open plan house... kitchen worries

[Annne]

Hi,

My house is open plan.. so no matter where i put my new baby birds cage in the social area's the kitchen is still near with no walls/doors separating them. I have stopped cooking with non stick pans since i got him..but i read that over heated oil and burnt food is bad. So now every time i cook i feel so nervous that i'm going to kill him! Even when i'm just searing meat or using a bit of oil haha

When i cook anything i open up all the windows, make sure i don't burn anything and put the exhaust fan on high. But what is "over heated oil"?? i was deep frying meat balls and the oil has to be pretty hot and i was so worried i kept checking on my conure.

Please tell me i'm over reacting and i can cook without having a heart attack over possibly killing my new baby!

cheers

[kaylayuh]

If the oil is smoking, it's overheated. Each type of oil has specific heat ranges it can tolerate. Olive oil is pretty low. Vegetable oil is pretty high. Only heat the oil enough to make it effective in cooking, not hotter.

My apartment is a 400 square foot studio. There is no door between the kitchen and the living space. If I'm cooking with oil, I open the windows and turn on a fan. I don't walk away from the oil and I only heat it until it starts rippling in the pan. My birds are all fine.

[Michael]

But what is "over heated oil"??

I think that generally means when the oil is smoking. You're over thinking and worrying too much. I have an open apartment too and don't even have an air exhaust (although it's a large open area and the birds are pretty far). Once I was seasoning a cast iron pan and forgot it turned on for about an hour and all the oil turned to smoke and what was left in the pan a molten red jelly. When I came in, the air was gray with smoke and the fumes made my eyes tear. I immediately opened all windows and it took a while to clear.

Now I'm not saying that this is good for the birds by any means but it didn't kill them or make them sick in any apparent way. I was so thankful it wasn't a non stick pan I left on like that.

[Vicki5280]

Once I was seasoning a cast iron pan and forgot it turned on for about an hour and all the oil turned to smoke and what was left in the pan a molten red jelly.

Good grief man! How do you season your cookware? I take all day to season/reaseason a pan and have never had this happen to me.

[Michael]

I explain what I do in greater detail in this article. But what happened that one time was that I had just cleaned off the pan (probably washed it) and I always heat the pan to dry it and coat with some new oil after use (in preparation for the next one). So I usually heat it pretty high but turn it off as soon as it is hot enough (just starting to smoke) and then I leave it to retain the heat and cool down on its own. Well that one time I had to run out to a store and forgot to turn it off and I came back to an apartment full of smoke but the birds didn't seem to care. I've been more careful since.

[TheNzJessie]

are you in an hour or apartment? if you are in a house you could roll your bird outside while you are cooking, open the windows near where your cooking and use the extractor fan above you stove if you have one

have you tried spray oil? i use it but i dont know if it smokes because iv never tried to make it smoke

[Lokums]

Our senegal is almost always downstairs while we are cooking (she is in her cage if we are using the stove top or hot oil). Cooking food is not a problem at all for your birdies, I wouldn't worry about it, just don't overheat non-stick pans. The only side effect of cooking around your parrots is they will WANT what you are eating (GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME, however it is your birds say that).

Mike

[Michael]

Yeah but whatever you do, DO NOT give them anything from the table. Resist that temptation at all costs or they will never leave you alone. If you want to save them some people food, feel free but only feed it to them when they are on parrot approved areas and not landing on your kitchen table.

[Lokums]

VERY good advice. We learned that the hard way with our first bird (B&G Loki). It got the point where we couldn't bring him down while we were doing anything with food. We are being more diligent with our senegal.

Mike

[Michael]

I actually teach table manners to my parrots lol

Usually I do keep them in the cage just because while I'm eating, the stove is normally cooling down. But on occasion I have a frozen dinner or something such that there is nothing hot left. Then I'll let one or both parrots stay out and watch me eat. They'll usually beg to come to me or land on the chairs beside me. If they recall, they can sit on my shoulder and watch. I talk to them, play with them, let them sit on the chair backs and watch, but I don't give them a morsel of food. They learn that it's a fun time to be out and interesting things going on but I very clearly distinguish parrot meal time and people meal time. I don't tolerate them landing on the table and never let them in my food. I think the whole thing is socially reinforcing enough that they are just happy to hang around and watch. Or it could just be that they're really hopeful. But either way, I don't give them food at the table. If I really want to give them something, I take it, walk away from the table, recall them that way, reward, and put them on a perch to eat. But no rewards on/near the table cause then you can't get them to stay off. This is why it's important not to give them any opportunities to steal some food from your plate because they will reward themselves and keep trying. So it is best to either put them away, keep them on some stands, or teach them to watch and enjoy your company but no food.