How to Prevent Grease Fires

7/8/2019 (Permalink)

From the title of a hit musical to its use as an industrial lubricant, grease plays a variety of roles in our lives, but it may be surprising to many that grease is also a common instigator of kitchen fires. It is crucial to prevent grease fires from starting in your home, as they can get out of hand rather quickly. Consider these do’s and don’ts in order to protect your home from the detrimental effects of grease fires.

Before cooking, do make sure to remove any combustible items, such as towels or cookbooks, away from the cooking space. Next, pay close attention when cooking. The majority of grease fires are caused when no one is monitoring what is cooking. Grease fires can ignite and grow in a matter of seconds, so looking away for even a quick moment could enhance the risk. If you’re planning on drinking cocktails before dinner, save those drinks until after you’ve finished cooking dinner, as cooking while intoxicated can increase the risk of accidents occurring or misjudgment, which can subsequently increase the chance of a grease fire igniting. Keep a metal lid close by when cooking in case a grease fire ignites, as you would need to smother this particular type of fire in order to put it out. It would also be wise to keep baking soda handy, since it can also be used to put out grease fires, but only if the fire is small.

When cooking, don’t throw food into the hot oil. Doing so can cause the oil to splatter and potentially catch fire when met with a hot burner. Exercise caution when placing food into the oil by slowly and carefully dropping the items into the oil, especially if the food was previously frozen. Allow frozen food to thaw before cooking it in hot grease. Also, do not throw liquid onto a grease fire if one breaks out, as doing so will cause the fire to spread.