# Is leaving the oven on dangerous **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 23, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671 "2004-05-23T18:27:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/21 "2017-11-02T08:43:33Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > **Wesley Clark** , is your oven _still_ on? > [@AskNott](#): > > I don’t think my oven even has a “Dangerous” setting, but if it did I don’t think I’d leave it unattended. Well, there go _my_ thread contributions :smack: 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/22 "2017-11-02T21:42:34Z")
When I was about 12 years old, my mom left a pot roast or stew or whatnot in the oven before we went over to a relative’s house for a party. She meant to turn it off, but, for whatever reason, turned the dial completely the wrong way, so the oven was set to 500. We came home several hours later. Luckily, the house was still there and intact, but it took us a few days to scrub out all the creosote or whatever the brown smokey residue was from all the surfaces of the kitchen, and the stench in all our fabrics. But, hey, at least nothing burnt down. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/23 "2017-11-02T22:57:21Z")
I sometimes make a quick trip to the store or laundry mat while baking something and I stay paranoid the whole time that something will happen and I won’t be able to get back in time. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/24 "2017-11-02T23:31:54Z")
What about a crock pot? I’ve heard people suggest starting a meal in the morning so it is ready when you come home in the evening. Is that safe? I know crockpots operate at fairly low temperatures, not much above boiling. But eventually the water will all boil away an not be there to absorb the heat. If that happens, will it still remain at a safe temperature? I wonder- does a crockpot use a thermostat to regulate temperature, or is the wattage low enough for a fire to be impossible in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/25 "2017-11-03T00:08:58Z")
My understanding is that ovens are relatively safe, and most “careless cooking” fires are started by hotter cooking methods, such as stove tips and toasters. In particular, an oven set to a low temperature, or a crock pot, are pretty safe. That being said, I’ve never left the house with the oven on except very briefly. And I don’t expect I will change that habit. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/26 "2017-11-03T00:21:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I think you might consider sticking around, as I’d wager the vast, vast majority of people here know that book, as **beowulff** said (although I’ll account that since we have an international audience, I wouldn’t assume literally everyone knows it. But I’d bet 90%+.) HA! And double HA, HA!! There are people on this site that will tell you that the book should be Celsius 451. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/27 "2017-11-03T00:24:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > When I was about 12 years old, my mom left a pot roast or stew or whatnot in the oven before we went over to a relative’s house for a party. She meant to turn it off, but, for whatever reason, turned the dial completely the wrong way, so the oven was set to 500. > > We came home several hours later. Luckily, the house was still there and intact, but it took us a few days to scrub out all the creosote or whatever the brown smokey residue was from all the surfaces of the kitchen, and the stench in all our fabrics. > > But, hey, at least nothing burnt down. No dwarves had recently passed through your bedroom, then? No Greek kings showed up with the fire brigade? ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/28 "2017-11-03T00:29:00Z")
> [@Rainaverea](#): > > I registered on this website _just_ to tell you that you’re awesome for knowing that book. Welcome to the Straight Dope **Rainaverea**! If you are impressed that people know that book then you may well like it here. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/29 "2017-11-03T00:46:11Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > HA! And double HA, HA!! There are people on this site that will tell you that the book should be Celsius 451. Ah, yes, but then there will be people who come back and say the whole story about Bradbury messing up Celsius and Fahrenheit may well just be [a pile of bullshit](http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/explainer/2012/06/ray_bradbury_death_does_paper_really_burn_at_451_degrees_fahrenheit_.html). At any rate, the auto-ignition temps of most papers are much closer to 451F than 451C. (Looks like 480F is a good number to go with.) And then probably some poster, like me, would link to Rachel Bloom’s delightful little ditty [Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1IxOS4VzKM). > [@](#): > > Since I was twelve, I’ve been your number one fan > Kiss me, you Illustrated Man. > I’ll feed you grapes and Dandelion Wine, > And we’ll read a little Fahrenheit 69. So **Rainaverea** , that’s what things are like around here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/30 "2017-11-03T01:15:46Z")
Given that I suffer with OCD, this seems like something that would bother me, but I never worry about the oven, as long as nothing is in there and especially if the heat is under 400F. Probably awful on your gas bill or electrical bill (depending on the oven) is all. The range top is a different story in terms of risk I suppose. Just keeping flammable objects away from the stove top is good enough. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/31 "2017-11-03T01:39:31Z")
If I were standing in the kitchen, and whatever I was holding caught on fire, I would assume the safest place to put would be in the oven. Shut the door and leave it there until it stops burning -what harm can it possibly do to anything else? Well I suppose the resulting smoke as noted above. . . Second best would be the sink, but it’s not always clear, and water can convert some cooking fires into WMD status. But still, I’ve never understood why people are afraid to leave the oven going. I used to always set the self-clean before I went to bed at night, and that’s the hottest it’s capable of getting. Now, the stove, yes, of course, you never know when some idiot moth may fly along, set itself on fire,then retire to the recycling bin to die a fiery and contagious death. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/32 "2017-11-03T02:10:32Z")
