“I need to check something in the kitchen,” a colleague said. She was working from home.

“I hear the smoke alarm,” she added quickly before turning off her Zoom camera and microphone.

She sounded remarkably calm. I would have bolted from the room. And I probably would have forgotten to mute my microphone.

Several minutes later, she returned online. Her young children had started a fire in the kitchen. Apparently, they attempted to “toast” a coffee filter.

“I put the fire out, but my countertop is damaged,” she said. I’m guessing she also moved her kids out of the kitchen.

Fortunately, no one was injured. Fires can start remarkably fast and may damage property or even cause loss of life.

I can relate. I once put garlic toast under the broiler and ran to the basement to grab something. A couple of minutes later, I returned to find inedible charcoal. I narrowly avoided setting off the smoke alarm.

I knew better than that. My kids learned from my bad example and still remember the smoking garlic bread to this day.

Cooking is a leading cause of home fires. Most of us have heard stories of homes going up in flames after someone left a pan on the burner and fell asleep on the couch. That’s why the U.S. Fire Administration urges us to “stand by your pan.” In other words, stay in the kitchen when cooking, especially when using the stovetop.

Let’s try a quick quiz based on a two-year period reported by fire departments in 2019:

1. How many fires in residential buildings were reported in the U.S.?
   a) 97,700
   b) 147,400
   c) 187,500
2. How many injuries occurred in these residential fires?
   a) 1,340
   b) 3,325
   c) 5,210
3. What was the total property loss?
   a) $444 million
   b) $755 million
   c) $982 million

The answers are c) 187,500 cooking fires, b) 3,325 injuries and a) $444 million in property losses. In fact, cooking accounted for 51% of all building fires in the U.S. during the 2017-2019 period for which statistics are available.

So, what’s a savvy cook to do? Use common sense and stay alert. Ranges are involved in more than half of kitchen fires, and unattended equipment is linked to one in four home cooking fires.

Fire-Smart Kitchen Tips

• Stay in or very near the kitchen while cooking. Check food often.
• Turn off the burner if you leave the kitchen.
• Avoid frying on high heat. If oil begins to smoke, cover and remove from the burner.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove.
• Keep a lid or baking sheet nearby to smother flames.
• Keep flammable items — oven mitts, towels, wooden utensils and food packaging — away from the stovetop.
• Make sure clothing, including long sleeves and aprons, stays clear of burners.
• Supervise children in the kitchen at all times.
• If you help care for an older adult living independently, review kitchen safety precautions together.
• Test smoke alarms regularly. If someone has a hearing impairment, use alarms with strobe lights or other alert systems.
• Keep a working fire extinguisher on hand and know how to use it.
• Have an escape plan in case of fire.

This spreadable roasted garlic recipe avoids the broiler, but I still stay close to the kitchen. It’s delicious on whole-grain crackers or fresh bread. For more garlic recipes, visit www.ag.ndsu.edu/fieldtofork.

Roasted Garlic Spread

7 medium heads garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Arrange garlic heads in muffin cups sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour until garlic is soft and squeezable. Cool slightly and serve on crackers or bread. Refrigerate leftovers.

Makes 10 servings. Each serving provides 30 calories, 1 gram (g) carbohydrate, 3 g fat, 0 g fiber, and 0 milligrams sodium.

(Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., is a North Dakota State University Extension food and nutrition specialist and professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences.)

NDSU Agriculture Communication – Feb. 12, 2026

Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, 701-231-7187, julie.garden-robinson@ndsu.edu

Editor: Dominic Erickson, 701-231-5546, dominic.erickson@ndsu.edu