Best fire extinguishers for the kitchen and whole home

Which extinguisher to keep on each floor and near the kitchen exit, how to read the rating on the label, and when to use a lid or leave instead.

Published Oct 9, 2026Safety and emergencyHow we choose

For most homes, buy the Amerex B402 and mount it near the kitchen exit. It's a 5-pound A-B-C dry chemical unit, which means it holds 5 pounds of powder and works on ordinary, liquid and electrical fires. Its 3-A:40-B:C rating, the label code for how big a fire it can handle, is well above the 2-A:10-B:C minimum that makes sense for a main floor, and service shops will work on it.^{1 2 3 4}

If you'll never take an extinguisher to a service shop, a big-box unit with the same rating, such as the Kidde Pro 5, costs less and put out the same kind of test fire.² The small Kidde FA110 is a backup for a bedroom or laundry room, not a main unit, and you need to check its date code when it arrives.⁵ If the likely user is a young child or an older adult, don't plan around an extinguisher at all. USFA, the U.S. Fire Administration, says they shouldn't use one, so your plan is to get out.¹

At the stove, a lid comes before any extinguisher. In NFPA's data for 2017 to 2021, 54% of the people hurt but not killed in home cooking fires were trying to control the fire.⁶ So cover the pan, or leave, before you fight anything.

Our picks

Best for most homesAmerex B402 5-lb ABC Dry Chemical ExtinguisherOne per floor, near the kitchen exit, and in the garage or workshop

Check price at Airgas

Fine as a backup, not as your main unitKidde Basic 110 Multipurpose Fire ExtinguisherBedrooms, laundry rooms, cars and boats

Check price at Kidde

Optional extra for the stoveKidde Kitchen Fire ExtinguisherAnyone who wants more than a lid at the stove

Check price at Kidde

Fine, but the B402 is the better buyAmerex B500 5-lb ABC Dry Chemical ExtinguisherFine if you find it for clearly less than the B402

Check price at Airgas

How they compare

	Amerex B402	Kidde FA110	Kidde RESSP	Amerex B500
Best for	Main floor, kitchen exit, garage	Backup in a bedroom or laundry room	Extra help at the stove	Only if clearly cheaper than the B402
Rating	3-A:40-B:C	1-A:10-B:C	UL 711A, for residential cooking fires	2-A:10-B:C
Agent inside	5 lb	2.5 lb	2.5 lb	5 lb
Overall weight	About 9.25 lb	3.9 lb	3.9 lb	About 9 lb
After it's used	Can be serviced	Replace it	Replace it	Can be serviced

Best for most homes

Amerex B402 5-lb ABC Dry Chemical Extinguisher

Good fit if: one per floor, near the kitchen exit, and in the garage or workshop

Model B402

Check price at AirgasAlso at Protegis · Tiger Medical

Higher rating than the same-size B500
Metal internals, easy to service
Hose and large pull pin
Holds a full 5 pounds of agent

Costs more than big-box equivalents
No cooking-fire listing
Leaves a big powder mess
Inspect it the day it arrives

The rating is the reason to pick this one. Distributors list it at 3-A:40-B:C, against 2-A:10-B:C for the B500 in the same size of cylinder, so it has more Class A capacity and four times the Class B rating.^{3 7} It also holds the 5 pounds of agent that a fire chief quoted by Popular Mechanics wants as a minimum.⁴ This Old House calls it a 10-pound unit, but it's a 5-pound unit.^{3 8 9}

A YouTube reviewer who took apart and discharged 11 models found metal internals here, found it easy to service, and says nearly all service companies accept these units.² In a second reviewer's test it put out gasoline pans but left cardboard burning.¹⁰

That 11-model comparison is also the case for spending less. All 11 carried the same rating, and all 11 put out the same kind of fire, set on a microwave, a toaster oven and a gasoline pan.² In August 2025 the B402 cost about 1.6 times as much as the First Alert PRO5 and 1.4 times as much as the Kidde Pro 5.² You pay the difference for serviceable parts, not because a cheaper unit failed.

Two cautions change how you use it. Bob Vila labels it the pick for grease fires, but nothing in its listing is specific to cooking, so treat it as your general unit and reach for a lid first.^{3 11} And SafeWise and Bob Vila both pass along buyer reports of Amerex units arriving with broken seals, a low charge or a missing pin.^{11 12} Those reports have no counts behind them, but do the arrival check described below.

