KItchen Fire Risk

[Dod101]

Thinking of risk on a Covid thread I thought it might be worthwhile recounting my experience last evening. Cooking my evening meal, my recipe called for me to grill some fish in a curry sauce and place a little vegetable oil on the tray to prevent the fish sticking to it. It emphasised a high heat. I have an electric oven with built in grill so did as instructed.. The grill only works if the door is closed as far as I can tell (I seldom use the grill) I got on with the rest of the prep. Suddenly my smoke alarm went off in anger for the first time ever I think. Smoke was coming out of the oven and when I opened the door, the tray was on fire (or at least the food was) This was serious so I grabbed the oven glove removed the tray and was able to fling it out of my patio doors which fortunately were standing open on the nice warm evening. No harm done apart from a ruined meal.

Lessons.
The first one was to understand how my grill is supposed to be used. I have still not done that.
The second one is to make sure we have smoke alarms that work! Mine did fortunately.
The third was not to have fabric curtains in a kitchen. Some years ago when we first moved into this house my late wife and I discussed this and I decided that we would not have curtains on the very grounds that came about last evening. Had I had curtains they could very easily have caught fire and then what? (We have instead wooden slatted venetian blinds although in fact seldom use them.)
FInally whilst I have a fire extinguisher I did not know where it was and do not know how to use it anyway. With a firer burning away that is not the time to be reading the instructions.

It was most likely my own fault and I either had the grill too hot or the tray too near the grill. I suspect that maybe some of the oil splashed on the grill but I do not know. Clearly something overheated.

So risk is all around us and we need to know about it and acknowledge that. A fire is very destructive and things happen very quickly. We need to be prepared.

Dod

[Urbandreamer]

FInally whilst I have a fire extinguisher I did not know where it was and do not know how to use it anyway. With a firer burning away that is not the time to be reading the instructions.
Dod

My fire extinguisher is in the kitchen and was recently replaced. Reading the instructions might help, but the first time you use one you will ignore the instructions regardless due to panic*.

I had to replace the fire extinguisher when I set the wheely bin on fire. I was really glad that I had it as it no doubt saved significant damage to the house.

*To use badly: Pull pin, squeeze handle while pointing at the fire as I did. To use well, do short squirts at base of fire and using pauses to identify where best to use it next. Mine is a 2kg dry powder, which I recommend for those who have never used one. If you have done so, then a CO2 one doesn't work quite as well without experience, but makes no mess and is better for the lungs. Ideal for a kitchen or anywhere that you can't hose down..

[monabri]

We've two smoke detectors in the kitchen. One of them goes off quite frequently when using the toaster. It's got to the point where I no longer jump out of my skin when it goes off!

[Dod101]

Suddenly my smoke alarm went off in anger for the first time ever I think

= pants well shat in.

Strangely enough I felt quite calm at the time and knew that it was down to me to sort this out.

Dod

[bungeejumper]

Seconded. About five years ago, our grill caught fire while I was doing some ribeye steaks for supper, and for a few moments our kitchen was in severe peril. The grill was spotlessly clean (since you ask ), but a chance spit of fat had ignited, and then it had caught a pool of fat on the steaks, and the rest had followed in a flash. It might have been a very different story if I hadn't had a fire blanket on the wall (and an extinguisher as well, in case of need.)

Our grill was like Dod's - you were supposed to keep the door closed during operation, which is a bit ridiculous really if you're trying to watch how the cooking is progressing! So the first indication was the sound of burning, not the sight. When I opened the door, a foot-long tongue of orange flame shot out toward my face, and I realised that I had an emergency on my hands.

We had installed the wall-mounted fire blanket for exactly this situation, but oddly, it took me a couple of seconds to register that I really was going to have to pull the ropes and ruin my lovely fire blanket by using it on an actual fire. (They are single-use.) But the rest of the story took only moments. I stuffed the blanket into the front of the grill, and in less than ten seconds the fire was out.

Remarkably, we were still able to eat the steaks. (Outside, on the patio. Inside was still full of clearing smoke.) Cowboy-style, rather than medium rare, but no complaints from me.

Do yourselves a favour. Get a fire blanket!

BJ

[Dod101]

We've two smoke detectors in the kitchen. One of them goes off quite frequently when using the toaster. It's got to the point where I no longer jump out of my skin when it goes off!

The Scottish laws coming in next year I think, require a heat alarm in the kitchen but not a smoke alarm. My smoke detector that went off is in the hallway just outside the kitchen and in fact is hardwired into the others so they all went off together and make a hell of a racket.

Dod

[88V8]

So risk is all around us and we need to know about it and acknowledge that. A fire is very destructive and things happen very quickly. We need to be prepared.

Well done.
No messing around.

Sitting in our not insured thatched with its wood fires, yes one has to be aware.
We have a fire blanket in the kitchen and an extinguisher, plus other extinguishers scattered around.
And smoke alarms whose batteries always seem to go flat at night... bleep bleep arrrgh. But not in the kitchen where smoke appears to be part of the culinary process.

As regards extinguishers, the water mist variety are very good. Light weight, can even be used on electrical fires.
https://www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/wa ... nguishers/

As Urbandreamer hints, dry powder extinguishers are a bad idea indoors. The powder gets everywhere and is very corrosive.

