Smoke alarms for kitchens

[Stephen Tashiro]

Are there effective smoke alarms for kitchens that don't go off when there is minor smoke from cooking, such as slightly burning some toast?

[Brad Sperr]

They make heat detectors that might be more suitable for use in a kitchen. You may get a lot of nuisance alarms with a smoke detector in a kitchen.

[Steve Griffin]

We have a standard smoke detector about 15' away from the kitchen in the hallway. It works perfectly--goes off if we have an unusually smokey kitchen episode, but never for day to day cooking.

I suggest locating it not right above the stove, but in the adjacent room.

It's my opinion that a smoke detector near the kitchen is the single most important location to have one. Code calls for them in halls/bedrooms, but it's the kitchen that is most likely to have a fire.

-Steve

[Don Jarvie]

Short answer is no. We have one in our kitchen and it goes off when the toast gets burned. It's also 5 ft from the oven so anything over 400 sets it off.

Were stuck with it since the stairs to our upstairs are in the kitchen.

[Larry Frank]

The real question one needs to ask is how much smoke do you want before the alarm goes off. The earlier the warning the less damage with a real fire. Perhaps, look at a new toaster and not burn the toast.:)
I think that relocating the alarm makes the most sense. I have looked into the heat alarms and am putting one in my shop. I would much rather have a smoke alarm but that is not possible with the dust level.

[Clarence Miller]

You mean that isn't the auxiliary kitchen timer.