PrintAppliances in a dorm room...
So, kitchen appliances such as hot plates and toasters are -technically- not allowed to be used in the dorm rooms here, but they are permitted in common areas. The trouble is, the only common area on my floor is the laundry room, and I'm not about to start flipping pancakes on top of a washing machine. My question is: Has anyone gotten away with using one of the aforementioned appliances inside a dorm room without setting off the smoke detector/fire alarm? And what would it take to set it off? I mean, would it take billowing flames, or just some intense heat to get that siren going? I'm sick of microwaved, steamed food- Please help!
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22 Comments:
Smoke alarm sensitivity can vary. It would generally take more than, say, a cigarette, but definitely far less than actual flames. One of my college residences had an alarm that would go off for nothing, but that was in the actual kitchen.
I never tried to use a hot plate in my dorm room, but I did have a hot pot, a Foreman grill, a toaster, and coffee maker (all banned apps), and I never set the alarm off in my very small rooms. The main thing is to keep it very clean (so no loose crumbs can scorch and smoke) and of course to watch it carefully. Accept that some things simply are not practical, and most of the ways to get golden-brown --anything with a crust--are risky.
If I were doing it today, I'd add a rice cooker, ideally a fuzzy logic, since that can cook many other things, but they're pricey.
Your neighbors will smell cooking, for sure, so consider the stringency of your RA before taking unnecessary risks.
There's more info and tricks out there than when I was in dorms, so you can find some interesting tidbits with Google.
renzata at 9:52PM on 02/19/08
We weren't allowed anything other than hot pots, and that didn't cut the mustard after long nights at the bars when pizza delivery was a 2-3 hour wait at 2am!
We snuck in a toaster oven--boy oh boy did we love that thing! It never set off any alarms, we had an awesome RA-- and he knew about it, but told us to make sure we kept it hidden, as they did inspections every quarter.
Obviously just be safe about what you choose, never leave it on, keep it clean, don't leave it unattended, blah, blah, blah. I think you can get pretty cheap rice cookers and would probably have liked that, but don't know much about them.
If I had to do it all over (even though Ohio Univ. now provides micro-fridges AND computers to all dorm rooms--sheesh, lucky kids!) I'd still opt for the toaster oven. Not only can you go to town with bagel bites and frozen (completely unhealthy!) foods galore, but you can also reheat stuff, and make a lot of fresh foods too.
bobcatsteph3 at 11:08PM on 02/19/08
There are 2 major types of smoke detectors - one detects smoke, so you'll want to avoid burning stff; and the other detects heat/pressure with a breakable element, so you'll want to avoid turning your dorm room into a super-heated sauna or throwing hot pancakes at the detector.
fermezporte at 11:37PM on 02/19/08
Try putting tupperware over your smoke detector.
stumbler02 at 12:37AM on 02/20/08
I had a microwave, hot pot, mini fridge and a toaster oven. You should have smelled the hallway when we would put slice-n-bake chocolate chip cookies in it!!!
The micro was kept on top of a dresser and we inverted a large box and kept it over the top when not in use.
2 years in the dorm and never a problem.
sparkalina at 8:06AM on 02/20/08
Um. Okay. I am a mother of a college student and I work on a University campus. The reason you are not supposed to have cooking equipment in your room is not because of the inconvenient smells or the possibility of having the smoke alarm shriek. It is because of the real possibility of FIRE. Three students died in a fire a few years ago at my university. It is as devastating as a having a shooter on campus.
Sorry to be a wet blanket, but is your grilled cheese sandwich really worth the risk?
Library Lady at 8:56AM on 02/20/08
Exactly my thought LibraryLady. I do think they should provide a food prep area with safety foremost, like auto shut-off appliances. On top of a washer is not a great idea. If they don't, cash strapped students are going to improvise and tragedy can result.
PerkyMac at 9:11AM on 02/20/08
I saw on tv once Mike Huckabee said he used to fry squirrel with a popcorn popper which was the only appliance allowed in his dorm room. Someone on Slate.com tried it with chicken and it worked. :P
ag3208 at 12:03PM on 02/20/08
I had a microwave junior and senior year. Never had a problem with it.
