Kitchen Safety Word Search for Family and Consumer Science

Press New puzzle for 15 kitchen safety words, from Scald to Danger zone, and print the sheet with its key.

Name Date

Kitchen Safety Word Search

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.

0 of 15 words found

FTORIFNEEBDWNEU

FADFMSDFPYVLALG

ETIMERBTHJESOOR

NCSTBACTERIAEPT

ITHIPHDOVENMITT

OHTLTASPEURSSTO

YEOSANITIZEEMED

DRWPNDNSIDEQORL

FMEIMWKDPAAGKOT

LOLLYAWSLIPQEEH

CMPLWSCALDRIAIW

UEUHWHUEAUORLXH

OTCEVITENENHAIT

OEXTINGUISHERDG

ORTANGGPKALBMTT

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

ScaldSCALD
CutCUT
SlipSLIP
SpillSPILL
Smoke alarmSMOKE ALARM
ExtinguisherEXTINGUISHER
Oven mittOVEN MITT
HandwashingHANDWASHING
SanitizeSANITIZE
BacteriaBACTERIA
ThermometerTHERMOMETER
SinkSINK
ApronAPRON
Dish towelDISH TOWEL
TimerTIMER

15 of 24 words from the Kitchen Safety list.

Pick three words from the list. For each one, write where in the kitchen you would find it or watch for it.

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Word list

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Answer key: Kitchen Safety Word Search

FTORIFNEEBDWNEU

FADFMSDFPYVLALG

ETIMERBTHJESOOR

NCSTBACTERIAEPT

ITHIPHDOVENMITT

OHTLTASPEURSSTO

YEOSANITIZEEMED

DRWPNDNSIDEQORL

FMEIMWKDPAAGKOT

LOLLYAWSLIPQEEH

CMPLWSCALDRIAIW

UEUHWHUEAUORLXH

OTCEVITENENHAIT

OEXTINGUISHERDG

ORTANGGPKALBMTT

SCALD, CUT, SLIP, SPILL, SMOKE ALARM, EXTINGUISHER, OVEN MITT, HANDWASHING, SANITIZE, BACTERIA, THERMOMETER, SINK, APRON, DISH TOWEL, TIMER

Next step Make a word search from your own unit words Make a kitchen word scramble

All 137 words

Kitchen Hazards 19

Blister A raised bubble of skin filled with fluid that can form after a burn.
Boil over What a pot does when its bubbling liquid rises and runs down the sides.
Burn An injury to the skin from dry heat, such as a hot pan, a glowing coil or a flame.
Cut A break in the skin made by something sharp, such as a blade or a chipped plate.
Flame The hot, glowing part of a fire, such as the blue ring on a gas stove.
Grease Melted fat from cooking. It can catch fire if it gets too hot.
Hazard Anything that could cause harm, from a wet floor to a dangling cord.
Hot oil Cooking fat heated for frying, which gets much hotter than boiling water.
Loose sleeve Baggy clothing at the wrist that can dangle into a flame or catch a pot handle.
Overheat To get too hot, as cooking fat does just before it starts to smoke.
Scald An injury from a hot liquid or from steam, not from dry heat or fire.
Scorch To burn the surface of something so that it turns brown or black.

Show all 137 words (125 more)

Kitchen Hazards, continued

Sharp edge The cutting side of a blade, or the rim of an opened can.
Slip To lose your footing on a wet or greasy floor.
Spill Liquid that has run out of its container onto the counter or the floor.
Splatter Drops of hot oil or sauce that jump out of a pan.
Steam Water that has turned to hot gas. It rushes out when a lid is lifted from a boiling pot.
Tip over What a pot can do when someone bumps a handle that sticks out past the stove.
Wet floor A slipping hazard after a spill or mopping, often marked with a yellow sign.

Kitchen Fire Safety 19

Baking soda Sodium bicarbonate, a white powder. It was once the usual agent in restaurant kitchen fire systems.
Battery The power cell inside a smoke alarm or a kitchen timer.
Chirp The short, high beep a smoke alarm makes when its battery runs low.
Escape plan The ways out of a home and the meeting place outside, agreed on before any emergency.
Extinguisher A metal canister that sprays foam, powder or liquid to put out a small fire.
Flare up A sudden burst of flame, as when fat drips onto a hot grill.
Fuel Anything that can burn. A fire needs it, along with heat and oxygen.
Handle The part of a pot or pan that you hold. One that sticks out past the stove can be bumped.
Hot pad A thick mat or cloth square set under a dish that has just come off the heat.
Lid A cover for a pot or pan. The US Fire Administration says one slid over a small pan fire puts it out.
Nozzle The opening at the end of an extinguisher hose, where the spray comes out.
Oven mitt A thick padded glove for lifting hot pans and trays.
Pot holder A thick cloth square that shields the hand from a hot handle or lid.
Smoke alarm A ceiling device that senses the first sign of a fire and sounds a loud warning.
Smother To put out a fire by cutting off its air.
Trivet A small stand that keeps a hot dish off the counter or table.
Turn off To stop the gas or power to a stove by moving its dial back to zero.
Unattended Left with nobody watching. The U.S. Fire Administration names it the top factor in home cooking fires.
Wet chemical The agent in a Class K kitchen extinguisher. It turns burning cooking oil into a soapy foam.