Verdict: Buy this for the main floor and the kitchen exit, especially if you'd like an extinguisher that can be serviced. If you know you'd never bother, a big-box unit with the same rating is a fair way to save money.

Fine as a backup, not as your main unit

Kidde Basic 110 Multipurpose Fire Extinguisher

Good fit if: bedrooms, laundry rooms, cars and boats

Model FA110 (retail FA110G; part 466142MTL)

Check price at Kidde

Under half the weight of the B500
No internal exam for 12 years
Metal valve and handles
Coast Guard approved with strap bracket

Half the Class A capacity of 2-A
Half the agent of a 5-pound unit
Single use
Older units are recalled, so check the date code

Weight is the appeal. Kidde lists 3.9 pounds overall with 2.5 pounds of agent, so more people can hold it up and aim it, and Kidde says it's Coast Guard approved with the strap bracket, which helps on a boat.¹³ The cost of that is capacity. At 1-A:10-B:C it has half the Class A capacity of a 2-A unit and a quarter of the B402's Class B rating, so don't let it be the only extinguisher on a floor.^{1 3 13}

There's nothing to service. Kidde sells it as a single-use unit with a 12-year service life and no internal examination in that time, though it still calls for annual external exams and a visual check at least every 31 days. After any discharge, you replace it.^{12 13 14}

Check the date code the day it arrives, because the model number alone doesn't clear it. FA110G is on CPSC's 2017 recall list for plastic-handle units made from January 2, 2012 to August 15, 2017, and FA110 was also in a 2015 recall of black plastic valves made in 2013 and 2014.^{5 15} The code is 10 digits printed on the side of the cylinder near the bottom. Digits five through nine give the day and year, and the recalled range runs from 00212 to 22717, so a code with 18 or higher as digits eight and nine is outside it.⁵

Current units are a different build. Kidde says any extinguisher with a metal handle and metal pull pin isn't affected.¹⁶ Its 2024 data sheet lists the valve, handle and lever as aluminum and steel, and in November 2026 its store had this unit in stock as part 466142MTL, with a steel handle.^{17 18} We found no recall of that version. Other sellers' stock could be older, so buy new and look for that part number. Kidde paints the metal handle, so go by the date code if you can't tell. If a unit has a plastic handle or a code in the range, don't keep it. Contact Kidde about a free replacement.^{5 13}

Verdict: Buy it to add coverage in a bedroom, a laundry room or a vehicle. Skip it as your main extinguisher, because the main living area calls for at least a 2-A:10-B:C unit.⁴

Optional extra for the stove

Kidde Kitchen Fire Extinguisher

Good fit if: anyone who wants more than a lid at the stove

Model RESSP (part 21008173MTL)

Check price at Kidde

Made for residential cooking fires
Low-velocity nozzle, per Kidde
Light at 3.9 pounds

Doesn't replace an A-B-C unit
No independent test
Single use
Older units are recalled, so check the date code

A dry chemical blast can move burning material. In America's Test Kitchen's trial, an ABC unit, apparently an Amerex, blew a burning towel off the counter, and a homeowner on Reddit warns that powder can throw burning oil out of a pan.^{19 20} This unit is built around that problem. Kidde says it's rated to UL 711A for residential cooking fires and that its low-velocity nozzle reduces grease splash.²¹ It holds 2.5 pounds of agent and is single-use, with a 12-year life.²¹

All of that is Kidde's own description. Nobody independent has tested it, so treat it as better documented than an aerosol can, not as proven. It goes next to your lid and your main extinguisher, not in place of them.

Run the same date code check as on the Basic 110. RESSP is on the 2017 recall list with the same 00212 to 22717 range, and it was in the 2015 recall too.^{5 15} Kidde's current data sheet lists the valve, handle and lever as aluminum and steel, and the current part number is 21008173MTL.²²

Verdict: Buy this if you fry often and want something made for the stove. Skip it if a lid within reach and a B402 by the exit feel like enough, which they will for most homes.

