Your kitchen stove is a busy spot where convenience meets cooking, but not all items belong close by. Keeping certain things near the stove can affect their quality or even create safety risks.
Knowing what not to store near your stove helps protect your food’s flavor and your kitchen’s safety. Paying attention to this can make your cooking space more organized and safer for daily use.
Cooking oils like olive oil
You might think keeping olive oil near the stove is convenient. However, the heat from your burners can cause the oil to spoil faster.
Heat speeds up oxidation, which breaks down the oil’s flavor and nutrients. This can make your olive oil taste dull and even turn rancid.
It’s better to store cooking oils in a cool, dark place like a pantry or cabinet. This helps keep your oil fresh and tasty for longer.
Paper towels and napkins
You should avoid keeping paper towels and napkins near your stove. These items are highly flammable and can catch fire quickly from even a small spark or oil splash.
Storing them too close to heat increases the risk of accidents in your kitchen. Plus, the heat can cause paper products to become dry and brittle.
It’s safer to keep these items in a cabinet or on a shelf away from any open flames or hot surfaces. This helps protect both your kitchen and your peace of mind.
Coffee beans and grounds
You might think keeping coffee beans or grounds near the stove is handy, but it’s not the best place for them. The heat from the stove can quickly break down the delicate oils and aromas in your coffee.
This means your coffee can lose flavor and smell stale faster than you’d like. Plus, steam and cooking smells near the stove might get absorbed by your coffee, changing its taste.
To keep your coffee fresh, store it in an airtight, opaque container away from heat, light, and moisture. This simple step helps preserve that rich, fresh coffee flavor you enjoy every morning.
Plastic containers
You should avoid storing plastic containers near the stove. Heat can cause the plastic to warp or release harmful chemicals.
Keeping plastic too close may also weaken its structure over time. This can make your containers less safe for food storage.
If you use plastic for leftovers, wait for food to cool before placing it inside. This prevents microplastics from seeping into your food.
Instead, store plastic containers in cooler areas away from heat to keep them in good condition and safe to use.
Spices in glass jars
You might think storing spices in glass jars near the stove looks convenient and pretty. But exposing them to heat, light, and moisture can quickly reduce their flavor and aroma.
Using airtight glass jars is great for keeping spices fresh, but it’s best to keep them in a cool, dry place away from the stove. This protects them from heat and humidity that cause spices to lose potency.
Keeping your spices organized in glass jars away from heat means you get the best taste in every meal without worrying about them going stale too fast.
Dish towels
You should never keep dish towels near your stove. They are flammable and can easily catch fire if they come too close to heat or flames.
Besides the fire risk, dish towels hanging by the stove often touch the floor when oven doors open. This exposes them to germs and spills, which isn’t very hygienic.
It’s best to store your dish towels away from the stove, where they stay dry and clean. This keeps both your kitchen safe and your towels fresh for use.