Amandarama at 2:41PM on 02/20/08
I had an electric skillet, nonstick. It was great for scrambled eggs, stirfries, grilled cheeses, ruebens, etc. And it was deep enough to boil water for instant noodles, mac&cheese, etc. But it was a pain to wash in the tiny sinks. Also why I gained the Freshman Fifteen plus a few extra.
wookie at 2:54PM on 02/20/08
Also, depending on the age of your dorms (ours were really, really old), that appliance ban can be because of the fact that the building's electrical system and wiring can only handle a certain amount of wattage.
Between A/C, lights, washers & dryers, vending machines, computers and things like alarm clocks, your dorm's electrical system could very well be at its limit and plugging in things which require a lot of electricity (like a microwave) could either cause a fire or an outage. Neither are good. :(
sheeats at 2:56PM on 02/20/08
I think the best dorm appliances are things like rice cookers (no smoke, and should stay cool to the touch if its a properly insulated one. All wiring and heating elements are covered).
George Foreman grills aren't too bad either since they also produce a minimal amount of smoke. Just keep it clean and use it in a designated area.
My apartment in my last two years of school had incredibly sensitive smoke detectors. Thankfully they were easy to silence after they went off, since they went off for just about anything including making eggs on the stove. We were just careful. We had a George Foreman grill and it never caused problems with those smoke detectors.
Toaster ovens are handy, but can get dirty very quickly and can be hard to clean, not to mention the exposed heating elements and more often than not metal bodies that get hot quickly. I wouldn't keep one of those in a dorm.
Consider what kind of dorm you're living in. If its one of those small, concrete bunkers with only a few outlets, maybe a mini-fridge at best, you might really consider making the sacrifice at least until you move out.
If you have a suite with a kitchenette or live in a hall with a common area, by all means use the appliances where they should be used.
There's just something about trying to toast something in the clutter of a standard dorm room that gives me the heebie jeebies.
fuuchan at 3:59PM on 02/20/08
I'm sorry ... but why would any one suggest the best way to break the rules? I've only seen 2 comments pointing out that there are reasons for bans on appliances in dorms. And it is not that the college administrators live to find ways to make students uncomfortable. Use the laundry room or the common room or find an apartment off campus with a kitchen. Till then, suck it up and live with what you have.
kjgibson at 5:25PM on 02/20/08
No dorm experience- but when I was a flight attendant- we "lived" in a hotel for 6 months until I could find permanent housing. (long story) Anyway I pretty much existed by eating food out of my toaster oven. I found it to be a great utensil for making many items, not just toast, small batches of cookies, I have even made blue cheese stuffed pork chops in it. I would also consider a small crock pot- as you can make tons of things in them.
***I have to say that some of the other folks make very valid points about safety /fires in dorms. These things do happen and are tragic.
If you choose to forgo their concerns- please be very vigilant and responsible with your cooking!
bisbee at 6:31PM on 02/20/08
I just want to say to those who have problems with "breaking the rules" that I'm pretty sure you probably "break the rules" sometimes yourselves, do you speed when you drive for example?
My college was started in 1804 and our no appliance rule was due to lack of electricity, until they updated all the wiring after I was done living in dorms, and now appliances are welcome.
We had no suites, no common cooking areas, no dorm kitchens. What we had were food plans that were crazy expensive, and when the cafeterias were closed you had no other option than a 20 min. walk uptown (literally uphill) or waiting a long time, and paying quite a bit for delivery food. In the middle of winter, you get hungry, so you make do. I loved every minute of the city and my college, and still broke the rules, and turned out a decent human being.
Fires happened, but mostly in off campus housing, yes they are tragic, but we're talking about adults here, I don't believe anyone is suggesting this person start up a charcoal fire in the middle of their room and roast a pig while they're in class, they're just a hungry, and perhaps a money strapped college student.
bobcatsteph3 at 8:05PM on 02/20/08
thanks bobcatsteph, I'd agree with you. in my case, the regulations were--i believe--a citywide ban on kitchen appliances outside of "kitchens." additionally, for the dorms all candles (incl. religious) were also banned, in addition to any live plants (yet these were very popular at the campus market).
