For cooks who are unprepared, inexperienced, or simply distracted, a meal can turn from delicious to disastrous.
The kitchen can be a hazardous place, especially for meals that require more hands-on prep work and fancy tools and fryers. It is also the place where more than half of accidental fires originate.
What's more is people are experimenting in the kitchen, cooking complicated meals and using more gizmos inspired by television cooking programs and celebrity chefs.
In a recent assessment, Zurich explored how frying, broiling, slicing and dicing can impact the potential risk for a meal in the United Kingdom.
Using a point scale to calculate the risk assessment for popular British dishes, Zurich compiled a list of the top five riskiest British dishes to prepare, basing their calculations on each action required to prepare the dishes and estimating the consequence and frequency of events and plotting them against the event consequence.
The final scores are based on the following point system:
- Peeling vegetables: 1 (probability very low, impact very low)
- Grating vegetables: 1 (probability very low, impact very low)
- Opening cans/tins: 1 (probability very low, impact very low)
- Heating: 1 (probability very low, impact very low)
- Toasting: 1 (probability very low, impact very low)
- Chopping vegetables: 6 (probability medium, impact low)
- Boiling: 9 (probability medium, impact medium
- Slicing/Carving Meat or Fish: 9 (probability medium, impact medium)
- Grilling: 10 (probability low, impact very high)
- Roasting: 10 (probability low, impact very high)
- Frying: 15 (probability medium, impact very high)
- Oil Fire: 20 (probability high, impact very high)
Click through the following slides to see which dishes landed a spot on the top five riskiest meals to prepare.
#5 Bangers and Mash
Risk Rating: 36/100
The traditional British dish made of mashed potatoes and sausages rounds out the top five riskiest dishes to cook.
#4 Fish and Chips
Risk Rating: 38/100
Perhaps one of the most well-known British dishes to Americans is the classic fish and chips. The dish originated in Great Britain in the 19th century and consists of battered fried fish, usually haddock or cod, and French fries.
#3 Full English Breakfast
Risk Rating: 39/100
Usually reserved for weekends or special occasions, the full English breakfast usually consists of bacon, sausages and eggs, and is frequently accompanied by other side dishes and pastries and either tea or coffee.
Although the full English breakfast is relatively simple to prepare, the variety of different elements and cooking methods earn it a higher risk ranking, garnering 39 total risk points.
#2 Chicken Tikka Masala
Risk Rating: 54/100
The most popular restaurant dish in the United Kingdom, chicken tikka masala stems from both British and Indian influence.
Although recipes for this dish vary, chicken tikka masala contains roasted chicken chunks in a spicy, creamy sauce, usually containing tomato and coriander.
Roasting (10) and slicing meat (5) are just two of the categories that contribute to chicken tikka masala's high risk rating.
#1 Sunday Roast
Risk Rating: 73/100
The Sunday roast tops the list of riskiest meals.
“Given the number of elements and crucial timing involved in cooking a Sunday roast dinner, it's not surprising it's the riskiest to prepare,” said 2012 winner of Masterchef Shelina Permalloo.
The meal, composed of roasted meat, roasted or mashed potatoes, accompanied by a number of side dishes including Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, vegetables and gravy, proves that the greater number of elements involved, the higher the risk.
Contributing to the Sunday Roast's high rating is the simultaneous preparation of a variety of ingredients, the number of knives needed for peeling and chopping, the potential for pans to boil over and the possibility for severe burns caused by hot oil, spitting fat or heat from the oven.
To avoid the potential risks, Permalloo suggests thorough preparation and planning.
“Make sure you have all of the preparation, such as peeling and chopping, done before you start on the cooking—trying to do everything at once is tricky to manage. Don't be distracted as pans can easily boil over and roast potatoes in oil can get dangerously hot.
“Preparation in advance will also allow you to relax and enjoy your Sunday roast with your friends and family.”
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