Greasy food is delicious, but sometimes it comes at a cost

2/19/2021 (Permalink)

A grease fire in a commercial kitchen

French fries, corn dogs, fried chicken- everything is better when it is fried to a golden brown. Of course, your waistline is not the only thing that could be affected when dealing with grease. Grease fires are a common culprit for initiating kitchen fires. It does not take much for a grease fire to become uncontrollable and end up out of hand. Here are some do’s and do not’s when it comes to cooking with hot oil to protect your home from a grease fire disaster.

Do:

• Remove any flammable objects from your cooking area before you start cooking.
• Monitor your cooking space the entire time. It only takes a second for a fire to ignite, especially a grease fire.
• Keep a metal lid and some baking soda nearby to smother the fire if one does ignite.
• Call 911 as soon as you notice you will not be able to handle the fire on your own. Evacuate the premises and call from a secure location.

Do not:

• Throw food into hot oil. This can cause the hot oil to splash and cause a grease fire. Place food in the hot oil gently, instead.
• Throw liquid of any kind onto a grease fire should one break out. This will cause the fire to grow and will not smother it.
• Move the pan or pot. The movement may cause the burning oil to splash and spread.

Of course, if the unfortunate thing occurs and your kitchen does end up having fire damage due to a grease fire, you know who to call. Our crews are always on standby and ready to clean up the aftermath of your culinary catastrophes.