Making the leap from having three meals made for you each day in the dorms to having to provide your own food at your apartment can be a bit traumatic, but it’s really not so bad.
Here are some helpful tips to keep you safe while using your kitchen. Mostly it is all about using common sense and paying attention to what you are doing when you’re cooking.
1. Whenever you are taking things in and out of your oven, make sure you use oven mitts.
2. Always double-check to make sure you have turned off the oven or the stove top once you are done using it.
3. Know what goes into a microwave and what doesn’t.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Hint: foil is something that should not be put in the microwave (and neither should Peeps). Also, there are certain kinds of plastics you shouldn’t nuke.
4. Never leave something you are cooking on the stove top unattended. If, for example, boiling water boils over, you will have a problem on your hands.
5. Have a fire extinguisher nearby, and know how to use it.
6. Make sure you have a working smoke detector and sprinklers.
7. Don’t put silverware in your toaster to get at your stuck toast.
8. Check expiration dates on your food. Nobody will throw out rotten food for you, and food poisoning is unpleasant.
9. Be careful when using sharp knives; you wouldn’t want to lose a finger being careless.