We’ve all been there. It happens: a pot of oil is forgotten and left on the stove, where it burns away until it’s too late. The leading cause of injuries and home fires is cooking fires. This includes frying. Although you might not be faced with a grease fire every day, it is important to be prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this post, you will learn how to properly and safely put out a grease fire and what materials are safe to use to feel more confident in the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are a few things that you can do to put out a grease fire safely. First, try to cover the pan with the appropriate lid quickly. Be careful not to burn yourself. If that doesn’t work, try baking soda. This chemical will react with the oil and produce carbon dioxide and water vapor, which will extinguish the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A grease fire is what happens when food or cooking oil ignites. <\/strong>The flames can be intense and quickly spread, creating an unsafe environment where people may become trapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you fry, it is important to remain in the kitchen. Be careful to control the oil temperature and not let the food get too hot. Keep the oil splatter to a minimum. To reduce the chance of a grease fire, always use a lid for frying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grease fires are caused by cooking oil that has become too hot, starts to smoke, and then ignites. Vegetable oils catch fire at around 450 Ferenhite. Animal fats catch fire at around 375 Ferenhite. It doesn’t take long for them both to reach these temperatures. Grease fires are very easy to start and can spread quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While careful cooking is the best way to prevent a grease fire<\/a>, sometimes it’s impossible to avoid an accident. Other reasons why a kitchen grease fire might occur include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2020 National Fire Protection Association report<\/a> showed that cooking was the leading cause of home fires and injuries. <\/strong>Unattended equipment accounts for about 30% of home fires and more than 50% of all deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grease fires usually start when cooking oil’s smoke point is around 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit and can continue up to over 1,000 degrees.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Below are four tips to help you quickly contain a grease fire.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n First, you need to put out the flames as fast as possible A large lid can be used to cover the fire To reduce the chance of burning, you can grip the lid with a damp towel. This step can also be done with a long, flat pan such as a baking sheet.<\/p>\n It is dangerous to move the pan outside with flames. The pan will heat up quickly and get hotter each second. In addition, you may burn yourself by dropping the pan on the ground, or you could spread the fire around your house. So, avoid the temptation to take the pan outside.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Once the fire is under control, it is important to turn off the heat source. It’s easy to forget about the stove being on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Baking soda is the best way to extinguish a fire Baking soda won’t work well with large fires, but it is very effective for smaller fires.<\/p>\n Never use water to put out a grease fire. The cooking oil will splash when you add water. This can spread the flames to other parts of the kitchen. You could also burn yourself.<\/p>\n Only use baking soda or salt to put out a grease fire. It is easy to mistake baking soda or salt for baking powder or flour, so avoid making this mistake.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n If baking soda doesn’t suffice if the fire becomes too difficult to control in this case, consider using a fire extinguisher. Each kitchen must have at least one. It could be located on the wall or in a cabinet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Use an extinguisher of class B, BC, or ABC. <\/strong>Instead of spraying directly on the burning grease, which could cause the pan to tip over and spread the fire, begin at a distance and work your way closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Water will spray the cooking oil around the kitchen instead of trying to extinguish or smother a grease fire. This could cause severe burns and spread fire to other parts of your kitchen. To reduce flame spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s excellent to know how to put out a grease fire. However, prevention is the first step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out this classic video on how to put out a kitchen fire called Putting out kitchen grease fires<\/em> from the YouTube channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat causes a grease fire?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How common are grease fires?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How hot can a grease fire get?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to extinguish a grease fire<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Use a large lid to cover the fire.<\/h3>\n
Turn off the burner<\/h3>\n
Pour a large amount of baking soda onto small fires<\/h3>\n
How to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why doesn’t water work on a grease fire?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to prevent grease fires<\/h2>\n\n\n\n