Firefighters: Cook with safety in mind

Members of the Newport Beach Fire Department demonstrated its cooking skills at the Bloomingdale’s Fashion Island on Friday

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They also shared the following safety tips.

•Have a fire extinguisher available no more than 10 feet from the stove, on the exit side of the room. A “2-A: 10-B: C” multipurpose dry chemical extinguisher is recommended. Know how to use it.

Start cooking with a clean stove and oven.

Keep the kitchen off-limits to young children and adults who are not helping with food preparation to lessen the possibility of mishaps.

When cooking, do not wear loose sleeves or dangling jewelry. The clothing can catch on fire, and the jewelry can catch on pot handles, causing spills and burns.

Cook on the back burners, when possible, and turn pot handles in so they don’t extend over the edge of the stove.

Keep anything that can catch fire — potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from the stovetop.

Never leave cooking unattended. If you must leave the kitchen while cooking, turn off the stove or have someone else watch what is being cooked.

Source: Newport Beach Fire Department