Common question: Is cooking oil combustible? The US fire department counted around 172,900 fires between 2014 to 2018 that started due to cooking activities.
The question arises: how cooking activities led to such a massive amount of kitchen fires that resulted in around 550 deaths and 4820 fire injuries? Here is when the skill of maintaining a successful kitchen steps in.
Maintaining a successful kitchen refers to how neatly you have arranged the flammable kitchen products and what preventive measures you take to keep kitchen risks away.
All that aside, we, together with a team of experts, have today tested if cooking oil is combustible, and we can’t wait to share that with you, so let’s check that out.
Table of Contents
Is Cooking Oil Combustible?
The most dangerous risk to the kitchen is a kitchen fire, and it is usually due to incorrect disposal of cooking oil. If one properly disposes of cooking oil and takes preventive measures while handling them, it may eliminate the risk of kitchen fires to a great extent.
Kitchens typically are actively engaged. In such a hive of activity, people usually mishandle substances that may cause a fire. One of these substances may be cooking oil.
Vegetable oils, in general, are not combustible until they reach very high temperatures, which we call flashpoint. Flashpoints are minimum temperatures that produce enough flammable vapor to cause ignition when it comes in contact with an ignition source.
Flashpoints vary from oil to oil. They depend on how oil is refined, its density, the solvents used, and if there is a solvent residue left in the oil. In such cases, when oil contains a solvent residue, the flashpoint of that oil lowers, and it is dangerous to use.
| Cooking Oil | Flash Point /℉ |
| Olive Oil | 410 |
| Palm Oil | 615 |
| Canola Oil | 619 |
| Coconut Oil | 563 |
| Rice Bran Oil | 615 |
| Lard | 680 |
| Sunflower oil | 607 |
| Corn Oil | 617 |
| Soybean Oil | 626 |
| Peanut Oil | 633 |
| Cottonseed Oil | 606 |
| Sesame Oil | 600 |
| Safflower Oil | 600 |
| Flaxseed Oil | 600 |
Is cooking oil bad for high blood pressure? Read our guide.
How to Know if Your Kitchen is At Risk?
You might be carrying out some unsafe practice in your kitchen without even knowing it. These practices may lead to rapid kitchen fires.
Not keeping grease traps in the kitchen serviced and clean may lead to it flowing near the stove, where it may heat up and catch fire. Leaving boiling cooking oil near or on the stove may, too, cause a rapid kitchen fire.
Additionally, if there is plenty of cooking oil overflowing on the fryer’s stove-top, it may cause a kitchen fire too.
What to Do If Cooking Oil Catches Fire in Your Kitchen?
The first thing you should do when the first starts are turn off the heat. As there will be no ignition source, fires may go out itself if it hasn’t yet spread much. Cover the pan that contains cooking oil with a metal lid or aluminum foil.
Remember, oxygen helps the fire to grow, and cutting off oxygen may help extinguish it. This is why covering cooking grease with a metal lid can help.
You can also sprinkle baking soda or salt on the grease fire. Doing so may rapidly absorb the cooking oil and extinguish the fire. Make sure that the amount of baking soda or salt is reasonable to the amount of cooking oil that has caught fire.
Always keep a fire extinguisher nearby. Not all fire extinguishers may help, so use type B extinguishers primarily. If the fire still doesn’t come under control, evacuate your home and call the fire brigade.
Don’ts While Extinguishing Fires
Here is what you should not do when cooking oil catches fire:
- You should never pour water on cooking grease fires. Doing so may erupt oil and water may force out with intense heat and speed.
- Putting things like flour or sugar on the fire may add fuel to it. Never do this.
- People usually carry cooking pots that have caught grease outside their homes. Don’t do this; the scorching cooking oil may fall on you, causing severe skin damage.
Also, read our guide: Is engine oil explosive?
Preventive Measures While Using Cooking Oil
Prevention is better than cure, and I can’t stress this statement more. If you take necessary precautions, you may eliminate the risk of cooking grease fires by 100%.
