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Most fires that we attend in the home start in the kitchen, so how can you stay safe? Our advice covers how to avoid common cooking fires and smoke alarms in the kitchen.
Our advice covers the risks to look out for and how you can stay safe.
Here you’ll find advice which can help you to avoid common kitchen fires. There’s also specific advice on deep fat fryers, microwaves, air fryers and smoke detectors in the kitchen.
Register all appliances using Register My Appliance. This will ensure you get important safety information and recall notices.
Keep tea towels, cloths and kitchen roll away from the cooker and hob
Keep your kitchen and cooking appliances clean. A build-up of fat or grease can catch fire.
Turn pan handles in so that there is less risk of them being knocked over
Never leave cooking unattended, and do not leave children in the kitchen alone
Place toasters and other cooking appliances well away from curtains, blinds or anything else that could catch fire like cloths or kitchen roll. You should also clear out crumbs regularly.
Never cook when you’re very tired, or are under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Take care when cooking that your hair is out of the way and you don’t have any loose clothing that could catch fire
Double-check cooking appliances are turned off when you’ve finished cooking
Take care when cooking with hot oil – it sets alight easily
Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil so it doesn’t splash
If the oil starts to smoke – it’s too hot. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool
Use a thermostatically controlled electric deep fat fryer. They can’t overheat
Buy your air fryer from a reputable supplier and make sure to read reviews before you buy
Register your appliance’s guarantee if it has one to make sure you receive recall notifications
Follow the manufacturer’s guidance and only use your air fryer as directed. This means using it on a hard surface, and never filling the fryer with oil. Instead, use a product directed for air fryer use.
Clean your air fryer regularly to avoid dangerous fat, grease or oils building up
Never leave it on when you go out or go to sleep
Always check that it’s off when you’re finished
Buy your microwave from a reputable supplier and register its guarantee to receive recall notifications
In the event of a fire in the microwave, leave the room, close the door, get everyone out of your home, stay out and call 999
After a fire, make sure you get your microwave professionally tested to ensure that it’s still safe to use
You should have a smoke alarm on every level of your home, but we don’t recommend fitting a smoke alarm in your kitchen
Instead, fit a heat alarm which will give you a warning of an increase in temperature caused by fire but will not be set off by cooking fumes
You need a carbon monoxide alarm or detector near any fuel-burning appliance you have such as a gas hob or boiler
