly into the hot oil pan until it is defrosted. Doing so may cause the oil in the pot to splash out and burn you, or may cause an explosion or fire, endangering your life. (See here for correct thawing: Do not soak meat in water to defrost, there are only 3 correct ways!)
Analyze the reasons: Putting frozen food that has not been thawed into hot oil will cause the ice on the outer layer of the food to quickly turn into water vapor, and its volume will rapidly increase, forming internal pressure, which will cause the oil to overflow and explode.
Correct approach: It is strictly forbidden to put frozen food directly into the oil pan. It must be defrosted first so that there is no ice on the surface before frying. In addition, before putting it into the oil pan, it is best to use paper towels to wipe off the excess water on the frozen food to avoid scalding yourself from oil splashing out.
04.The pressure cooker is too full of food
Source: “Experimental Knowledge” column
The old man used a pressure cooker to cook porridge. When he turned around, it exploded and the lid of the cooker collapsed and flew several meters away. In recent years, pressure cooker explosions have occurred frequently. If you are not careful, the kitchen can turn into a battlefield in a second.
Analyze the reasons: Why does the pressure cooker explode? When there is too much food in the pressure cooker and pressure is generated, if the pressure continues to be heated, the pressure will increase and cause an explosion. In addition, when the exhaust valve of the pressure cooker is clogged, as the pressure gradually increases, the pot will also fry.
Correct approach: When using a pressure cooker, do not overfill the food. Be sure to keep an eye on the minimum and maximum water levels. Also check whether the exhaust valve is blocked and whether the rubber ring is tight. Clean the exhaust valve promptly after use. In addition, you must also pay attention to the service life of the pressure cooker. Generally, the service life of a pressure cooker is 5 to 8 years. Different brands and materials vary, so you need to read the instructions carefully.
05.Not paying attention to gas leaks
The news once reported that an old man was packing things in the kitchen without starting a fire. Suddenly, there was a bang, and his down jacket exploded, and several “big holes” were blown out of the back of the clothes! If the gas leaks more, it can even cause the entire kitchen to explode.
Analyze the reasons: Kitchen gas leakage will cause an explosion if the concentration ranges from 5% to 15%. Winter is particularly dry, and down jackets will generate static electricity and cause explosions when exposed to gas.
Correct approach: When gas or natural gas is used up, the valve must be closed immediately, and a gas alarm must be installed to prevent it from happening.
06.No one is watching when making soup
Source: News screenshot
When making soup, it usually takes a longer time, and it is often the case that you are doing other things while making soup. This situation is very dangerous.
Analyze the reasons: If left unattended, the soup that overflows after boiling can be easily put out to put out the fire. At this time, a fire may easily occur if gas leaks. In addition, the continuous burning of the gas stove caused the pot to be burned through. The fire continued to burn with the help of the dry matter of the soup, and eventually burned to the range hood and ignited the stove.
Correct approach: When people leave the kitchen, they must ensure that the fire is extinguished. It is strictly forbidden to leave the gas stove on when no one is home.
07.If a pan catches fire, put out the fire with water
Source: News screenshot
A frying pan catches fire while cooking. In order to extinguish the fire, some people pour a large pan of water into it. Instead of extinguishing the fire, the hot oil boils and the fire on the frying pan instantly jumps to the roof.
Analyze the reasons: When adding water to the oil pan, the water is heavier than the oil and sinks to the bottom of the pan, and then vaporizes quickly. The vaporized water vapor will bring the hot oil in the oil pan into the air, forming mist-like oil droplets. The fire burns rapidly causing a boil.
Correct approach: If the oil catches fire, use a foam or dry powder fire extinguisher to put it out. Remember not to use water.
08.Put cooking oil next to the stove
The cooking oil has been stored next to the stove for a long time at home. When cooking, the oil accidentally overflowed and burned when it encountered an open flame on the stove. Although it was put out in time with a dry rag, it also left a shadow on people's hearts.
Analyze the reasons: Spilled cooking oil can easily ignite when exposed to an open flame. And even if there is no spillage, long-term heating on the stove will accelerate oxidation, leading to a decline in oil quality.
Correct approach: Keep cooking oil away from the stove to avoid being heated frequently.
references
[1]Liu Tianyi. Research on the evaluation of key influencing factors on the combustion and explosion characteristics of wheat dust. Master's thesis of Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, June 2023.
[2]Xu Yuchen. See the eggs change again"Fried eggs"!Don’t ignore the safety of microwave ovens anymore. Household Appliances (Green Home Appliances), 2021(12): 30.
Planning and production
Author丨Denovo science popularization team
Review丨Director of Zhong Kaikexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center
Planning丨Wang Mengru
Editor in charge丨Wang Mengru
Reviewer丨Xu Lai, Lin Lin