To be sure, there is slightly more trouble with leaving a gas oven on than an electric one, as it is having some small effect on your indoor air quality. But my Great-Grandmother’s range [(looked like this one)](https://carefullycurateduk.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/aga.jpg) literally didn’t have an “off” setting, and she lived to a ripe old age. Still, I’m more paranoid about fumes, and much prefer an electric range. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/33 "2017-11-03T03:00:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Ah, yes, but then there will be people who come back and say the whole story about Bradbury messing up Celsius and Fahrenheit may well just be [a pile of bullshit](http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/explainer/2012/06/ray_bradbury_death_does_paper_really_burn_at_451_degrees_fahrenheit_.html). > > At any rate, the auto-ignition temps of most papers are much closer to 451F than 451C. (Looks like 480F is a good number to go with.) > > And then probably some poster, like me, would link to Rachel Bloom’s delightful little ditty [Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1IxOS4VzKM). > > So **Rainaverea** , that’s what things are like around here. 🙂 See, that’s why I’m still a Guest and not a Member (ha, I said member!). And that video was Awesome. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![zuer-coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ba9def/32.png) [@zuer-coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuer-coli)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/34 "2017-11-03T04:26:16Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > What about a crock pot? I’ve heard people suggest starting a meal in the morning so it is ready when you come home in the evening. Is that safe? I know crockpots operate at fairly low temperatures, not much above boiling. But eventually the water will all boil away an not be there to absorb the heat. If that happens, will it still remain at a safe temperature? > > I wonder- does a crockpot use a thermostat to regulate temperature, or is the wattage low enough for a fire to be impossible in the first place? FWIW I have left my Crock pot on during the day when I was gone on purpose. It’s a nice way to have a hot meal waiting. As I recall one of the points made by the manufacturer was that this was an approved practice. I do not think that I ever saw my crock pot boil. My crock pot has a three step thermostat. Electric power off because the thermostat is satisfied, low power and high power. As I recall High power is 1,500 Watts. 1,500 watts is certainly enough to start a fire, all electric heaters have some kind of tip over switch so when your kids knock it over it turns off. In the past there were more fires from electric heaters. All the ones I have ever bought new told you not to leave them unattended while turned on. FWIW 1,500 watts is the maximum load that is allowed for a device that is cord connected to a 120 outlet. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/35 "2017-11-03T05:35:58Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > What about a crock pot? I’ve heard people suggest starting a meal in the morning so it is ready when you come home in the evening. Is that safe? I know crockpots operate at fairly low temperatures, not much above boiling. But eventually the water will all boil away an not be there to absorb the heat. If that happens, will it still remain at a safe temperature? > > I wonder- does a crockpot use a thermostat to regulate temperature, or is the wattage low enough for a fire to be impossible in the first place? Crock pots are well below boiling temperature. Many can’t even reach boiling temperature, unless very empty. Also, the liquid doesn’t boil away – they are covered pots, so the liquid condenses on the lid and drips back into the pot. (That’s the point; it’s why things cooked in a crock pot are tender and not dried out despite a long cooking time.) ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/36 "2017-11-03T12:44:14Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Second best would be the sink, but it’s not always clear, and water can convert some cooking fires into WMD status. I had just moved into my first apartment, and was cooking something (don’t remember what) on the range. The oil flared up. Boy genius that I am, I remembered that you don’t put water on a grease fire. Boy idiot that I am, I figured that putting the grease into the water in the sink would be OK. The rest of the kitchen did not catch on fire, and I suffered no third degree burns. I think I was (within a minor panic) remembering high school chemistry, where it was OK to add chemicals to water, but not pour water onto certain chemicals (or vice versa, it was a long time ago). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/37 "2017-11-03T13:36:17Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > (That’s the point; it’s why things cooked in a crock pot are tender and not dried out despite a long cooking time.) Well, yes and no. It’s as much, if not more, the cut of meat you use. Stuff absolutely does dry out in a crock pot, but with all the sauce, people often don’t seem to notice or care. Chicken breast and pork loin are the biggest culprits. You can absolutely get moist and tender meat using dry cooking methods, too (see barbecue.) ---
**Author:** ![InsomniaMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ad7895/32.png) [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/38 "2017-11-03T21:13:18Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > No dwarves had recently passed through your bedroom, then? No Greek kings showed up with the fire brigade? Don’t touch it! It’s concentrated evil! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2017, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671/39 "2017-11-04T00:33:02Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > I don’t think my oven even has a “Dangerous” setting, but if it did I don’t think I’d leave it unattended. Yes, it’s a zombie. But I can’t resist. Your oven may not have a “Dangerous” setting, but some appliances have 'em. Several in fact: [Hair Dryer](https://what-if.xkcd.com/35/). 😃 On a serious note, the link explains the physics of ovens. 100% of the energy spent heating those coils goes somewhere. That somewhere is the walls & air in the room. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leaving-the-oven-on-dangerous/246671.md?page=1)