Kitchen Fails Happen, But With Ring, Safety is Always on the Menu

Summer is the perfect season to come together with friends and family, fire up the grill, and share meals under the sun. From backyard BBQs to neighborhood potlucks, food has a way of bringing us all closer—but sometimes, things don’t go exactly as planned. Thankfully, the following unexpected cooking disasters were all captured by Ring devices - and not only can we laugh about them now, we can take the proper precautions to help prevent similar mishaps from happening in our own homes.

Kitchen Safety Checklist

Never leave the kitchen unattended while cooking. If you need to leave for any period of time, be sure to turn off the burner.

Clean and consider your surroundings. Grease buildup can cause a kitchen fire, so it's essential to regularly clean cooking surfaces.

Invest in a fire extinguisher and keep it handy. Even if you take preventative measures, fires can still occur, so you should keep a fire extinguisher in or near your kitchen.

Stay informed when you’re away with the Ring Alarm Smoke and CO Listener, an innovative device that helps you monitor your home’s existing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

For more helpful tips, give our Guide to Kitchen Fire Safety a read.

Duck à la Flames: A Hearty Classic

While grilling a duck outside, things for AnneMarie and her husband took a smoky turn—literally. Upon noticing a sizable flare-up in their grill, her husband jumped into action and removed it from the vicinity. Thankfully, AnneMarie says, the mishap just ended up being a small inconvenience, albeit a scary one.

“No one got hurt, no fire trucks were needed, and we still saved the duck—although it was a little dry.”

Over-seasoned? Cue the Leaf Blower

While preparing dessert for her family, one woman found herself facing an unexpected culinary crisis: too much cinnamon on her milk tart. Unsure how to fix it, she had a flash of inspiration to take it outside and use a leaf blower. To her surprise (and relief), the plan worked perfectly. The excess cinnamon flew away, the tart was saved, and the dessert turned out to be a delicious hit with the entire family.

Mouse Crashes Dinner, Derails Plans

Rebecca was in the backyard prepping for dinner when she got an unexpected, squeaky surprise: a mouse in her grill! On instinct, Rebecca screamed and ran away in panic. While she was eventually able to laugh about it, she was still bothered enough to move the cooking inside. Luckily, Ring captured the now-hilarious moment, and thanks to Rebecca’s Ring Home subscription¹, she was able to save the footage and share it with friends.

Grill Down, Dog to Blame

Abby was outside with her dog Oakley, who hadn’t quite adjusted to the new placement of the family’s outdoor grill, when disaster struck. Without either of them realizing it, Oakley’s leash became tangled around the grill. When she spotted a squirrel in the distance, she ran off and took the whole thing with her! As you can see, Abby’s shocked expression says it all.

“If I didn’t have the Ring camera,” Abby says, “literally no one would believe me.”

When Sweetness Meets Chaos

When Nick’s neighbor Jordan asked if he could borrow some sugar, he had no idea the calamity such a small favor would cause. Thinking that he had grabbed a new, unopened bag, Nick marched outside to deliver it - only for the bag to burst open mid-wave in front of Jordan’s entire family.

“They all hit the ground laughing,” Nick recalls, and while it was inconvenient at the time, he was glad his Ring Video Doorbell captured the whole thing.

“Jordan asked if I could do it again while he filmed it, and that’s when I noticed the Ring notification. I laughed so hard that I had to share it.”

From surprise guests to recipe meltdowns, these moments remind us that the best memories aren’t always perfectly planned - and when it comes to safety, Ring is here to help!

Have a funny, harrowing, or downright shocking video of your own cooking disaster? We’d love to see it! Send us an email at stories@ring.com.

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¹Subscription required (sold separately). See Ring Subscription Plans for more information.