Food Safety and Sanitation 28

Air dry To leave washed plates in a rack until the water is gone, with no towel.
Allergen A food or substance that the bodies of some people react badly to, such as peanuts.
Bacteria Tiny living things, too small to see. Some kinds in food can make people sick.
Chill The last of four food safety steps: getting food into the refrigerator within two hours.
Clean The first of four food safety steps: washing hands, tools and surfaces often.
Contaminate To make food unsafe by letting germs, dirt or chemicals get into it.
Cook One of four food safety steps: heating food until its inside is hot enough to kill germs.
Danger zone From 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the range in which bacteria in food can multiply rapidly.
Dish soap The liquid squirted into the sink to lift grease from plates and pans.
Disinfect To kill nearly all the germs on a surface with a chemical made for the job.
Expired Past the date stamped on the package.
Foodborne Describes an illness that is passed on through something a person ate.
Germs An everyday name for the bacteria and viruses that cause illness.
Handwashing Scrubbing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before touching food.
Leftovers Food saved from an earlier meal. The CDC chart says to reheat it to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mold A fuzzy growth, often green or white, on old bread, fruit or cheese.
Pathogen A germ that causes disease.
Perishable Describes food that goes bad quickly unless it is kept cold, such as meat, milk and cut fruit.
Raw meat Uncooked beef, pork or poultry, which can spread germs to other foods.
Reheat To warm food a second time.
Sanitation Keeping a kitchen clean enough that the food made in it stays safe to eat.
Sanitize To rid a surface of germs by cleaning or disinfecting it.
Separate One of four food safety steps: keeping raw meat and its juices away from ready-to-eat food.
Soapy water Hot suds for washing boards, tools and counters after each food is prepared.
Spoiled No longer safe or pleasant to eat.
Thaw To bring frozen food back above freezing.
Thermometer A probe that reads the temperature inside food, to show that it is done.
Two hours The longest that perishable food should sit out of the refrigerator, according to the CDC.

Kitchen Appliances 20

Air fryer A countertop appliance that crisps food with a fast fan of heat and very little oil.
Blender A jar with spinning blades in the base, for smoothies and soups.
Broiler The heating coil at the top of an oven, which cooks food from above.
Coffee maker It drips hot water through ground beans into a glass pot.
Deep fryer A tank of very hot oil with a basket, for foods like French fries.
Dishwasher A machine that sprays plates and glasses with very hot water.
Disposal A grinder under the sink drain that shreds food scraps.
Freezer The coldest box in the kitchen, kept at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
Griddle A wide, flat hot surface for pancakes and grilled sandwiches.
Ice maker The part of a freezer that turns water into cubes.
Juicer A machine that squeezes the liquid out of fruits and vegetables.
Kettle A pot with a spout for boiling water. Many whistle when the water is ready.
Microwave Percy Spencer hit on it in 1945, when radar waves began to melt the candy bar in his pocket.
Mixer A machine with beaters that turn to stir batter or whip cream.
Range One appliance with a cooktop above and an oven below.
Refrigerator The cold cabinet that slows the growth of bacteria. The CDC says to keep it at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
Stove The appliance with burners on top for pots and pans.
Toaster It browns slices of bread in two slots, then pops them up.
Vent hood A fan in a metal canopy over the stove that pulls smoke and steam outside.
Waffle iron Two hinged hot plates with a grid pattern that press batter into a breakfast treat.

Around the Kitchen 22

Apron It ties at the waist and neck to keep spills and splatters off your clothes.
Backsplash The tiled strip of wall behind a counter or stove that wipes clean easily.
Cabinet A cupboard with doors, fixed to the wall or under the counter.
Child lock A catch that keeps toddlers out of a cabinet or stops an appliance from starting.
Counter The long, flat work surface where food is prepared.
Cupboard A closed storage space with shelves for plates, cups and food.
Dish rack A wire or plastic stand where washed plates drip dry.
Dish towel A cloth for drying plates and glasses.
Drain The hole at the bottom of a sink where the water runs out.
Drawer A box that slides out of a cabinet. Kitchen ones hold cutlery, tools and towels.
Faucet The tap over a sink, with hot and cold sides.
Floor mat A cushioned or rubber-backed rug in front of the sink or stove.
Island A counter that stands alone in the middle of a kitchen.
Pantry A closet or small room for food that keeps without being chilled.
Paper towel A throwaway sheet for drying hands or soaking up a spill.
Shelf A flat board in a cabinet or pantry that holds cans, boxes or plates.
Sink The basin with a faucet and a drain, for washing hands, food and plates.
Sponge A soft pad full of holes that soaks up suds for scrubbing plates.
Step stool A short, steady platform for reaching a high shelf, in place of a chair.
Storage Where and how food and supplies are kept until they are needed.
Timer A clock that counts down and rings, so food is not forgotten on the heat.
Trash can The bin for kitchen waste, often with a lid worked by a foot pedal.

