Yes, I have one on a counter by the stove. First five other things (assuming dishes and flatware, a stocked pantry, and all the appliances)…Big chef knife, big cutting board, medium saucepan, big CS skillet, and big mixing bowl. If I can carry them in a jelly roll pan, I’m set.
No fire extinguisher. Not even a smoke detector, though I need to buy one asap as they have become mandatory here in the Netherlands.
I bought a new gas stove last year, a Smeg Opera. When I first started frying some chops, the pan caught fire due to the high gas output. Think flambeeing. Luckily I didn’t flinch, but I wasn’t expecting that. It still happens quite often.
I’ve used our fire extinguishers twice. The first time was when I heard yelling in the backyard and discovered that the kid mowing our lawn had tried to pour gasoline into a hot lawn mower and set it and part of the lawn on fire.
The second was when I put a papad in the toaster oven, turned my back on it to do something, and forgot about it until it burst into flame.
A fire extinguisher makes a very appropriate house-warming gift.
(We have one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom at the other end of the house.)
I never thought as a fire extinguisher as a house-warming gift but it’s actually a very good and rather fun idea. Thanks, Evelyn !
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CCE
(Keyrock the unfrozen caveman lawyer; your world frightens & confuses me)
11
I have a fire extinguisher in the cabinet closest to the stove. I’m glad you asked about this, though, because I haven’t replaced it since we moved into this house, 20 years ago, so I’m sure it’s no longer within its use life. It’s on my list now.
I’ve only had a couple of pan fires that didn’t self-extinguish quickly, and luckily both times I had the lid on the counter right next to me so they were easy to kill.
Given we haven’t moved in 20 years, I’ll list the 5 things I always take when we’re renting a vacation home, and like Tim said assuming flatware etc. already available.
Med-sized cutting board (rentals always seem to have glass cutting boards)
Couple good knives (most often only serrated junk in rentals)
Cheapie fairly large all-purpose square sided pan. Image below; I bought 3 when Aldi had them at $11 and have gotten 12-18 month’s fair use of each of them, serially. They’re 32 cm so have a lot of space. Some of the rentals have had decent cookware but often it’s like a child’s playset - super thin and warps like crazy.
Whisk (rarely has a rental had a good metal whisk balloon whisk)
We have one, but it’s probably old enough to need replacing. We’ve never needed to use it though. I do have a GIANT box of baking soda in case I ever do have a flame issue. Baking soda worked wonders when my sister accidentally lit some Pop Tarts on fire in a cheap toaster, right next to some wicker place mats that were stacked precariously on the microwave right next to it. That definitely got the adrenaline going that day.
When I moved the last two times, we moved everything all at once. But, I do recall when I moved into my first apartment that I brought the following - a starter block of Henkel knives, a large stainless steel mixing bowl, a cutting board, a saute pan, and a pasta pot.
The closest incident to which i need a fire extinguisher is before i have a fire extinguisher. Since i started to keep a fire extinguisher, i had not have to use one. Interesting, huh?
Yeah. It is slightly counter intuitive, but it is a good idea to keep the fire extinguisher very close but not exactly where the most likely needed fire occurrence locations.
It is actually on a counter perpendicular to the one where the stove is situated and the counters, rather than intersecting, are separated by the door to the garage on one wall and the pantry door on the other. So it is easily reachable from the stove but in a safe place. We also have the usual smoke alarms, CO alarms, and other fire extinguishers throughout the house.
Some say every 1-2 years but I don’t do it that route. I think as long as the gauge indicates it has pressure, then it is good. Of course, there is balance too. At some points, it will need a closer inspection. These days small fire extinguishers are very affordable