There are few places more fun to spend time with your kids than in the kitchen. Kids love to help out cooking, and it's a great way to spend time with them while teaching your kids a skill that they will use for life. But a child, of course, doesn't know their way around the kitchen the way an adult does. Whether kids are helping you cook or are simply in the room, you must always take precautions to ensure children's safety inside the kitchen.

Below, you'll find some great kitchen safety tips to employ both when you're in the kitchen, and when you're not.

Safety Tips While Cooking

Kids love to help out, and you shouldn't let worries about kitchen safety get in the way of the chance to spend some great quality time with your kids. Just keep an eye on your kids and follow these tips to keep them safe in the kitchen.

Turn pan handles in. If cooking on the stovetop while kids are nearby, make sure the handles of any pot and pans are turned in, and not facing or sticking out from the stove. This ensures that kids will not be able to grab hold of hot pans and tip them over.

Watch out for tablecloths especially if toddlers or very young children are present. Make sure not to place any hot or heavy objects on top of towels, napkins, or tablecloths. Small children can grab onto hanging cloths and pull heavy or hot objects on top of themselves.

Explain what you're doing. It's important to take the time to explain to your kids the dangers of the kitchen, and how to use kitchen appliances and utensils properly. Don't assume that they know just from watching you.

Watch the microwave. Because it doesn't get hot on the outside, removing food from the microwave doesn't seem like a dangerous chore to allow kids to help with. But food in the microwave can be hotter than it appears. Never let kids remove food from the microwave unless they're tall enough to do it properly-- kids at face-level with the microwave are at risk of facial burns when removing food.

General Kitchen Safety

Of course, you always keep an eye on your kids when they're with you in the kitchen. But it's just as important to make your kitchen as safe as possible for those times you're not there with them.

Appliance cords. Watch for hanging appliance cords, as it's easy for kids to grab hanging electrical cords and pull heavy appliances down on top of them. Coil or wrap all cords, and make sure they don't hang over the kitchen counters.

Watch containers. Be sure never to pour poisonous or hazardous materials into drinking glasses, empty food containers, or soda bottles, as this can confuse kids and lead to serious injury.

Install locks. Install safety locks on all drawers that contain dangerous materials or utensils. Always put a safety lock on the cabinet containing cleaning products and sharp knives.