Fine, but the B402 is the better buy

Amerex B500 5-lb ABC Dry Chemical Extinguisher

Good fit if: fine if you find it for clearly less than the B402

Model B500

Check price at AirgasAlso at Tiger Medical

Meets the 2-A:10-B:C minimum
Metal valve and steel cylinder
Can be serviced

Lower rating than the B402
Fiddly pin
About 9 pounds overall

It has an all-metal valve and a drawn steel cylinder, and Amerex builds it to be serviced.^{7 23} The trouble is the B402, which distributors list at the same dimensions and the same 14-second discharge with a higher rating.^{3 7} One reviewer calls the two almost identical apart from the powder and the hose.^{2 8}

He also shows a more conical spray than the B402 and suggests the wider coverage may suit indoor use.² Reviewed's writer found the pin mechanism complicated and suggests it for people who have used an extinguisher before. Reviewed lists it at 9 pounds overall.²⁴

Verdict: Buy it only if a seller offers it for clearly less than the B402. At a similar price, take the higher rating.

How to choose

Know when not to use one

USFA says to use an extinguisher only if every one of these is true: you've alerted others, someone has called the fire department, you're physically able, the fire is small and confined to one object or surface such as a pan or a wastebasket, you're safe from the smoke, and you have a clear way out.¹ If you're unsure, leave, alert others and call 911 from a mobile phone or a neighbor's phone.¹

Young children and older adults should not use extinguishers, USFA says.¹ Never put water on a grease or electrical fire.^{11 12}

Read the rating, not the pounds

Fires come in classes. Class A is ordinary materials such as wood and paper, Class B is flammable liquids and Class C is live electrical equipment. Most home improvement stores carry multipurpose units that cover all three.¹ Class K units are for cooking oils and are usually found in commercial kitchens.¹

The number before the A is a multiple of 1.25 gallons of water, and the number before the B is the square feet of liquid fire the unit can handle.¹ Treat 2-A:10-B:C as the minimum for a main floor.⁴ Two 5-pound units can differ a lot, as the B402 and B500 show, so buy by the label. Also look for the UL or ULC listing mark, which means a recognized lab certified it.¹

Buy the largest size you can really handle

USFA says to choose the largest extinguisher you can operate safely and comfortably.¹ The size on the box is the agent only, so a 5-pound unit weighs a good deal more, and America's Test Kitchen chose the smallest traditional size on the grounds that anyone needs to be able to lift it.^{11 19} Lift one at waist height before you decide. A lighter unit that gets used beats a bigger one that doesn't.

Plan the kitchen around a lid

Cooking caused an average of 158,400 reported home fires a year from 2017 to 2021, 44% of the total, and ranges or cooktops were involved in 53% of those.⁶ So start with the simple tool. USFA's advice for a pan fire is to cover it with a lid or baking sheet, and to keep one nearby.²⁵

If you do use an extinguisher on a stove fire, stand well back, because the force of a dry chemical unit can move burning material.¹⁹

How many you need, and where they go

Put at least one on every floor, with the main-floor unit on your way out of the kitchen.^{11 12} Add one in the garage, where Bob Vila and This Old House suggest a 10-pound size if you can handle it.^{9 11}

Never mount one next to the stove, because that's where the fire will be. SafeWise suggests keeping extinguishers at least 5 to 8 feet from fire sources such as fryers, fireplaces and dryers, and no more than about 40 feet from any spot in the home.¹² Keep them in plain view and out of reach of children.¹²

Choose a metal valve, and check any old unit

A well-known brand doesn't guarantee an extinguisher will fire. In 2017, CPSC announced a Kidde recall of about 37.8 million plastic-handle and push-button units that could clog or need too much force. It counted about 391 reports of failed or limited activation or nozzle detachment, including one death in a 2014 car fire.⁵ In 2000, about 600,000 First Alert FE1A10G units were recalled because they could fail to discharge.²⁶

If you inherit an extinguisher with a house, especially an old Kidde with a plastic handle, don't rely on it. Check its model and date code against the CPSC recall notice, and contact Kidde about a replacement, which was free under that recall.⁵ For a new unit, buy a metal valve and handle, and register it so you hear about future recalls.

Decide whether you'd ever service it

A serviceable unit only pays off if you take it to a shop. Be careful with the word "rechargeable", too. One reviewer says most service companies refuse First Alert's so-called rechargeable units at six years, so he treats them as disposable.² Whichever you buy, replace it when the maker says to, whatever the gauge shows.¹³

Check it the day it arrives, and learn the steps

Look for a gauge in the green, an intact pin and an intact tamper seal.¹² Then read the label. In a study of 276 volunteers using a propane training fire, 74% aimed correctly without training, and 96% did after a few minutes of instruction.²⁷

