London Fire Brigade has warned against cooking cheese on toast in a sideways toaster - after the “unsafe” method led to a fire in a university halls.
Firefighters were scrambled to the student accommodation in Avery Hill Road, Avery Hill, south-east London, at about 10.30am on Monday.
They arrived to find a fire had broken out on the ground floor of a three-storey block.
LFB said the blaze began when a student attempted to make cheese on toast inside a toaster that had been placed on its side, then left the room.
Around 25 firefighters spent approximately 40 minutes tackling the fire, which was under control by about 11.20am.
Nobody was injured, but shocking footage shared in the aftermath showed the burnt out kitchen badly damaged by flames and water.
An LFB spokesperson said: “The fire started after a resident placed a toaster on its side and inserted bread and cheese. They then left it cooking unattended.
“Only use electrical products for their designated use. Toasters need to be kept clean to prevent fires and are not designed to be used on their side.
“Not only does it generate heat onto the work surface but the dry left-over crumbs from the bottom of the toaster can get onto the hot elements and ignite.
“It’s also really important that you always check toasters and other appliances are turned off and unplugged when not in use, unless they’re designed to be left on, like your fridge or freezer.
“Keep clutter to a minimum on your kitchen work surfaces especially near toasters and hobs as they can accidentally switch them on or catch fire.”
It is not the first time LFB has been forced to issue a warning about the method of cooking cheese on toast.
In 2015, it urged people not to use the technique after celebrity chef Jamie Oliver mentioned it in a Guardian article about making toast.
“In the past, I have turned the toaster on its side, put cheese on bread and slid it in so it toasts on one side and melts on the other,” he wrote in the piece.
“It’s a bit of a jiggle but it works.”
LFB quickly responded by warning of the fire risks, adding on Twitter: “Sorry @jamieoliver but turning your toaster on its side to cook cheese on toast really isn’t a good idea.”
The Guardian later added a footnote to Oliver’s article, saying: “We strongly don’t recommend turning your toaster on its side to make cheese on toast or anything else, as it is a fire hazard.”
