I saw this thing today on my feed where they were talking about a Twitch streamer that was cooking and started a grease fire in the pan. From what I could see, she immediately snatched up the pan and ran it under water in the sink… causing her sink to flare up with fire.
Okay, kids, fire safety time:
- Get a fire extinguisher for your kitchen. Even if you never use it, having it is a good idea. (And occasionally, you might have to shake it up to keep the chemicals inside from clumping. Check your manufacturer label.)
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SALT is the best for putting out a grease fire. Just sprinkle it on, and it will quickly absorb the bulk of the oil, depriving the fire of fuel. (When I was a teenager, I was cooking once and dropped the pan right into the burner, and that whole metal basin (it was an electric stove with the rings) WAS ON FIRE. I dumped like half a canister of salt in there, and the fire was gone, though it was a messy cleanup. No burns for me!)
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BAKING SODA is also good for putting out grease fires, though you need to use more than you would of the salt. So if you’ve only got a few pinches left in the box, you’re not putting out a fire with that.
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DO NOT USE BAKING POWDER to try to put out a grease fire. It’s a mix of baking soda and other ingredients, and those other ingredients ARE NOT fire friendly.
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DO NOT USE WATER to try to put out a grease fire. Oil and water don’t mix, so the grease fire basically rides on top of the water to spread out everywhere. PLUS the water droplets release steam, which will help SPLATTER the fire everywhere. A cup of water on a pan of grease fire will basically EXPLODE outward, and not only will your kitchen burn down but you’ll likely have really bad burns and need skin grafts. You know, not a lot of fun.
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DO NOT USE FLOUR to try to put out a grease fire. The flour itself might plop down and put out the fire, but more likely the little particulates of flour in the air can catch fire, and they float around, and it’s just really really dangerous. (Like, back in the olden days, flour mills were known to BLOW UP, scattering bricks everywhere, when the dry flour in the air would ignite. That’s why there’s no smoking in the flour mill. Super dangerous.)
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DO NOT USE SUGAR to try to put out a grease fire. What happens when you cook sugar? It turns all liquidy before turning into brown crystals. So, if you throw a bunch of sugar on burning grease, you’re going to end up with LIQUID HEAT splashing everywhere, and if you get that on your skin, you’re not going to have any skin. Sugar + grease fire = burning hot ouch everywhere, and your house likely turned into ashes.
When the fire is on the stovetop, put it out with salt. If it manages to reach your cupboards, use that fire extinguisher. And don’t hesitate to call the fire department if you need them.
So, to recap: If you accidentally start a grease fire while cooking in a pan, shut off the burner if you can. Pop a lid on the pan if you have one, as even grease fires need oxygen to breathe. If you don’t have a lid or you’ve spilt the grease on your stovetop, don’t hesitate to POUR salt on top of the fire. And if the fire is spreading or is larger than the pan or a little area of dribble, use your fire extinguisher.
Whatever you do, DO NOT PICK UP THE PAN AND SWING IT AROUND. Hot oil is a lot more splashy then cold oil. You will be surprised by how quickly the burning oil will slosh from one side of the pan to the other–and back again. So you swing that pan, the oil sloshes outward from you, but very well might slosh back onto your hand, your arm, or the whole front of your body. You’re better off carefully sliding the pan off the hot burner, as a moment of care is safer than panic-flailing with a pan of flaming oil.
If you catch on fire, stop, drop, and roll. And IMMEDIATELY call the fire department and the ambulances, because you might not realize you’ve been burnt until the adrenaline wears off. (And be aware: trailing sleeves are just as dangerous in the kitchen as they are around moving machinery. And a lot of synthetic fabrics melt, so be aware of what you’re wearing while you’re cooking. It might be worth the extra few seconds to strip off a floppy shirt before dealing with the grease fire.)
Anyways, stay safe. Keep a canister of salt close to your stove. And respect fire, because it doesn’t respect you.
Pax,
~Harper Kingsley
P.S. One time I was making a pre-made family-sized beef and gravy pan-meal thing in the oven, and I didn’t have a cookie sheet so I used a piece of tinfoil. (I was very young at the time.) And when I tried to slide the paper pan onto a plate, it folded in half and dumped bubbly hot gravy all down my knees and shins.
I peeled my pants off and left them on the kitchen floor before RUNNING into the bathroom and immediately turned on the shower to cold water and jumped in. After about a minute of shivering, I turned it to cool and stayed in there until I was absolutely sure there was no burning or pain in my legs.
I didn’t get a single burn.
