In case red and chrome don't fit in with your kitchen aesthetic

Kitchen appliance and gadget manufacturers are constantly striving to develop products that are as aesthetically pleasing as they are technologically cutting-edge. Take, for instance, previous posts about the Gorenje Ora-Ïto and L'evoluzione kitchens. By teaming up with designers, appliance suppliers have created kitchens artists and technophiles can love equally.

One company has piggybacked on the idea that form should accompany function and has applied it to an area that, especially in minimalist kitchens, may have been overlooked: fire safety. The HomeHero fire extinguisher addresses this problem while still looking sleek as can be.

Kitchen fires are no laughing matter: in 2006, there were 412,500 residential fires in America, resulting in 2,620 deaths, 12,925 injuries, and almost 7 million dollars in damages. (Firesafety.gov) Cooking equipment (think ranges or stoves) is the number one culprit for starting these fires. Having a fire extinguisher handy is paramount to the prevention of kitchen fires; yet because most are cumbersome, require two hands to operate, and look tacky, many people don't have one readily available in the kitchen.

The HomeHero is easy to operate, has an ergonomic handle for single-handed deployment, and an easy-to-see pin, so that you can figure it out quickly when the time comes to use it. It's designed to look nice enough to put in a visible place in your kitchen, reducing the amount of time it takes for you to retrieve it in an emergency.

The fire extinguisher is sold alongside HomeHero's 2-in-1 smoke and carbon monoxide detector, which is impressive in it's own right. According to HomeHero's Web site:

"The HomeHero 2-in-1 Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm provides the first networked fire safety solution for your home. The alarm system wirelessly links to the other HomeHero Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms creating an interconnected fire safety solution for your home. This network will alert your entire household to the dangers of fire, smoke or carbon monoxide poisoning by activating a voice command that calmly instructs your family on what steps to take next."

The fire extinguisher (and its detection counterpart) are pretty neat, super saf, and nice to look at, too. A piece of advice, though: if you do have a kitchen fire and you tell your houseguest to grab the fire extinguisher, make sure to point it out to them, so they don't waste time searching for the red can as your new cabinetry is reduced to smoldering ashes.

Other safety tips, courtesy of http://www.firesafety.gov:

- Keep an eye on your cooking and stay in the kitchen. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires.

- Wear short or close-fitting sleeves. Loose clothing can catch fire.

- Watch children closely. When old enough, teach children to cook safely.

- Clean cooking surfaces to prevent food and grease build-up.

- Keep curtains, towels and pot holders away from hot surfaces and store solvents and flammable cleaners away from heat sources. Never keep gasoline in the house.

- Turn pan handles inward to prevent food spills.