Kitchen Hazards Unveiled

Your Guide to Oven Safety

Welcome to the heart of the home—the kitchen. Amid the aroma of culinary wonders lies a landscape fraught with potential hazards. From toppling ranges to shattering cookware, the dangers are subtle yet prevalent.

In our exploration, we’re taking a look at the three primary adversaries: range tipovers, cookware mishaps, and the looming threat of cooking fires. These dangers aren't just about burns; they encompass a complex web of risks that demand attention.

Avoiding Common Oven Related Accidents

We’re going to take a look at the three most common types of oven-related accidents. While you think immediately of getting burned, you also have to think of rage tipovers and shattering cookware. 

Range Tipovers

Almost 40,000 people were injured during a 20-year NIH study, just from a range tipping over. Unsurprisingly, children are the ones most at risk. When left unsupervised, kids love to climb, And if an oven door is left open? You can bet they will climb on that, unfortunately, causing the range to tip. 

A few ways you can prevent your range from tipping over- 

If your range doesn’t have one, install an anti-tip bracket to keep it securely in place. 

Never place a heavy tray on an oven door that’s been left open. (This is the most common reason adults get injured in a range tipover.) 

Drape a towel on the oven handle if a pan is cooling to remind you that it’s still there. 

Cookware Injuries

In the same NIH study, more than 37,000 people were injured while using cookware. Hot glassware can shatter (yes, even ‘heat-proof’ dishes), and handles can absolutely burn. 

To avoid both of these instances, remember these tips- 

Don’t take a dish directly from the freezer to the oven or the other way around. 

Don’t add liquid after a dish is hot, or put a hot dish onto a cold or wet surface as it can cause shock to the dish. 

If a dish has become cracked or chipped, stop using it. Those chips will eventually become cracks, spreading over time until the piece shatters. 

Make sure to turn handles out to the sides rather than being over a working burner. 

Cooking Fires

Cooking fires account for 2 of every 5 reported home fires. Of those, unattended equipment accounts for 1 in 3, and half are set off by fat, grease, or oil, according to the National Fire Protection Association. 

In the NIH study, approximately 16,262 people were treated for injuries caused by contact with the stove, most commonly for burns. 

If you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, take a minute to learn these safety tips to protect yourself and your home. 

Stay in the kitchen if you are frying, grilling, or broiling something. 

If you’re simmering, baking, or roasting, stay at home and check on your food often. A timer on your phone can help. 

Make sure to keep anything that can catch fire away from the stovetop. This can be things like food packaging, pot holders, kitchen towels, and cookbooks. 

If a fire starts in your oven, turn it off and leave the door closed. This will suffocate the fire. 

Always keep a lid near to hand to smother small grease fires. You can slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burn. 

Keep a fire extinguisher with a minimum rating of 5-B:C on hand in your kitchen or as close as possible. 

If a fire gets out of hand, leave the house and call 911. 

Gas Ranges vs. Electric Ovens and Safety Concerns For Each 

Gas 

Gas stoves burn natural gas, which does generate a number of invisible by-products. The biggest concern to our health is the production of nitrogen dioxide or NO2. According to Josiah Kephart, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Drexel University, this is produced when natural gas is burned at high temperatures when there is also nitrogen in the atmosphere. “We’ve known for a long time that [nitrogen dioxide] has many harmful effects on health,” says Kephart. 

While the Environmental Protection Agency regulates outdoor NO2 emissions, there are no standards for indoor exposure. Nevertheless studies dating back decades have shown the harmful effects from the no2 in gas cooking stoves. 

Studies have also found that unburned natural gas leaks from stoves, and contains the known carcinogen, benzene. Additionally, cooking, in general, creates fine particulates, which can cause or exacerbate respiratory problems. 

However, studies in this area have also long been linked to political lobbying groups, so data might be skewed one way or the other. As usual, politics is beyond our purview here, so we suggest doing your own digging. 

Electric 

Recent attention to the gas stove’s environmental impact has turned some away from the once-preferred chef’s stove. However, while electric stoves are the current darling of the industry, they also have their own issues. 

Courtesy of Mike Jones

According to a report by the National Fire Protection Association, they do tend to have far greater fire risks. A 2020 report by the NFPA showed that households with electric stoves reported fires at a rate 2.6 times higher than those with gas stoves. Equally staggering, the death rate of electric-run households was 3.4 times higher than those that had gas appliances. And the injury rate? That was nearly 5 times greater. 

General Safety Tips In the Kitchen 

We’ve taken both general tips and those from the community to bring to your attention. *

You need to be sure you are watching your food and your hands so you do not get burned; both are hot. Pay attention to smooth-top ranges, as the ceramic glass can be very hot for a while, even with the burner off. The same goes for gas stove grates above the burner.

Roll up your sleeves before cooking. Loose-fitting clothing can catch on fire.

Both electric and non-electric ovens have a thermostat to control how high the heat goes, and then they cycle the heat on and off to maintain the correct temperature. Can thermostats go bad? Yes, equally in both electric and non-electric ovens. ((ARS Note: This is one of the key reasons we suggest having your oven maintained regularly!))

Clean the stove, oven, and burners regularly to prevent grease buildup.

Use the right cookware both for your type of range and for the size of the burner. 

Only use cookware in the oven that is meant to go in the oven. Plastics will melt and either damage your oven (ask us how we know.) Metals, on the other hand, can damage the oven by heating it improperly and will almost certainly cause your food to cook improperly. 

Keep items that can catch fire, such as dish towels and pot holders, away [from heat sources].

Overheated foods can cause a fire. With that in mind, cook your food for the recommended cooking time, and use oven mitts to protect yourself when taking it out. 

Plug cooking appliances directly into an outlet. Never use an extension cord for a cooking appliance.

Tuck appliance cords out of reach of children.

If your oven has malfunctioned, it’s not safe to use it. Whether it is gas or electric, it needs to be seen by a professional. You can have gas leaks, your oven overheating, or the heat cutting out randomly and without notice. 

Finally, read the manual for your range. The manufacturer included it so you could get the best experience from your oven, and reading it will only help you. 

And there you have it—a peek behind the oven door, revealing the quirks and perils lurking in our culinary havens. Remember, while your kitchen might be a stage for gourmet wonders, it's also a hotspot for potential misadventures. Stay vigilant, cook safely, and should your appliances ever decide to throw a cooking tantrum, don't hesitate to summon the professionals at Appliance Rescue Service. Until then, may your kitchen adventures be filled with delicious triumphs and minimal mishaps. 

Website 

Office Number:  (214) 599-0055

Additional Reading:

Places to Avoid: The Paw Version! 

Why The Media Wants You To Be Scared Of Your Gas Stove

Help I Melted Plastic In My Oven

*Some commentary may have been adjusted for clarity or length. 

Places to Avoid: The Paw Version!

Or, Appliances That Your Pets Need to Stay Away From

Appliance Rescue Service has been taken over by the pets! This week we (Murder Mittens the cat and Odie the dog) are talking about our favorite places in the house, the appliances! They offer warm, and cold and food, we can't forget the food! 

Courtesy of Gomez Daniel

Washer

MM: I don't understand why the humans use this one it removes their scent, and then they have ti put it all over things again.  They put their clothes in, the clothes get wet, and then they move them over to another rumbly. 

O: And! They yell at you when you get them wet any other time, even though they also have the rain room that they go into.

MM: That is the bathroom. They put my litterbox in there as well. The wet machine is nice to lay on when it rumbles, but you're right on them griping about getting wet. 

O: I don't like the way everything smells,  but I love watching the clothes tumble round and round.

MM: Of course you do.

Dryer 

O: I hate this one more than the wet machine. It smells and it's hot. 

MM: As usual you have no taste. This one is perfect to curl up inside of when the humans have removed their clothes. You just have to make sure you don't stay in there when they put the clothes back. 

Courtesy of RaGeBe

O: Wait is it that where you go when I want to play?

Oven

O: It's the hot food box!  Humans like to put their food in and then they take it out later and it's a warm and I don't get why they put it in there to make it warm because it's just as good cold but sometimes if you're fast enough you can steal food from it! 

MM: Or if you wait for the right moment you can steal food from it and take a nap inside the warm. It's too hot sometimes, but that is why you are supposed to wait. 

O: And we're not going to talk about how you got your tail singed the one time.

MM: Not if you don't want me telling Ralph where you hid your bone.

Dishwasher 

O: This is my favorite! This one has all of the smells and food, almost every day! 

MM: Yes but the humans always yell at you for standing on it. Whereas I can stand on it and not get caught.

