Put Safety on the Menu: Consumer Product Safety Commission Offers Safe Cooking Tips for a Joyful Holiday Season

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As families across America prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is issuing an urgent reminder that the holiday season marks the most dangerous time of year for cooking-related fires and injuries.

Forty-five percent of annual residential fires are cooking-related, according to CPSC's report on Residential Fire and Loss Estimates. Cooking fires spike on Thanksgiving Day, with an average of 1,400 cooking fires. That's more than three times the daily average of cooking fires.

"Every year, we see preventable fires and injuries caused by cooking accidents during the holidays," said CPSC Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman. "We're urging everyone to stay focused when in the kitchen because a few minutes of attention can make the difference between a happy holiday and a heartbreaking one." 

Follow CPSC's practical holiday cooking safety tips:

• Never leave cooking food unattended. Stand by your pan!
• Keep children and pets at least three feet away from the cooking area.
• Keep flammable items, like oven mitts, wooden utensils and food packaging, away from the stovetop.
• Turn pot handles inward to prevent accidental spills and burns.
• If a grease fire starts, smother the flames by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner. Never use water on a grease fire.
• Have a fire extinguisher nearby and know how to use it.

Turkey fryers create particular risks, causing fires, injuries and property damage. Remember COOK when using one.

C: Carefully follow manufacturer's instructions.
O: Overheat–Never overheat oil and use an oil with high smoke point.
O: Overfill–Never overfill the oil in your turkey fryer.
K: Keep the fryer out of the garage, off the deck and away from the house.

Finally, make sure you have a working smoke alarm on each level of your home, outside sleeping areas and inside bedrooms.

Visit CPSC's Holiday Safety Information Center for more holiday safety tips.

About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. Since the CPSC was established more than 50 years ago, it has worked to ensure the safety of consumer products, which has contributed to a decline in injuries associated with these products.

Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.

For lifesaving information:
- Visit CPSC.gov.
- Sign up to receive our e-mail alerts.
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, BlueSky, Threads, LinkedIn and Truth Social.
- Report a dangerous product or a product-related injury on www.SaferProducts.gov.
- Call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 (TTY 800-638-8270).
- Contact a media specialist.

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission