Kitchen mishaps burn home insurance customers

Its one thing to fancy yourself as a bit of a TV chef, but it’s another thing altogether if your kitchen mishaps put you on a Gordon Ramsay style tirade as you count the cost of the damages. According to a survey by esure home insurance 73 per cent of us are quick to admit that we’re nothing more than ‘amateurs’, or even ‘useless’ in the kitchen. Yet three quarters of us (75 per cent) are still willing to attempt complex culinary techniques. Sadly, this can have disastrous consequences with more than one in 10 people in the UK having a cooking accident while emulating TV chefs.

This can be a costly error too. It is estimated that these kitchen disasters are racking up around £5billion worth of damage to UK homes and are consequently bumping up home insurance premiums across the country.

Preparation is the key to cutting home insurance claims

The survey reveals that only one in five of us have a TV in the kitchen and yet 62 per cent like to cook along with TV experts in ‘real time’. This leaves 25 per cent of cooking amateurs to dash between the kitchen and the lounge as they attempt to follow along at home.

This in itself can lead to disaster. Around 34 per cent of those surveyed admitted to slipping on peelings and liquids as they dash between rooms, with a further 86 per cent confessing to carelessly leaving items cooking on the hob as they try and keep up with the televised action.

Disasters are clearly frequent in the kitchen which is why preparation is absolutely crucial. If you know your favourite cooking TV show is about to come on, then prepare your kitchen in plenty of time and remember that a cluttered kitchen is always dangerous.

It’s best to prepare for the worst too – and the easiest way to do this is by checking your home insurance policy. For example, will you be covered if you set a room on fire because you allow something to overcook? Are you covered for personal accidents if you slip on some of your ingredients? Are personal injuries included and what about personal liability just in case you have someone else involved?

Checking your home insurance policy is vital. If you’re not happy with the level of cover you have at the moment then shop around. Using a comparison website could help you find cheap home insurance that actually offers more extensive cover.

How to avoid kitchen-based home insurance claims

Of course while having a comprehensive home insurance policy in place is crucial, you should attempt to avoid accidents where possible. If nothing else this will allow you to build up a no-claims discount which could slash your home insurance premiums by as much as 65 per cent.

So take care before you cook. Ensure that all work surfaces are clean before preparing ingredients and that floors are cleared of clutter – in particular, make sure there are no hazards you could trip over. If you do spill something on to the floor then clean it up immediately. Try and avoid distractions while you cook too – especially phone calls and demanding children.

Be prepared for fires and know what action to take should a pot or pan start to burn. Turn off the heat and cover it with a blanket – do not throw water over an electrical appliance. Keep flammable kitchen cloths away from hobs and pans and keep fire extinguishers in the house too – this could help you cut your home insurance premiums if you inform your insurer that they are in place.

In addition, make sure that you have a first aid kit on hand just in case you suffer a minor injury such as a cut, burn or bruise. Remember to turn saucepan handles away from the edge of the work surface so you don’t risk knocking them as you rush from one area of the kitchen to another.

Of course it’s vital not to leave anything that’s cooking unattended in the kitchen. However, it makes sense to fit a smoke alarm just in case you do lose track. Placing smoke alarms throughout the house could seriously reduce the risk of a fire and also cut your home insurance premiums.

Remember that the kitchen is one of the most dangerous rooms of the house. So if you’re a TV chef devotee then make sure you have adequate buildings and contents home insurance along with accidental damage cover, just in case.