O: And that is just one more reason that I steal your kibble when you're not looking. Anyway, the humans put in the food dishes, and they still have food on them. They don't even lick their dishes clean! And then the machine makes lots of noise and spits steam everywhere - 

MM: Which is the best time to lay on the counter above it.

O: And then when they open it there's no more food! Why do they feed the food to the machine and not to me!

Stove

O: This one is tough Murder Mittens. On one hand, the humans make food up there, lots of food.

MM: On the other hand, even if you can get up to the food, you never know if it's safe.

O: Exactly! It looks like it's the rest of the kitchen but sometimes it's hot and sometimes it's not and sometimes there's fire according to Ralph down the street.

Courtesy of elina-volkova

MM: You trust the Chihuahua? He barks at his own shadow.

O: You have a point. Maybe his has fire but ours doesn't?

Refrigerator

O: The cold box! There is so much food in here and the humans just leave it in there and stare in front of the food as if they expect it to do something. I know the food is dead when they put it in there so why do they stare at it? 

MM: You expect me to be able to explain the humans?

O: No it just doesn't make sense. Anyway this one is also great during the hot months if you're sneaky you can get in there and eat the food and be cold all of the best things in one spot.

Courtesy of luca andrade

MM: As much as I hate it, I have to agree. There's food, there's tight spaces to curl up in, and it is cool when it is unbearably hot outside.

Freezer

O: This one is frustrating. On one hand it's nice and cold when it's hot outside. I love this box. On the other hand it smells like food but everything's frozen and hard definitely not food it's so cruel for the humans to do this. And then they yell at you when you want to stay in there and they put wet things on you. 

MM: The wet things. Perhaps the humans think you don't bathe yourself I certainly don't. As to the cold box, I believe the humans put things here so that they are food for longer like hiding one of your treats so that you can eat it later. 

O: But who would they hide it from? It's not like with my treats and you're going to eat them later. 

A final note from the People of Appliance Rescue Service: Although this has been phrased in a rather light-hearted way these are all places that you want to keep your pets out of for their safety and for the longevity of your appliances. In the event of your pets getting into one of your appliances and you being unable to get them out please make sure to call your vet first and a second. While we love our pets as much as the next person, we are much better at fixing appliances than we are animals. If you want to reach out to us about your appliances, you can reach out to us at ((214) 599-0055) or by heading to our contact page. 

Stove Deep Dive

All about stoves, how they work and the differences to expect.

Table of Contents

Types

Surfaces

Burners

Ventilation

Features

Additional Reading

When was the last time you had to go looking at a new stove? Do you remember how many different options there were? Not to worry, we’re taking a look at them this week to see what main features exist in stoves and how to find the one that best fits you. Let’s dive in. 

Types

Electric

Let's start off by looking at THE most common type of cooktop you're likely to encounter when looking to purchase a new stovetop, an electric stove. They are the single most popular variety in the United States, and the easiest to find. They're also the easiest to set up, as most kitchens will already have an outlet that's heavy enough to handle the power draw of an electric stove. Due to the popularity they're also fairly inexpensive to pickup which makes them great for someone who is on a budget or is just looking to put their money elsewhere.  They're also typically very easy to clean, no matter whether you get a cooktop with coils or without. 

Since you don't need an 'ignition' as soon as you turn on a burner it will begin to heat. However, because the heat is cumulative rather than immediate, it does take more time than a gas stove to heat up. This also means that it takes longer to cool off by comparison to a gas stove.  Since there isn't an open flame of any sort though, many people prefer an electric stove over a gas one. 

There are some drawbacks to an electric stove though. One is that if your home loses power, you lose your stove as well. The other is that while there are energy efficient stoves, as of right now an electric stove is still going to be a significant chunk of your electric bill. A final, smaller point is that you do have to be careful about what pots and pans you purchase. Make sure to do research ahead of time as some types can scratch, damage or shatter your cooktop if you make the wrong purchase. 

Gas

Next up, let's take a look at gas stovetops.  A gas stovetop has a number of benefits to it, the primary one is how quickly they heat. Due to their instant flames as soon as you turn on a burner you begin to heat the room (and the food you're wanting to cook.) With that visual element, you also have very precise control over the temperature of your burners. Although it's more intuitive than just setting the burner to high, medium or low, you get the upside of being able to see over time how the heat affects your recipes. The speed with which the flame responds also means that you can cool what you're cooking much more quickly by lowering the flame. All of this boils down (ha!) to being less likely to burn your food. 

