When it comes to cooking in your kitchen, you may focus more on how your dishes look and taste, but that isn’t the most important thing. Cooking and baking can actually cause some serious problems if you don’t take proper precautions. Here are some of the basics of kitchen safety you should regularly be reviewing.

Wash Your Hands

You may hear a lot about washing your hands, but that’s for a good reason. You don’t want to contaminate your food with any bacteria or dirt that is already on your hands, and you don’t want to cross-contaminate your food when moving between ingredients. Even if you are sure you didn’t touch raw meat or anything else, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before moving on to your next task. This is doubly important if you are going to be feeding anyone with any allergies. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Check Safety Devices

Is your smoke detector working for you? Chances are, it's been a while since you've last checked. Batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be changed twice a year to ensure maximum safety. If you live in an area that observes daylight savings time, use those dates as a guideline for changing the batteries. You can connect your smoke detector to your security system for added protection. It's also a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen at all times.

Don’t Leave Children Unsupervised

Depending on the age of the child, this should be a no-brainer, but even teenagers can make silly mistakes in the kitchen. Make sure to stress the importance of basic safety rules at a young age. Make sure that younger children are always supervised, whether it is you, your spouse, or one of your older children. Take the time to teach them how to safely handle knives, use the stove and other appliances, and how to clean up the kitchen. This can be a great bonding opportunity as well, so take advantage of it.

Dress Appropriately

Baggy clothes may be comfortable, but it isn’t a great idea for the kitchen. Make sure that your hair is tied to back and that you aren’t wearing anything flowing. Not only do you want to avoid getting your clothes and hair in your food, but it can also be a fire hazard if you are working with a stovetop or open flame. You should also remove any jewelry on your hands or wrists to prevent it causing a problem.

Observing kitchen safety doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun, it just means you need to be responsible for things that could cause an accident. Don’t let these rules get in the way of your creativity.