Nurture your inner chef!
Cooking is a wonderful way to express yourself. Themed dishes can make or break a Halloween party, and also add to the decor and mood! But as much fun as cooking is, there are still procedures that MUST be followed to keep everyone safe, healthy, and having a good time. Please feel free to save the list to your hard drive and print it out so that you have a handy checklist ready anytime- most of these tips can be used year-round!

Please Note: The following checklist is (c) 2007 by me. You are allowed to save it to your hard drive or print it for personal use only. (Teachers, please email me for special classroom permissions.) You are not allowed to redistribute this list without written permission. You are required to link back to me if you receive permission to use this list on your site. Using another person's content without permission and claiming it as your own is stealing!

Cooking Safety Tips:

1. Children under 10 should not be allowed to handle knives, hot pans, or anything else with the potential to cut or burn them.
2. Children under 14 and over 10 should never be allowed to use hot or sharp kitchen objects without parental supervision and assistance.
3. Children aged 14 and over should only be allowed to assist in the kitchen insofar as they follow proper safety procedure.
4. Whenever you are dealing with anything hot, always use potholders or cooking gloves to prevent burns.
5. Heavy items, such as bulky cakes and full pots, should always be carried with two hands, especially if they are hot.
6. If there are small children under 5 at your party, do not leave plastic bags lying around anywhere.
7. If you have a pet, keep it out of the kitchen! This will prevent sanitation problems, and make sure that you aren't tripping over it and injuring yourself.
8. Always start with a clean kitchen, with all of your ingredients easily reachable. This will ensure that you don't have sanitation problems, prevent accidents, and make cooking easier and faster.
9. Never cut anything other than raw meat with/on knives and cutting boards that are especially for that purpose. This will help cut down on salmonella and other forms of food poisoning.
10. Make sure that you ALWAYS wash your hands after handling raw meat or eggs to prevent cross-contamination.
11. When cutting peppers or chilis, always wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly to prevent accidental eye or mucous-membrane exposure to painful oils.
12. Always allow steaming-hot food that needs to be refrigerated to cool before placing it in the fridge. This will prevent damage to the fridge shelving units and save pennies on your energy bill.
13. Food with perishable ingredients should either be refrigerated until just before the party and kept on ice during the party or cooked just before the party and served hot to prevent spoilage and food poisoning.
14. Always clean up between cooking seperate dishes. This ensures that you have clean storage surfaces, less chance of food poisoning, an easier time cooking, and less clutter that decreases kitchen safety.