Fess up, folks. We've all done it at least once. You've placed a paper napkin dangerously close to a bright-red coil on your stovetop, starting a near-inferno in your own kitchen. You've tossed a bag of microwave popcorn into the oven, hit "20.00" instead of "2.00," and walked away, only to discover a flaming bag of Orville Redenbacher and a smoke-filled kitchen 15 minutes later, when it suddenly occurs to you that you never heard the microwave beep ... around the same time that your nose detects the smell of smoke. Or perhaps you've purchased range-top covers -- you know, those decorative-yet-dangerous ceramic covers for your coils. Sure, they add a nice touch to any kitchen. But they're also a disaster waiting to happen. It's just a matter of time before you turn on the wrong coil, and minutes later, you hear a popping noise and the smell of smoke. The ceramic cover begins to turn dark brown and cracks. Your first impulse -- after shutting off the coil, of course -- is to remove the ceramic cover ... with your bare hands. Disaster number two.

The United States Fire Administration has reported that one-third of all household fires in this country begin in the kitchen. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) and the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) conducted a six-month study of more than 2,000 kitchen fires in 10 U.S. cities (including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New Orleans and Houston), and the results were telling. Approximately eight out of every 10 cooking fires began on the stovetop. That's not a particularly surprising conclusion, given the nature of stovetops. Unlike microwaves and conventional ovens, stovetops are extremely hot surfaces that are left completely open to the elements. A fire that begins in a microwave or conventional oven is at least contained, albeit temporarily. That can buy time, an advantage you don't have with a stovetop.

The study also found that in nearly 75 percent of all cooking fires, the person whose actions started the fire was not present in the kitchen at the time the fire started. So it's clear that in the majority of such cases, people walk away from a hot surface, a costly mistake which significantly increases the amount of fire damage. (Walking away from the kitchen also leads to disasters with young children, who reach up and grab the end of a pot on the stove, or touch a hot coil.)

According to the AHAM/NASFM survey, kitchen fires frequently resulted from food, grease or combustible materials left on stovetops. In 64 percent of the kitchen fires, homeowners left the scene upon discovery of the fire and did not attempt to put the fire out themselves. Of those who attempted to extinguish the fire themselves, 50 percent did so incorrectly and ended up fueling the fire unintentionally and/or injuring themselves. And lest you think that only the very young or very old usually start kitchen fires, the survey indicated that 50 percent of all kitchen fires were started by homeowners between the ages of 30 and 49. Three-quarters of the fires were started by people between the ages of 19 and 49. Surprisingly, less than 5 percent of the more-than 2,000 fires analyzed in the study were started by children under the age of 18.

In a press release issued by AHAM, the organization stated that homeowners of "parenting age" were most likely to start cooking fires. That finding illustrates the need for teaching children about proper fire-safety procedures in the kitchen -- and for practicing what we preach. While it might sound obvious, we all commit the mistake of walking away from the kitchen while something's on the stove. This is risky in itself, but especially if young children are present. Parents can teach their older children not only to stay in the kitchen while cooking, but also to turn pot handles inward so that younger children (or even pets) won't be able to reach them. Keep all flammable materials away from the stove -- paper towels, napkins, dishcloths, placemats, rubber spatulas, anything and everything. Communicate to your younger children that playing in the kitchen is against house rules. On your refrigerator or by your kitchen telephone, post emergency phone numbers (911, neighbors, friends or local family members), and teach your children how and when to use them.

Children aren't the only ones capable of starting kitchen fires, of course. Adults need to purchase a reliable timer for use any time cooking is in progress. So if the phone or doorbell rings unexpectedly, you'll be reminded of what's going on in the kitchen. When you use a pot on your stovetop, take the lid out, too, and lay it next to your stove even if you don't plan to use it during cooking. If a fire does start, immediately drop the lid on top of the pan, and turn off the heat. Then wait for the pan to cool down. Perhaps most important, once you're done with a pot or pan, don't lay it down on a hot coil -- even if you've turned it off and it's in the process of cooling down. Several stovetops currently on the market have indicator lights that turn red and stay red as long as the surface is hot. The light fades as the surface cools down. This is an excellent safety feature to look for when you're shopping for a new stovetop range.

Make sure you've installed a smoke detector in your kitchen (check the batteries regularly), and keep a fire extinguisher under your sink and a few boxes of baking soda handy in the event of a kitchen fire. If for any reason, you don't have a phone in your kitchen, get one. If it rings, you can remain in the kitchen while you're cooking and not become distracted from your stove. If you have children, make kitchen safety a group effort. Create signs that remind children of safe kitchen habits, and quiz them on proper safety procedures. While home fires predominantly begin in the kitchen, it's ironic that in perhaps no other room in the house is fire prevention so easy.

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