As far as the original question, I think wookie's electric skillet might be a great idea. I have one now and I often prefer it to firing up the stove. Never occurred to be to try one on the dorm,
renzata at 8:20PM on 02/20/08
I graduated in December, and I was an RA for my last 3 semesters, and quite frankly, most of the people I worked with had more fire violations in their rooms than their residents (eg hanging lights, candles, illegal appliances...). I was guilty of it. I was required to stay over long breaks where the dining halls would be closed (we did have a kitchen on the ground floor but it would get thrashed), so I had: a rice cooker, toaster oven, microwave, hot pot, skillet, coffee maker, and a george foreman. technically, the only legal thing was the nuker and coffee maker.
Just please, please, please be careful! I always watched my appliances like a hawk and with the exception of the microwave, would unplug them as soon as I was done. Realize that if something were to catch fire, there are probably at least few hundred lives at stake. Enough preaching though :o)
and btw, the only thing i ever set the smoke detector off with was the microwave and the typical burnt popcorn. brilliance!
machellebelle at 12:47AM on 02/21/08
rice cookers are not pricey! i use one from walgreens ($10) and it works great. i mean, you can go fancy but what else do you need it to do but cook rice? i also like making quinoa in it, which is packed with protein.
i had a toaster oven my sophomore year. it was awesome. and totally illegal. but so handy. between that, the microwave, and the rice cooker, my roommate and i were able to cook a thanksgiving meal - salad, marinated tofu, rice and beans, corn, mashed potatoes, and mini pumpkin pies. of course, we ALWAYS made sure to unplug the toaster oven and keep it hidden when not in use. it was worth it.
mlo at 1:14PM on 02/21/08
I think the most important appliance you NEED in a dorm room, weather you decide to break the rules or not is a Fire Extinguisher! Please spend a little less on something else, but buy a Good extinguisher and keep it charged!
huney_bumper at 3:28PM on 02/21/08
Mlo I guess I wasn't clear: basic rice cookers are definitely not pricey, as you mentioned, but the fuzzy logic ones are ($80+). The fuzzy logic cookers can also be used for cooking soups and stews, in addition to porridges and grains, and they are completely programmable and respond very sensitively to the internal pot's heat and moisture (I don't know all the ins and outs). You can also use them as steamers (but the op was looking for ways to make non-steamed foods) and for making cakes and breads (both quick and yeast).
I was flabbergasted when my husband suggested buying one, but I have not since regretted the purchase and will sorely miss it after my impending move makes all my current electric gadgets useless .
renzata at 4:42PM on 02/21/08
If you must break the rules -- which I, as a mother of kids who might potentially be living on your floor, am in no way advocating -- but if you must, please consider spending a little extra for appliances with an automatic shutoff. You should definitely unplug all of these things as soon as you've finished using them, but this backup safety feature is well worth the money. Most manufacturers of slow cookers, rice cookers, etc., now offer models with an auto-off. Often, you'll also get auto-warm stage that kicks in between the actively cooking stage and the totally off stage.
Please be careful!
LoCo at 6:11PM on 02/21/08
Target.com has a great selection of inexpensive appliances. I'm sure one of them would suit your purpose, as well as not get you evicted from the dorm. Also, if you really need a grilled cheese, all you need is an iron, aluminum foil, bread, cheese, and butter (or butter-like substance). Allow your chosen buttery substance to soften (so you can spread it). Assemble your sandwich. Wrap it completely in foil. Set the iron on top of the wrapped sandwich to heat it, then flip the sandwich. Do not leave the sandwich unattended. Do not forget to wrap the sandwich (had a friend who got really sick from eating the starch residue that clung to the unwrapped sandwich). Do not attempt while intoxicated.
beth1 at 12:40AM on 02/22/08