The steps spell PASS: pull the pin, aim low at the base of the fire, squeeze the lever slowly and sweep from side to side.¹ If you ever discharge a dry chemical unit, expect a big mess, and don't vacuum the powder.^{10 28}

Others we looked at

First Alert EZ Fire Spray (formerly Tundra)Don't rely on this aerosol. Consumer Reports rated it Don't Buy under the Tundra name because aerosols sometimes caused flare-ups, and in America's Test Kitchen's trial the grease and towel fires both reignited and needed a second spray.^{19 29} It has no gauge, so you can't tell if it still holds pressure, and one RV owner's can clogged.^{12 29 30} SafeWise notes it's called an extinguishing spray, not a fire extinguisher.¹² First Alert's store listed its packs as sold out or backordered, and it says it can't ship to California, Nevada or New York.³¹ Keep a lid instead.
Kidde Pro 5Same 3-A:40-B:C rating as the B402, sold at Home Depot, and it put out the same kind of test fire. The reviewer called it a good bare-minimum option and noted loose handle riveting and a plastic pickup tube.²
First Alert PRO5Also 3-A:40-B:C, the cheapest in that comparison, and it put out the fire. It has a plastic siphon tube, and the reviewer says most service companies won't touch it, so count it as disposable.²
Rusoh EliminatorA UL-listed cartridge unit you can recharge yourself. It cost about twice as much as the B402, needs an extra step to pressurize, and must be discarded at 12 years.²
StoveTop FireStopIn America's Test Kitchen's 2017 trial, this automatic canister did nothing at the instructed height and only fired when flames touched it at a very low mounting point.¹⁹ Don't count on it.
Fire blanketAmerica's Test Kitchen found one effective but frightening to use, and the fire came back if it was lifted too early.¹⁹ A lid does much of the same job.

How we picked

We haven't tested these extinguishers ourselves. Nobody has published a head-to-head reliability test of home extinguishers, so these picks rest on label ratings, government guidance, older kitchen tests and a few YouTube discharge tests. The main comparison was one person, with one fire per model and no measurements. The Amerex ratings come from distributor listings, not an Amerex spec sheet.

We have no long-term reliability data. The aerosol tests are old, First Alert may have changed the product since, and Consumer Reports' result comes from a TV report. The training study used a propane simulator, not a real room fire, and its figures come from a trade group's fact sheet. CPSC recall searches on November 5, 2026 found no Amerex extinguisher recall and no extinguisher recall of any brand after 2017. Search your model on the CPSC site too, because a new recall can come at any time.

Sources

Fire extinguishers U.S. Fire Administration
Which Fire Extinguisher is Best? Amerex, Kidde, First Alert, Badger, Ansul Tested FireAlarmDude5967, 2025
Amerex 5 lb ABC Fire Extinguisher (B402) Airgas, 2026
The Best 6 Fire Extinguishers For Your Home, According to an Expert (Popular Mechanics, syndicated) AOL, 2024
Kidde Recalls Fire Extinguishers with Plastic Handles Due to Failure to Discharge and Nozzle Detachment; One Death Reported U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2017
Home Cooking Fires NFPA (Shelby Hall and Tucker McGree), 2023
Amerex 5 lb ABC Fire Extinguisher (B500) Airgas, 2026
Portable & Wheeled Parts Book Amerex, 2026
Best fire extinguisher This Old House, 2026
Amerex Model B402 fire extinguisher review and test Zach Safarik, 2022
Best fire extinguishers Bob Vila, 2026
Best fire extinguishers SafeWise, 2025
Basic 110 Fire Extinguisher (FA110G) Kidde, 2026
Owner's manual: disposable fire extinguisher, dry chemical models Kidde, 2024
Kidde Recalls Disposable Plastic Fire Extinguishers Due to Failure to Discharge CPSC, 2015
Fire Extinguisher Recall ID Guide Kidde
Basic 110 Fire Extinguisher product data sheet (FA110G) Kidde, 2024
Kidde Multi Purpose Fire Extinguisher 1A10BC Kidde store, 2026
Equipment Review: Best Fire Extinguishers for Home Kitchens & Our Winner America's Test Kitchen, 2017
Like a toilet plunger, what should a new homeowner have? r/homeowners
Kitchen Fire Extinguisher (RESSP) Kidde, 2026
Kitchen Fire Extinguisher product data sheet (RESSP) Kidde, 2024
ABC dry chemical extinguishers Amerex, 2026
The best fire extinguishers for homeowners Reviewed, 2022