Electricity and Gas 14

Circuit The loop of wiring that carries electricity to a set of outlets.
Crumb tray The slide-out pan at the bottom of a toaster.
Dial The round control on a stove or oven that you turn to set the heat.
Dry hands What you need before touching a plug or a switch, because water conducts electricity.
Element The metal coil in an electric stove, oven or kettle that glows as it heats.
Frayed cord A power cable whose covering has worn through so the wires show.
Gas leak Fuel escaping from a stove or pipe into the room.
Grounded Describes a plug with a third prong, which gives stray electricity a safe path.
Off switch The control that cuts the power to an appliance.
Outlet The wall socket where an appliance is plugged in.
Overload To plug in more appliances than the wiring can safely power at once.
Pilot light A small gas flame that stays burning in some older stoves, ready to ignite the burners.
Shock A jolt of electricity through the body, a risk when water and a plugged-in appliance meet.
Unplug To pull an appliance's cord out of the wall socket.

Safe Kitchen Habits 15

Accident Something harmful that happens by mistake.
Ask an adult A three-word rule for young cooks about the stove and sharp tools. Your teacher or family sets it.
Careful Taking your time and paying attention to what could go wrong.
Closed toe Describes shoes that cover the whole foot, the kind worn in a cooking class.
Emergency A sudden, serious event that needs help right away.
Hairnet A fine mesh cap that keeps loose strands out of food.
Injury Harm to the body, such as a burn, a cut or a bruise.
No running A rule in every kitchen and cooking classroom: walk.
Prevent To stop something bad before it happens.
Put away To return each tool and ingredient to its place when you finish.
Roll up To turn long sleeves back toward the elbow, clear of the stove and the sink.
Safety Freedom from harm or danger.
Stand by To stay next to a pan while it is on the heat. The U.S. Fire Administration's slogan starts with these two words.
Supervise To watch over someone while they work, ready to help.
Wipe up To clear a spill from the floor or counter with a cloth or mop.

How this list was compiled: 137 kitchen safety words and short phrases chosen and defined for this site: seven themed lists (kitchen hazards, kitchen fire safety, food safety and sanitation, kitchen appliances, around the kitchen, electricity and gas, safe kitchen habits), a 24-word starter list, 12 short entries and every entry of 8 letters or more. It is a vocabulary list and gives no safety advice of its own: where a clue states a number or a rule, it reports one of the sources named here. No brand is named. Cooking methods and tools are left to the cooking word search, and food names to the food word search. Checked on 19 September 2026: CDC, Preventing Food Poisoning, https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/prevention/index.html and U.S. Fire Administration, Cooking Fire Safety, https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prevent-fires/cooking/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_zone_(food_safety) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_extinguisher https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_triangle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_detector and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator Licence: own work

How it works

This kitchen safety word search hides the vocabulary of a foods lab, from Scald and Oven mitt to Danger zone. The starter list has 24 entries, and seven themed lists run from Kitchen Hazards to Safe Kitchen Habits.

Read the full guide

Seven themes, from hazards to habits

Kitchen Hazards holds 19 entries, such as Scald, Splatter and Boil over. Kitchen Fire Safety has 19 and Food Safety and Sanitation 28. Electricity and Gas and Safe Kitchen Habits finish the safety lists. For a plain kitchen word search, pick Kitchen Appliances or Around the Kitchen: 42 everyday words, from Blender to Pantry.

A sheet for day one of the unit

Print it before anyone in a family and consumer science class lights a stove. The clues define each word, and Show clues, not words prints them in place of the word list. Where one gives a number, such as 20 seconds of handwashing, it comes from the CDC or the U.S. Fire Administration, and your teacher sets the rules of the room.

Questions and answers

What words are in the kitchen safety word search?

It holds 137 words and phrases, and the usual unit terms are all there, from Bacteria and Sanitize to Thermometer and Extinguisher. Oven is left out because Oven mitt holds it, so Range and Broiler stand in.

Which list has Danger zone and the food safety words?

Food Safety and Sanitation. The clue for Danger zone gives the range, 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria in food can multiply rapidly. Two hours, Perishable and Thermometer sit in the same list.

Are Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill in the puzzle?

Yes. All four are in Food Safety and Sanitation, and they are the four steps to food safety as the CDC names them, so a puzzle from that list can open the lesson on them.

Which list suits fire safety week?

Kitchen Fire Safety. It holds Unattended, which the U.S. Fire Administration names as the top factor in home cooking fires, and Lid. Stand by, the first words of the agency's slogan, is in Safe Kitchen Habits.

All 137 words

Kitchen Hazards 19

Kitchen Hazards, continued

Kitchen Fire Safety 19

Food Safety and Sanitation 28

Kitchen Appliances 20

Around the Kitchen 22

Electricity and Gas 14

Safe Kitchen Habits 15

How it works

Seven themes, from hazards to habits

A sheet for day one of the unit

Questions and answers

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