Your stove is a definite burn hazard, but you can take a few simple precautions to protect yourself and your children. Most safety measures are common sense, but when you get hurried, accidents can occur. Don't touch a stove with your hand to test if it is cool. Burners, pots and pans can remain hot a long time even though they've been removed from heat, so remember that you should use oven mitts and grip the pots by their handles. You shouldn't ever leave a hot stove unattended, especially when children are in the house. By turning pot handles toward the back of the stove, you may prevent a curious child from pulling burning hot substances onto themselves. Don't store anything flammable, towels or oven mitts on top of the stove. Keep a fire extinguisher that's rated for all types of fire next to the stove. You shouldn't ever use a fire extinguisher that uses water. Not only will water not put out a grease fire, but it may even spread it. Baking soda and salt can also be used to put out grease fires.
