Equipment Review: Best Fire Extinguishers for Home Kitchens & Our Testing Winner

RECALL UPDATE: Kidde has issued a recall of all of its fire extinguishers with plastic handles, including our winning model FA110 (or FA110G) and the not recommended model RESSP. If you have purchased either model, go to Kidde.com and select Product Safety Recall Notice for more information, or call the Kidde Customer Support Line at 855-271-0773 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm EST on Saturday and Sunday to request a free replacement fire extinguisher (it will be a different model), and for instructions on returning the recalled unit, as it may not work properly in a fire emergency. In the meantime, we recommend our second and third place models, the First Alert Tundra spray and the Amerex 2.5 Lb ABC Dry Chemical Fire Extinguisher. While both had minor ease-of-use issues, we found both effective at putting out fires.
Buy First Alert Tundra spray:
Buy Amerex 2.5 Lb ABC Dry Chemical Fire Extinguisher:
Behind the Testing:
Full testing details and ranking chart:
We tested 8 fire extinguishers to find the best one:
Kidde ABC Multipurpose Home Fire Extinguisher
First Alert Tundra Fire Extinguishing Spray
Amerex 2.5 lb ABC Dry Chemical Fire Extinguisher
Fireaway Fire Blanket
Kidde RESSP Kitchen Fire Extinguisher
Fire Gone Fire Suppressant
First Alert Kitchen Fire Extinguisher UL Rated 5-B:C
Stovetop Firestop Rangehood
When you have only seconds to put out a kitchen fire, you want an extinguisher that’s easy to use and effective. We were shocked at how many aren’t. What's #1 in terms of kitchen safety?
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WINNING TRAITS OF A GOOD FIRE EXTINGUISHER
- Easy to operate, with intuitive design and clear instructions on extinguisher
- Quick, effective, and thorough at extinguishing both grease and cloth fires
- Easy-to-read pressure gauge so you know when to replace extinguisher
WHAT WE EXAMINED
We tested eight fire extinguishers, including four traditional pressurized canisters, two aerosol sprays, one fire blanket, and a self-operating canister that attaches to the hood over a stove. In two separate rounds of testing, we allowed vegetable oil to catch fire in a hot skillet and a dish towel to ignite from touching a lit burner. We used the extinguishers to put out these fires, timing the results and rating the extinguishers on ease of use, performance, and, to a lesser extent, cleanup. Scores from both tests were combined to reach our final ranking. Information about fire suppressant material in extinguishers was provided by manufacturers. Models were purchased online and appear in order of preference.
TIME TO UNDERSTAND OPERATION: Time elapsed between when we picked up the product and when we began using it.
TIME(S) TO PUT OUT GREASE AND TOWEL FIRES: Time elapsed between when we started spraying/smothering the fires and when the fires were extinguished.
EASE OF USE: We evaluated how simple and intuitive the extinguishers were to operate, taking into account that we were working quickly, under pressure, with no preparation (to simulate a real fire emergency).
PERFORMANCE: Models that extinguished both types of fire quickly and thoroughly rated highest.
CLEANUP: Extinguishers that produced less mess and fumes rated higher, although we gave more weight in our ranking to their performance and ease of use.
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America's Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
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