Another benefit of such quick temperature response is that you can heat up or cool down the pan you're using. So if you've got pets, small children or you're just working in tight spaces, you're less likely to burn yourself thanks to how quickly a gas stove will cool off. This also means that you don't have to worry about a pan getting damaged by the stove OR that a pan is going to damage your stove in some way. 

A gas stove is able to still be used even if your power is out. You'll need to use a match or lighter to get the burner lit, but you'll still be able to cook or boil water if you need to, to heat your home in the event of a winter storm.  Under normal circumstances a small bit of electricity will be used to 'spark' and ignite the burner when you turn it on. 

There are two factors though that you do need to pay attention to when it comes to purchasing a gas stove for your home. If you don't already have a gas stove, you're going to need to have a gas pipeline run. That can be expensive as it's not typically done on construction for new buildings these days. Fortunately the price of having the line run will pay for itself over time when you don't have to worry as much about your electric bill. You also need to make sure that you have some type of ventilation set up. We'll talk about it more down below, but you have two options when it comes to ventilation. An overhead hood and a downdraft extractor. Both are good options, so long as you actually use them. While a gas oven is by and far superior in terms of precise temperature control, it does burn gas, which you don't want to be breathing over an extended period of time. Make sure to always have your fans on while you're using you stove. 

It is possible to have a combination of a gas stove and an electric oven, or vice a versa, although it's not common. You can also choose to have them as separate appliances, setting the stovetop into your counter and the having a single or double oven in your wall.  Both of these are wonderful options if you've got the space for them in your kitchen as they spread out the cooking area in your kitchen and mean you aren't fighting for space when cooking multiple things at once. 

Induction 

If a gas stove isn't fast enough for you,  then you're going to want an induction stove. We'll tell you off the bat that the benefits of these stoves are weighed against their hefty price tag. While the heat from an electric or gas stove is going to transfer across the entirety of the cookstove to some degree, an induction stove doesn't work that way. The stoves are ceramic with different 'zones' built into them. Instead of applying heat to the outside of your pot and the heat transferring to the material inside, the heat is created directly inside your cooking pot. Once you take the pot off the stove, the heat immediately is turned off. The good news here is that the stovetop is never as hot as an electric stove or a gas stove is going to be.  The downside though is that you need to purchase an entirely new set of pots and pans to go along with your new stove. The two work together much like velcro.  A normal pot doesn't have the elements needed for it to work with the stove, and so it won't. The elements within the stove won't 'register' the pan and so it won't turn on. 

You also have to be very careful with an induction stovetop as you can shatter the surface of them if you're not careful in how you put things down. 

Surface

When it comes to the surface of your stovetop, you have two different options, coils or smooth cooktops. 

A coiled cooktop can be either electric or gas. A smooth cooktop is only going to be electric or induction. 

The benefits to going with a coiled cooktop is that they're extremely durable, easy to clean and they will stand up to years of use and abuse. It doesn't matter how hard you scrub your stovetop to get rid of a mess, it's not going to damage the coils.  Your cookware won't either, even if you're dragging out that giant dutch oven that you have. 

A few downsides to keep in mind are that  while they do heat quickly, coils also hold onto that heat for a long time. You will also need to check them periodically (every 4 months or so is pretty good) to make sure that each coil's connection to the power source is still in working condition if you're dealing with an electric stove. If you're dealing with a gas stove you'll want to make sure that the burner is clean and free of debris. 

The other type of cooktop option you have is a smooth cooktop.  People love them for three key reasons. One, they're supremely easy to clean. You don't have to remove anything, unplug anything or get under anything in order to get them shining like new. All you need is the special paste that is designed for the job and you're good to go. Reason number two is that they heat up your pots and pans, without heating your kitchen. If you live in Texas, it makes it that little bit more bearable for cooking during the summer.  Three, you don't need to worry about little hands or paws getting burned because they touched the stove at the wrong time. A fourth one, is how seamlessly they fit into a modern design. They are the latest in cooking technology and we know people love to upgrade to the latest and greatest. 

A few downsides do come with working with a smooth cooktop though. As we said, you do have to be careful about which cookware you use. You're also going to have to be aware of how you move that cookware though. Or any groceries or anything else that you move around in your kitchen. The surface of a smooth cooktop, whether electric or induction is going to be fragile. They can be easily scratched by 'sliding' pots and pans over them. Even worse is how easily they can be shattered by putting something heavy on top of them without paying attetion to how you set it down. 

