Value Village ／ Food & living
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
Deep-fried food is a staple of Japanese home cooking. It is also why "the hob" (こんろ, konro) is always near the top of the causes of house fires in Japan, most of them "tempura oil fires". The same accidents happen everywhere, and misunderstandings about how to put the fire out make the damage worse.
| Item | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Causes of house fires (Tokyo Fire Department) | The hob ranks 1st or 2nd every year (alongside arson and cigarettes) | Tokyo Fire Department fire statistics |
| What hob fires involve | "Overheated or unattended tempura oil" is the most common. In most cases the cook had left the kitchen | Same |
| Correct frying temperature | 170–180°C (depends on the food) | — |
| Smoke point of cooking oil | Smokes at about 230–250°C (refined oil); ignites by itself at about 370°C | Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA); NITE |
| How fast it heats | Left on a high flame, oil can reach ignition temperature in about 10 minutes | Same |
| Cooking-oil overheat prevention device ("Si sensor") | Compulsory on every burner of gas hobs sold since 2008. Cuts the gas automatically at about 250°C | Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) |
[Verify] Check the fire-statistics ranking against the Tokyo Fire Department's latest year, and the ignition temperature and the year the sensor became compulsory against FDMA and METI materials.
Never use water. The oil scatters and the flames reach the ceiling. Turn off the heat and cut off the air with a lid or a large wet towel (wrung out), then use a fire extinguisher (household type, rated for oil fires). Tipping in mayonnaise or vegetables is not reliable, and the fire service does not recommend it.
Most hob fires happen because the cook left the kitchen. The phone, a visitor, the laundry: do not leave while deep-frying. If you must go, turn off the heat.
Smoke is the sign that the oil has passed its smoke point and ignition is close. Turn off the heat at once and let the oil cool.
A small amount of oil heats up faster, so it reaches ignition sooner. The safe side is no more than half the depth of the pan, but enough oil, with a thermometer or the Si sensor's deep-fry mode.
A household fire extinguisher rated for oil fires, or an aerosol-type extinguisher, costs a few thousand yen, and the fire service's advice is one in the kitchen. Check the expiry date (usually 5–10 years).
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https://www.tfd.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/lfe/kasai_yobo/
https://www.fdma.go.jp/publication/
https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/consumer/seian/
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
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