Apartment Kitchen Disaster: How To Stop a Blaring Smoke Detector (And Keep It Off!)

Stephanie Barlow
Stephanie Barlow
Stephanie is a home cook in NYC where she enjoys exploring the city's best food and re-creating meals in her tiny kitchen. Visit her vlog at City Cookin'
published Dec 11, 2012
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

It’s a party nightmare: guests have arrived, the food is in the oven, and all of a sudden the smoke detector starts going off. Besides assigning a guest the task of frantically flapping a towel in front of the smoke alarm, what else can you do? Try this easy tip to keep your cooking alarm free.

It’s happened in every apartment I’ve lived in. Match up ovens that aren’t cleaned enough, low ceilings, and hypersensitive smoke alarms that happen to be located near the kitchen and you’re likely to encounter a blaring alarm while cooking. I’ve disabled alarms before (which I do not recommend!), and even devised a fan system next to the unit to better circulate the air. And then I learned of a tip that made me wonder how I hadn’t thought of it before: a shower cap.

That’s right, put a regular shower cap over the smoke detector and that pesky flume of smoke from your oven will float right past without triggering the alarm. You can put it on before even turning on the oven or searing steak on the stovetop.

And it’s noticeable enough that you won’t forget it’s there once you’re finished cooking. Because you should certainly remove it (for safety) as soon as you’re done. The best of both: Fully-functional smoke alarm, and alarm-free cooking. Whew!

(Images: Flickr user Bramus licensed for use under Creative Commons)