So, which type of surface do you think you want? 

Burners

Number of burners

You can get your stove in a variety of different number of burners, 2, 4, 5, or 6.  How large you want it to be is going to dictate how many things you can cook on it at once. Take into consideration a few things when you're shopping .

-How often do you end up saying "I need more space?" 

-How often do you use all of the burners on your current stove? Not just at once, but the different sizes? 

-Do you have the space in your kitchen for a larger stovetop that it would need if you got one with more burners? 

-Would getting a second smaller stovetop in addition to your current one benefit you, rather than getting one large one? 

All of these are ways to look at what type of stovetop you might consider getting next as the number of burners you have will directly impact the size and placement of your new stove.   We will say that getting a stove that has five burners in electric is very difficult but getting one that is 6 burners and electric is possible. 

Automatic reignite

A useful feature that you might want to look into is automatic re-ignition if you're looking to get a gas stove. Occasionally with a gas stove the flame might go out on a burner, or on multiple burners without you noticing. This can throw off cooking times and temperatures if too much time passes. With this feature that's not a concern as the stove will automatically re-ignite after it senses that a burner has gone out. 

Continuous grates

If you want to make your gas stovetop more professional looking, you might consider getting continuous grates for your stove. Instead of having a single grate over one burner, you combine two f them together into one long, smooth line. Yes, they're heavier, but the make the stove look more appealing and 'finished' according to many homeowners. 

Stove top griddles

On the other hand, if you're looking at your stove and wondering why you need pots and pans, a griddle might be more your thing. These can be added to either a gas stove or an electric, but as of yet it's not happening on an induction. These heat more smoothly and evenly than a griddle that you just lay on top of preexisting burners. Great for making every meal of the day without needing to use mutliple dishes. Eggs, bacon and sausage? Check. Grilled cheese sandwich? Check. Sausage with peppers and mushrooms? Check.  There's a huge amount of  food that you can make on a griddle. 

Ventilation

We mentioned earlier that you need a ventilation system with a gas stove, and many people choose to have them with electric and induction stoves too, just in case you burn something. One option is a downdraft cooktop. This option, instead of having a fan or range hood, has a small vent built into the cooktop. It's built into the back of the cooktop or in between the burners to suck steam and smoke away. This also gives you back the space over your stovetop to be used for lighting or additional storage. 

Or, if you prefer going with a traditional range hood, that's also an option. You can choose what it looks like and whether it's a centerpiece of the kitchen, or if it blends into the walls.  

Regardless of which one you choose,  the important point, even if you have an induction stovetop, is to have a way to pull the steam and smoke safely out of your kitchen so that you can breathe and see easily while you're in the kitchen. 

Features

Speed heat

Some recent stoves have started to make it so that you can very quickly bring a pot of water to boil. While water is what they typically show, ‘speed heat’ can be applied to anything. It will be one of your burners for those times when you need to make things go that little bit faster. 

Safety

Who hasn’t accidentally burned themselves on a burner because you weren’t looking closely enough? Two safety features that we love for stoves are auto-shutoff and a heat indicator. The auto-shutoff makes it so that you can set a timer for what you’re cooking. After that point, the burner will shut off and you don't have to risk your food burning if you have to step away or forget to turn it off. The heat indicator is just that. It might be at the front right next to the burner knobs, or it might be on the control panel at the back. Either way it will be a light of some sort to show you that the burner is still hot. 

Wi-Fi

There are stoves now that come with wi-fi and app connectivity to make it so that you can keep an eye on your stove from anywhere. 

Controls

When it comes to controlling your stove, as of right now at least, you’ve got two options on most stoves. You can have knobs to turn on an individual burner. Or you can have digital controls that activate just when you touch the panel. These are great if you’re struggling to handle knobs due to arthritis or something similar. 

That’s our deep dive on stoves! Let us know what you think in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. Are you looking to get a new stove? Are you trying to figure out what features you want to change in your current one? We’d love to know. 

On the other hand, if you’ve already got a stove you love and it’s just not working right, give us a call or head to our appointment page. No matter what’s going on Appliance Rescue Service will work with you to figure out what’s happening and get it fixed. 

Additional Reading

Why the Media Wants You To Be Scared of Your Gas Stove

10 Surprising Accidents That Can Occur In Your Kitchen

Problems With Your Vent Hood?

What Appliances Do You Need For a Tiny House?

How to Prepare Your Appliances For Moving