- Keeping the grease traps in the kitchen safe and serviced won’t allow them to go near the stove, preventing fires.
- Don’t dump cooking oil in the sink; instead, give it for recycling to produce biofuel.
Also, read our guide: Is cooking oil a renewable resource?
- If you want to trash cooking oil, freeze it, put it in a container, and then dispose of it. Else, mix it with and or sawdust as both of these will absorb oil and then throw it away.
- When you are going to dry something, make sure to remove any excess water traces from it.
- Use cooking oil with a high flash point, so there is a low risk of cooking oil fires.
- Always keep type B fire extinguishers in the kitchen near you.
- Don’t leave heated oil unattended.
- Never keep flammable substances such as flour, sugar, or seasonings near the stove.
- Turn off the heat immediately if you see smoke emerging from cooking oil.
Every year, hundreds of people die due to grease fires. Preventing these fires in the first place is the best cure.
FAQs – Is Cooking Oil Combustible?
Are you still wondering if cooking oil is combustible? These frequently asked questions will help you understand it better.
Which Stove – Electric or Gas is More Dangerous for Cooking Oil Fires?
More fires are a result of electric stoves. Gas stoves may seem more dangerous due to open flame, but they are not. People usually forget to turn off electric stoves which results in them being extremely hot and catching fire.
Besides, when you turn off the electric stove, it takes more time to completely cool down than a gas stove. Also, gas stove heat is adjustable, but if the electric stove is bigger than the frying pan, you can’t do anything about it. This may cause the pan to overheat and catch fire.
All of these factors make electric stoves more dangerous than gas stoves. However, no matter what kind of stove you have, you should be vigilant to eliminate all cooking grease fire risks.
What is the Difference Between Smoke Point, Flash Point, and Fire Point?
When oil starts smoking and smelling weird, we call this temperature a smoke point. Once the oil reaches this temperature, it will start breaking down and turn into a carcinogenic substance; This is why you should never use oil that has reached its smoke point.
Fortunately, today, we know the smoke points of all cooking oils. Check smoke points here to avoid your cooking oil reaching it and breaking down.
For cooking oils with low smoke points, you should only use them for low-heat cooking or drizzling on sauces and salads. For cooking oils with high smoke points, you can use them for high-heat cooking, baking, and grilling.
On the other hand, flashpoints refer to when vapors have got enough energy to ignite when it comes near an ignition source.
It won’t take a long time for the oil to reach the flashpoint, so if you see small flames coming from the cooking oil, carefully remove it from the stove or turn off the stove.
The fire point is the lowest temperature at which vapor burns for five seconds after igniting. It is the most dangerous point because the fire is self-sustaining at this point.
Don’t worry. If you are vigilant and take preventive measures, cooking grease won’t catch fire.
What are Other Flammable Substances in Kitchen
Below is a list of flammable kitchen substances:
- Flour.
- Sugar.
- Some seasonings.
- Orange shavings.
- Non-dairy milk.
- Cinnamon
- Garlic
Don’t place these substances near the fire. If you do, then don’t leave the stove unattended.
Is Lubricating Oil Flammable?
Yes, lubricating oil is flammable but not dangerous. It primarily depends on the volatility of the oil. If it has a low vaporization point, there are higher chances of it being flammable.
However, some oils are labeled as entirely non-flammable and won’t burn under favorable conditions too. The rest may burn only in favorable conditions.
Also, read our guide: Is cooking a fossil fuel?
That’s It
Is cooking oil combustible? Yes, it is. When cooking oil is extremely hot, it reaches its flashpoint. It may catch fire when in contact with an ignition source.
Kitchen grease fires are hazardous and are responsible for taking many lives every year. If we are vigilant and take necessary preventive measures, we can eliminate the risk of cooking oil fires.
If the oil still manages to catch fire, don’t put water on it; you better use salt, baking soda, or type B fire extinguisher or evacuate the house in worst scenarios.
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