CO2 extinguishers unfortunately are excellent for dealing with wasps nests, I really must get ours refilled, we have at least three empties kicking around.
Thanks for the reminder.

V8

[AsleepInYorkshire]

Dod,

I'm glad you survived the ordeal. I'm very concerned that you don't have CCTV fitted in your kitchen as you would have been able to send the video to "You've Been Framed" for £250.

I'm going to send you some recipes which will reduce the risk in your kitchen. The first is for spam and lettuce sandwiches on a bed of cold beans. All the protein and vitamins you need without huge calories or the use of the grill

AiY

[servodude]

I lived with a guy who set fire to himself while cooking sausages at 2am....the night before we were moving flat in Edinburgh
The back of his jacket caught light without him noticing
- it was a thick polyester zip up thing with CUBA on the front

The flames were about a foot above his head when he burst into my room looking for help
I smothered him on the floor with my duvet
- bits of his jacket had stuck to him and the floor

He got up and apologized and went to bed.... and after half an hour went to A&E
- I got a phone call shortly after to say he was being taken to the burns unit in Livingston and apologizing again
(found half a packet of defrosted frozen sausages in his bed when I dismantled it the next day for the move - he'd tried holding them against the burn to soothe it)

He was a couple of months in there; skin from his leg relocated on to his back

Anyways...
I learnt that day to check the smoke alarms (and not just that they're there!) and that we do smell like pork when cooking

-sd

[88V8]

....we do smell like pork when cooking

I remember reading that. The cannibals used to refer to missionaries as 'long pig'.

V8

[MrFoolish]

I'm glad you sorted out the fire, Dod.

I would also mention that heating vegetable* oils to high temperatures produces seriously nasty chemicals. Personally, I would stick with butter, which will also taste better.

*Have you ever seen oil come from a vegetable? Me neither. The term "vegetable oil" is pure marketing. Most of these oils are chemically extracted from seeds using solvents. DYOR.

[UncleEbenezer]

*Have you ever seen oil come from a vegetable?

Yes.

When I worked in Italy, there was a parking overspill area at work in the olive grove. Park there and you'd come back to a stickyness that's incredibly hard to get rid of - a haze of oil produced by the trees. Street parking under other trees could collect a cocktail of oil and sap.

[MrFoolish]

*Have you ever seen oil come from a vegetable?

Yes.

When I worked in Italy, there was a parking overspill area at work in the olive grove. Park there and you'd come back to a stickyness that's incredibly hard to get rid of - a haze of oil produced by the trees. Street parking under other trees could collect a cocktail of oil and sap.

I think olive oil is one of the few where you get what you expect (avocado oil is another). But from my reading, it is better used cold than as a cooking oil.

[ReformedCharacter]

*Have you ever seen oil come from a vegetable?

Yes.

When I worked in Italy, there was a parking overspill area at work in the olive grove. Park there and you'd come back to a stickyness that's incredibly hard to get rid of - a haze of oil produced by the trees. Street parking under other trees could collect a cocktail of oil and sap.

Yes, but olives are a fruit not a vegetable.

RC

[swill453]

*Have you ever seen oil come from a vegetable?

Yes.

When I worked in Italy, there was a parking overspill area at work in the olive grove. Park there and you'd come back to a stickyness that's incredibly hard to get rid of - a haze of oil produced by the trees. Street parking under other trees could collect a cocktail of oil and sap.

Yes, but olives are a fruit not a vegetable.

Are sunflowers? Or rape?

Scott.

[Lanark]

A fire blanket in the kitchen is a good thing to have.

[MrFoolish]

Yes.

When I worked in Italy, there was a parking overspill area at work in the olive grove. Park there and you'd come back to a stickyness that's incredibly hard to get rid of - a haze of oil produced by the trees. Street parking under other trees could collect a cocktail of oil and sap.

Yes, but olives are a fruit not a vegetable.

Are sunflowers? Or rape?

Scott.

Well sunflower oil is actually sunflower seed oil. It can be pressed from the seeds or chemically extracted using hexane (a component of petrol). I think at least with butter you know what you are getting...

[mc2fool]

Well sunflower oil is actually sunflower seed oil. It can be pressed from the seeds or chemically extracted using hexane (a component of petrol). I think at least with butter you know what you are getting...

Yes, saturated fats, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and methane induced global warming.

Butter is also totally unsuitable for frying, searing etc as it has a much lower smoke point than most vegetable oils (unless you clarify it), and tastes a lot worse if you do happen to overheat it.

[UncleEbenezer]

Frying my supper tonight after reading this thread, I was conscious of the lack of firefighting kit.

If I buy a fire blanket, are they all much of a muchness? If not, how do I tell a good one from a useless one? Just thinking, the screwfix website might be a place to look.

[MrFoolish]

Well sunflower oil is actually sunflower seed oil. It can be pressed from the seeds or chemically extracted using hexane (a component of petrol). I think at least with butter you know what you are getting...

Yes, saturated fats, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and methane induced global warming.

Butter is also totally unsuitable for frying, searing etc as it has a much lower smoke point than most vegetable oils (unless you clarify it), and tastes a lot worse if you do happen to overheat it.

Lard is a good choice if you want higher temperatures.

Actually the evidence that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease is dubious to say the least. Over-consumption of carbs, trans fats and inflammatory processes are probably more likely candidates. But I've gone off-topic enough.