Key Takeaways
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Unplugging kitchen appliances reduces fire risks from phantom power and electrical faults.
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Toasters can ignite crumbs or malfunction, making unplugging them a key safety step.
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Coffee makers left plugged in overnight pose a fire risk because they can operate unattended.
I’m not a person who reads instruction manuals. I toss them aside and dive straight into setup—only to mess up and end up searching the manual or the internet anyway. Do I think I’m saving time? Absolutely. Does it work? Never.
When I mentioned this to a friend, she told me she unplugs her toaster after every use. My first reaction was, “Why would you do that?” She looked at me the way you look at someone who has never flipped their mattress—patient, but a little concerned.
She’s right. A handful of ordinary kitchen appliances can pose real fire and energy risks when left plugged in. That realization was equal parts alarming and humbling—and it’s worth sharing. So here’s what I’ve learned:
Even when an appliance is switched off, it doesn’t fully disconnect from your electrical circuit. It keeps drawing “ambient” or “phantom” power. These so-called energy vampires can account for 5% to 10% of your total energy bill. Beyond the cost, there’s a more urgent reason to care.
Plugged-in appliances can be dangerous—they can spark a fire. Heavy, right? The good news is that the fix is simple. Just unplug them when you’re done, the U.S. Fire Administration says. Here are three appliances you should unplug every single time—and why.
1. Air Fryer
Air fryers are so ubiquitous that they feel like an extension of our bodies. For many people, the air fryer lives on the counter because it’s in constant use.
Like many other appliances, an air fryer keeps drawing power even when it’s switched off. That means the safest habit is to treat your air fryer like any other heat-generating appliance and unplug it when you’re done. It’s also best to have only one heat-producing appliance plugged into an outlet at a time.
I’ve always kept mine unplugged, but now I know it’s not just about saving space—it’s about safety, too.
Credit: Simply Recipes / Getty Images
2. Toaster
Toasters sit on the counter looking innocent and charming. But—cue the scary music—lurking inside are exposed heating elements and a pile of crumbs you probably haven’t thought about in a while. Those crumbs act as kindling, and it only takes a small electrical fault or power surge to ignite them.
They also rely on very basic on/off switches that can fail over time. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has documented cases of toasters remaining energized after appearing to be off. That means a toaster “off” isn’t always as off as you think. The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) even calls out toasters by name as appliances that should be unplugged when not in use.
3. Coffee Maker
This one stung a little because my coffee maker and I have a tender, sacred morning relationship. I used to leave it plugged in, especially relying on the overnight timer to have it ready when I stumbled into the kitchen.
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires. And while this isn’t what we’d usually call “cooking,” a coffee maker running on a timer overnight—while everyone is asleep—is about as unattended as it gets. Yes, that meant giving up the timer, which, if I’m honest, was the hardest part.
My coffee maker was doing exactly what safety experts warn against. I had to make peace with it. My new routine is simple: Plug it in each morning before brewing. It took a few days to get used to, but now it feels completely automatic.
Read the original article on Simply Recipes