This month we will be delving into Kitchen Safety and how to prevent cooking fires. Per the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), kitchen fires are the leading cause of home fires in the United States. In 2021, fire departments responded to an estimated 170,000 cooking fires, resulting in 135 deaths, 3,000 injuries and over $494 million in property loss. Unattended cooking is the biggest reason for kitchen fires. The positive news is that kitchen cooking fires can be prevented by following a few simple suggestions.
- Stand by your pan and do not leave your stove or oven unattended.
- Keep potholders and anything flammable away from the stovetop and oven.
- Keep pan handles facing toward the back of the stovetop.
- Have a pan lid or a cookie sheet nearby.
- Do not cook if you are tired or are under the influence of alcohol.
A simple example of how a stove fire can happen quickly is using the broiler to broil garlic bread. There is a lot of butter, along with garlic on the bread. The butter heats up quickly and if left unattended, in just a few short minutes you can find flames shooting out of your oven. Had you been paying attention to what you were broiling this would not have happened and now not only do you have a smokey house, but you’ve got no garlic bread for dinner. Hopefully, you have a working smoke alarm that alerted you to the problem and prevented a big kitchen fire and injury. To explain why this happened you would need to go back to the fire triangle. Fires need a heat source, a fuel source and oxygen.
An accumulation of grease or debris on a stove top or in an oven is the fuel source a fire needs. Stovetops and ovens should be periodically cleaned to ensure safety from fire.
There are at least three types of stovetops, and they all require a different cleaning method. In addition to the cleaning methods below you may also want to check the manufacturer’s suggestions.
- Glass stovetops – use baking soda and a damp cloth to soak and loosen the build-up off, prior to scraping it off.
- Coil burners – remove and scrub the drip pans and coils with dish soap. It may be necessary to replace the drip pans if you are unable to remove debris.
- Gas burners - soak and scrub the grates in soapy water. You can also use vinegar and water to scrub the cook top or a toothbrush with dish soap.
- Most ovens, whether gas or electric have a self-cleaning option and if not, there are many different cleaning supplies that can be purchased.
Make sure that you check your counters for grease or food buildup. Wiping your counters daily is another way to prevent kitchen fires. Do not forget about your other appliances such as toasters, toaster ovens, electric griddles, and deep fryers. Over time these appliances can suffer from a build up of flammable substances which results in fuel for a kitchen fire.
Let us revisit that garlic bread fire under the broiler. What’s the best way to smother the fire? When using the broiler, the oven door is left open a little bit. The flames coming out of the oven need oxygen and by carefully shutting the oven door you will cut off the oxygen supply and the fire will go out. Also, do not forget to turn off the oven. Call 911 if the flames don’t go out. Only do this if you can do it safely.
If a pan on a burner smokes or catches fire, you can smother the fire by carefully sliding a lid over the pan to cut off oxygen. Once the lid is over the pan, shut off the stove. Again, only do this if you can do it safely.
It is important to note some kitchen Don’ts:
- Do not pour water on a grease fire. Water and oil do not mix and putting water on a grease fire can cause the fire to spread.
- Do not keep flammables close to the stove.
- Do not overload electrical outlets. Do not use extension cords.
- Do not use faulty appliances.
Aside from the ways to smother a fire indicated above it is also recommended that every home be equipped with fire extinguishers. For home kitchens a Type ABC extinguisher is the best all-purpose extinguisher to have as they contain the compounds for extinguishing three different types of fires, to include Type C for electrical fires. Fire extinguishers should be placed within 30 to 50 feet of the kitchen so that you can quickly retrieve it. There are all kinds of resources on-line that address how to properly operate a fire extinguisher. It does no good to have the fire extinguisher if you do not know how to operate it.
Always exercise safety first and do not hesitate to call 9-1-1 should a fire break out in your kitchen. In general, kitchen fires are preventable. Kitchens are a place where families gather and cook together, making beautiful memories. So be attentive in the kitchen and Don’t Burn the Garlic Bread!
"Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together.
No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people get together to eat." — Guy Fieri