Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so you may be planning on slaving away over a hot stove to make a romantic meal for your significant other.
But there's no need to burn the house down as things get hot and steamy, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service warns.
Rather than ruin your candle-lit dinner, the service has issued the following advice:
Cooking tips
- Make sure saucepan handles don't stick out - so they don't get knocked off the stove
- Take care if you're wearing loose clothing - they can easily catch fire
- Take care if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking, take pans off the heat or turn them down to avoid risk
- Make sure you don’t get distracted when cooking, even for a short period of time, turn off the cooker
- Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob. Keep anything that can catch fire - oven gloves, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, tea towels - away from your cooker top
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Check the cooker is off when you have finished cooking
Candle safety tips
- Never leave lit candles unattended - put burning candles out when you leave the room and make sure they’re completely out at night before you go to bed
- Place candles carefully - make sure they are on a stable surface away from flammable objects such as curtains, furniture, bedding, books and magazines
- Do not burn several candles close together as this might cause the flame to flare (mainly with tea lights)
- Always put scented candles and tea lights in a heat resistant holder, the metal bases can reach temperatures over three times the boiling point of water
- Make sure you have a working smoke alarm and test it regularly. An active smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and call 999
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Make sure that everyone in your home knows what to do if a fire should occur - practise your escape route
