I was just cooking, and my life was gone in an instant! 8 deadly behaviors in the kitchen, never do them!

The kitchen is the busiest place in the house, and it is filled with delicious food at mealtime. However, there are many potential dangers hidden in the kitchen, which may even lead to fatal consequences if not handled properly. Please remember to forward this to the "chef" who cooks frequently at home, and be careful.

01

Pour flour next to the gas stove

Source: "Crisis Investigation" column

There was a news report that a couple was cooking in the kitchen when they poured flour next to the lit stove, causing a flash explosion. Both of them suffered burns over 50%.

Analysis : Flour is a very fine dust particle. When it is poured, it spreads into the air in an instant. When it reaches a certain concentration, it will explode immediately even if it encounters a trace of open flame. Its power is comparable to that of a grenade! In addition to flour, other dusty items should also be kept away from the stove.

Correct approach : It is strictly forbidden to pour flour, starch, coffee powder, milk powder, etc. when there is an open fire in the kitchen. The safest approach is to turn off the open fire in the kitchen before pouring flour, or move it to the restaurant to dump it. In addition, if flour accidentally falls on the stove, clean it up with a wet cloth in time.

02

Microwave eggs or chestnuts

Source: "China Fire" Weibo

Almost every day, you can see netizens complaining on social media that eggs exploded after being heated in the microwave. In addition, there were also people who heated chestnuts in the microwave and their mouths were blistered and swollen so that they could not open.

Analysis of the cause : When using a microwave to heat eggs, the water molecules inside the eggs/chestnuts will vibrate rapidly to generate heat, causing the temperature and pressure inside the eggs/chestnuts to rise rapidly. When the pressure reaches a certain level, the eggs/chestnuts will explode, and the egg liquid or chestnut kernels will splash out of the microwave. In addition to eggs and chestnuts, foods with shells and membranes cannot be heated in a microwave.

Correct way to do it : It is strictly forbidden to use a microwave oven to heat foods with sealed structures such as eggs, chestnuts, and bagged milk.

03

Frozen food goes directly into the fryer

Source: International News

Many people may have encountered such a situation: when cooking, they suddenly found that the meat they wanted to eat was still frozen in the refrigerator, and they couldn't wait for it to thaw, so they wanted to put it directly into the hot oil pan. Doing so may cause the oil in the pan to splash out and burn the body, or even cause an explosion or fire, endangering life safety.

Analysis of the cause : Putting unthawed frozen food into hot oil will cause the ice on the outer layer of the food to quickly turn into water vapor, and its volume will quickly increase, forming internal pressure, which will lead to oil overflow and explosion.

Correct way : It is strictly forbidden to put frozen food directly into the oil pan. It must be thawed 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 wipe off the excess water on the frozen food with a paper towel to avoid oil splashing and scalding yourself.

04

The pressure cooker is too full of food

Source: "Try to Know" column

An old man was cooking porridge in a pressure cooker, and it exploded as soon as he turned around, with the lid flying several meters away. In recent years, pressure cooker explosions have occurred from time to time, and if you are not careful, the kitchen can become a battlefield in a second.

Analysis of the cause : Why does a pressure cooker explode? When there is too much food in the pressure cooker and pressure is generated, if it is heated continuously, the pressure will increase and cause an explosion. In addition, when the exhaust valve of the pressure cooker is blocked, as the pressure gradually increases, the cooker will also explode.

Correct way : When using a pressure cooker, do not overfill it with food, be sure to check the minimum and maximum water levels, check whether the exhaust valve is blocked, the tightness of the rubber ring, and clean the exhaust valve in time 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, which varies from brand to brand and material to material. You must pay attention to the instructions.

05

Gas leak not noticed

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The news reported that an old man was tidying up in the kitchen without lighting a fire, when suddenly his down jacket exploded with a bang, leaving several "big holes" on the back of the jacket! If the gas leaked more, it could even cause the entire kitchen to explode.

Analysis of the cause : Kitchen gas leakage, concentrations in the range of 5% to 15% can cause explosions, and winter is particularly dry, down jackets will generate static electricity, which can cause explosions when encountering gas.

Correct approach : When coal gas or natural gas is used up, the valve must be closed immediately, and a gas alarm must be installed to prevent accidents.

06

No one is watching while the soup is cooking

Source: News screenshot

It usually takes a long time to cook soup, and it is common to cook soup while doing other things. This situation is very dangerous.

Analysis of the cause : If the fire is left unattended, the boiling soup can easily be put out, which can easily cause a fire in the event of a gas leak. In addition, the gas stove continues to burn through the pot, and the fire continues to burn with the help of the dry soup, eventually burning the range hood and igniting the stove.

Correct approach : When leaving the kitchen, make sure the fire is extinguished. It is strictly forbidden to leave the gas stove on when no one is at home.

07

Put out the oil pan fire with water

Source: News screenshot

When the oil pan catches fire while cooking, some people will pour a large plate of water into it to put out the fire. However, this not only fails to put out the fire, but also causes the hot oil to boil, and the fire in the oil pan instantly spreads to the roof.

Analysis of the cause : When adding water to the oil pan, water is heavier than oil and sinks to the bottom of the pan, then quickly vaporizes. The vaporized water vapor will bring the hot oil in the oil pan into the air, forming mist-like oil droplets. The oil droplets quickly burn when encountering fire, causing boiling.

Correct approach : If oil catches fire, use foam or dry powder fire extinguisher to put out the fire. Remember not to use water.

08

Put cooking oil next to the stove

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Cooking oil was stored next to the stove at home for a long time. When cooking, the oil accidentally spilled and encountered the open flame on the stove, causing combustion. Although it was extinguished in time with a dry rag, it also left a shadow in people's hearts.

Analysis of the reasons : cooking oil spills and is easily ignited when it encounters an open flame. Even if it does not spill, long-term heating near the stove will accelerate oxidation, causing the oil quality to deteriorate.

Correct way : Keep cooking oil away from the stove to avoid frequent heating.

References

[1] Liu Tianyi. Evaluation of key influencing factors of combustion and explosion characteristics of wheat dust. Master's thesis of Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, June 2023.

[2] Xu Yuchen. Eggs become fried eggs again! Don’t ignore the safety of microwave ovens. Household Appliances (Green Appliances), 2021(12): 30.

Planning and production

Author: Denovo Science Team

Review丨Zhong Kai, Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Planning丨Wang Mengru

Editor: Wang Mengru

Proofread by Xu Lai and Lin Lin