Which direction should pan handles be turned while cooking on the stove?

When studying to become a chef or even when cooking in your own kitchen, it is vitally important for you to make sure that the direction of the pan handles should always be turned to stay over the counter tops while cooking on the stove.

Some of us may not pay attention to this important rule, but if an accident were to happen it could potentially be disastrous. If the handle of the pan is turned over another hot burner, the handle can heat up and you will burn yourself when you go to touch it. Keeping the handle facing toward you may seem like the right way but if you knock into the handle, the pan could be knocked onto the floor, or even onto you.

Many cooks have experienced mishaps like a pot or pan turning over while it was cooking on the stove. The reason may be that their elbow or other body part hit the pan causing it to turn over. Even though the handle on a pan is very useful because it allows the cook to touch the pan without getting burned, it can also cause problems.

For example, a cook leaves the handle of the pan sticking out. When the cook turns back to the stove, the cook’s hand, arm or body pushes the handle which would cause the pan to shift or move across the counter. It could tip over and the contents could fall on the cook. Therefore, the handle should be turned to be over the counter.