Temperatures Achieved During The Heating Of Cooking Oil In Chip-Pans

摘要

Objectives To investigate aspects of chip-pan design which might lead to hot oil scald injury during cooking. To ascertain whether there is a need for safety information aimed at the general public to encourage primary prevention. Materials and Methods Two previously un-used 'chip-pans' were filled with fresh vegetable oil and heated over a gas-heated hotplate. Temperature measurements were taken using an infrared thermometer with laser sight at 1-minute intervals of the cooking oil, the external surface of the pan and the handles of both the pan itself and the inner chip basket.Results Between January 1996 and January 2010, 247 patients were admitted to the Adult Burn Centre of the Royal Adelaide Hospital with burns due to hot oil scalds sustained in the home. Experimentally, the oil temperature reached a plateau of 240-260°C. At this time, the temperature of the long handle of pan 1 ranged from 90-120°C. The shorter 'alternative' handle reached temperatures as high as 193°C. The handles of pan 2 ranged from 40-60°C.Conclusions In the absence of a chip-pan fire, pan-handles can become too hot to hold without protection. Attempts to move a blazing chip-pan from the stove-top to outdoors are likely to result in dropping the pan and/or spillage of the oil and severe burn injury (as well as the risk of the fire spreading). Admission numbers mandate public awareness campaigns and the promotion of fire blanket purchase. Introduction Between the start of our Burn-Injury Database in 1996 and January 2010, there were 247 admissions to the Adult Burn Centre at the Royal Adelaide Hospital with injuries caused by hot cooking oil. Whilst a proportion were small injuries from splashes during cooking, a large number are significant injuries sustained whilst trying to move a burning chip-pan from stovetop to outdoors via the kitchen door or worse by trying to extinguish a hot oil fire with cold water1. Epidemiological data surrounding chip pan fires suggests a correlation with lower socioeconomic status, with the majority of these burn injuries occurring in the home environment2.When confronted with flames and fire, the immediate reaction is to move the flaming pan to outside of the house in an attempt to prevent property damage. However, the hazards involved in moving a pan containing flame and smoke at the end of a short wooden or plastic handle are often not realised. Examples of these are; i) the temperature of the oil fire flames (400-700°C) and the constant spitting of hot fat at several hundred degrees, ii) the proximity of the pan handle to the flames will ensure that they are hot and greasy, constantly being spattered with hot oil droplets, iii) the movement of the flame column towards the carrier once forward motion begins, iv) the difficulty of opening the back-door with one hand whilst holding the flaming pan, v) the danger of igniting kitchen fabrics like curtains during the manoeuvre, and vi) the effect of the sudden waft of oxygen-richer air pouring into the air-depleted kitchen fanning the flames once the door has been opened. Unfortunately, once the pan has been dropped, the burning oil spreads out across the kitchen floor igniting combustible materials and forming a hot slippery surface which often leads to further trauma.Patients from oil-fire 'explosions' are much rarer and tend to be women, who realise the dangers of moving the pan and try 'static' resolving techniques by trying to stop the fire with the application of cold water. Whilst there is no completely safe method of dealing with chip-pan fires, the 'safer' method of dealing with ignited oil involves cutting off the oxygen to the flames by covering the pan with an occlusive material. A purpose-designed 'fire blanket' is ideal and readily commercially available. A damp (soaked in water and then well-wrung out) 'tea-towel' is another option when a fire blanket is not available. Trying to replace the pan-lid is often difficult due to the precise fit of the lid and t