Giving Thanks for a Safe Thanksgiving Dinner

With pots boiling, ovens baking and skillets sizzling, Thanksgiving can be a hazardous day in the kitchen.

So much so, in fact, that the National Fire Protection Association says that with so many more people cooking on Thanksgiving than on a typical day, Americans are twice as likely to have a home fire on the holiday than any other day of the year.

"We want the dinner to come off well," says John Drengenberg, the consumer safety director at the Northbrook-based Underwriters Laboratories, a product safety testing organization. "We want to dazzle friends and relatives, but you have to think about safety. A fire in your kitchen doesn't dazzle anybody."

Thanksgiving kitchens can be filled with inexperienced, busy or distracted chefs, Drengenberg says, which can spell disaster. He offers the following advice for a safe holiday:

— Turn pot handles in, toward the stove: Pot handles can get bumped when several people are bustling around a busy kitchen. Turning them inward can keep them from being snagged.

— Take a pot holder with you when you leave the kitchen: This serves as a reminder when you leave the room to answer the door or greet relatives that there are dishes that need monitoring. Always try to stay in the kitchen while food is cooking.

— Don't hold your child while cooking: Fussy children can get too close to hot pans and plates, causing them to get injured or fall out of your arms. "You're holding them right over the burner," Drengenberg says. "It's really not a good idea."

— Don't wear loose-fitting clothing when cooking: For women, holiday time can mean frilly blouses, which could easily catch fire over a stove. "It's very easy for them to dangle into the heat," Drengenberg says.

— Keep your cooking area clutter free: Items on cluttered counters can get knocked into open flames, causing a fire. And when it's time to take a finished dish off the stove, you won't be able to find a place to set it down.