“Kitchen Safety” Don’t dismiss it! Flour really can explode when exposed to an open flame

Over the years of writing about domestic games, I’ve grown fond of using hidden weapons from wuxia stories as metaphors. Many dangers look utterly ordinary on the surface, but only when they’re actually triggered do you realize they strike like the Storm Pear Blossom Needles—once unleashed, they injure people. Today’s warning may not be gaming news, but it concerns everyone’s daily life, and it really isn’t alarmist.

On April 16, China Fire and Rescue issued a safety reminder explicitly mentioning that pouring flour and making dough-based foods beside a gas stove carries a risk of causing an explosion. The reason, plainly put, isn’t mysterious at all: flour particles are extremely fine, and once dispersed into the air to a certain concentration, even the slightest open flame can cause them to ignite instantly, or even produce an explosive effect. A real case occurred in Xiamen, Fujian, where a married couple poured flour next to a gas stove and triggered an explosion, leaving both severely burned. Just looking at the cost of such an accident is chilling.

China Fire and Rescue also conducted an experiment: firefighters scattered flour above a burning flame source, and the moment the flour came into contact with the open flame, a visible fireball formed immediately. More importantly, in a relatively enclosed space, the airwave generated by burning flour dust can even blow off a covering plastic bag. Many people think of flour as one of the gentlest ingredients in the kitchen, but looked at calmly, in the wrong environment its danger is far from small.

Returning to safety itself, the most practical advice is actually very simple. When making steamed buns or noodles at home, turn off the gas flame before pouring flour, or simply move to a place without an open flame; if flour gets onto the stovetop, wipe it up promptly with a damp cloth. Similar dusty substances, such as coffee powder and milk powder, also shouldn’t be piled up beside the stove. Once these fine powders become airborne, the hazard is essentially the same as with flour.

Beyond sentimentality, there are several other “classic traps” in the kitchen worth remembering as well. Don’t put eggs in their shells or chestnuts directly into the microwave. Don’t overfill a pressure cooker, and make sure to check the pressure-release valve regularly; when cookware reaches the end of its service life, replace it. Also, don’t toss frozen food straight into hot oil just for convenience—it’s best to thaw it first and pat it dry. Otherwise, when the ice turns into steam, the splattering hot oil is no different from taking a point-blank ultimate attack in a game. Keeping cooking oil beside the stove for long periods is just as bad: it’s more likely to catch fire and also more likely to go rancid.

If I had to give this reminder a “buying advice”-style summary, it would be this: rather than buying more kitchen gadgets, it’s better to first change a few habits. Turn off the heat before pouring flour, keep powdery substances away from open flames, and add one extra step of drying frozen ingredients before cooking. These actions cost nothing, yet they are the most effective at saving lives. Many accidents are not acts of nature, but the result of us taking everyday matters too lightly—only when the flames rise do we realize that it isn’t the warm bustle of daily life, but a blow that can truly hurt people.