For the worry that keeps coming back

Did I leave the stove on?

You can check from anywhere if something can see the stove for you. That might be a connected stove app, a camera on the knobs or a stove monitor. If not, ask someone with a key to look. If the doubt comes back often, a fixed routine before you leave works better than checking again.

Based on guidance from NFPA, the U.S. Fire Administration and the International OCD Foundation. Updated October 19, 2026.

Away from home and worried right now?

Read what to do if you think you left the stove on. It covers who to call, when to go back and when to call 911.

How to check if you left the stove on

Start with anything that can see the stove for you: a connected stove app, an indoor camera or a stove monitor. If you have none, call someone who is home or has a key. A neighbor or building manager can look in a couple of minutes. If anyone reports smoke, a burning smell or an alarm, call 911.

When you get home, check each knob and any indicator lights, one burner at a time. Then look at the oven controls too. The full list of steps for the moment you walk in is on our forgot the stove on page.

Can I check my stove remotely?

Yes, if something connected can see it. Some smart ranges show burner status in an app. Samsung says its SmartThings app shows a red icon when a burner is on. The same app can turn the oven off. A camera pointed at the knobs works on any stove. A stove monitor or shut-off device with an app can also tell you.

· A connected range. Samsung's support page describes seeing burner status and turning the oven off from the app. It does not describe turning burners off.
· An indoor camera. It works with any stove. Point it at the knobs, not the room, and think about who else can see the feed.
· A stove monitor. It alerts your phone when a burner is left on, so you do not have to remember to look.
· A shut-off device. Some send app alerts and can also cut the power or gas on their own. Our automatic stove shut off guide compares the types and prices.
· A connected smoke alarm. It can notify your phone, but only once there is smoke.

For a side-by-side look at monitors and shut-off devices, see our comparison of stove safety devices.

How do I stop worrying that I left the stove on?

Make the last check one you will remember. Before you leave, look at each knob, touch it and say “off” out loud. Do it the same way every time, at the same moment, such as when you pick up your keys. That gives you a clear memory to fall back on, instead of a vague one.

A few habits make the question easier to answer:

· Set a timer whenever you cook, even for a simmer. NFPA recommends a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
· Turn the burner off the moment the pan comes off it.
· Stay in the kitchen when you fry, grill, boil or broil. NFPA advises this too.
· Skip the stove when you are sleepy or have been drinking, as NFPA suggests.
· Keep your keys near the kitchen, so the check happens on your way out.
· If you like a record, take one photo of the knobs as you leave. If one photo turns into several, read the next section.

These sit alongside the wider habits in our stove fire prevention guide. Looking out for an older parent who forgets? Our guide to stove safety for elderly parents is a better fit.

When is anxiety about leaving the stove on more than a habit?

Most people double-check the stove now and then, and that is normal. It may be worth talking to someone if checking takes up a lot of your day. The same goes if you keep going back home, or the doubt returns right after you check. Those can be signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is treatable.

The International OCD Foundation describes OCD as taking up a lot of time, more than an hour a day. It causes real distress and gets in the way of things a person values. The Foundation names exposure and response prevention, a type of CBT, as the first-line treatment. Its site has a short screener and a guide to finding help, including therapists and support groups.

This page cannot tell you whether you have OCD. A doctor or a licensed therapist can help you sort that out, and asking is a reasonable step.

A note on devices, including ours. If checking has become a ritual, an app you can open again and again may become one more check. A therapist can help you decide whether a device helps or gets in the way.

How long can a gas stove be left on?

Only as long as someone is there to watch it. A standard gas burner has no timer, so it stays lit until someone turns it off. NFPA says to stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling, boiling or broiling. When simmering, check the food regularly, stay in the kitchen and use a timer. If you leave the kitchen, turn the burner off.

The kitchen advice comes from NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration. Two more points for gas homes. Never use the oven to heat your home, as the U.S. Fire Administration warns. And keep carbon monoxide alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas, as the CPSC advises.

How long can an electric stove be left on?

The same rule applies: only while someone is watching. A standard electric coil has no timer, so it stays on until it is turned off. The risk depends on what is on it. In NIST tests, small amounts of corn oil in a small pan caught fire on their own. On an electric coil, that took roughly 9 to 17 minutes.

Those tests are in NIST Technical Note 2133. They used 20 to 150 grams of oil on a coil set to its highest setting. More oil took longer. Once lit, the fires grew fast. A pan fire is covered in how to put out a grease fire.

Newer coil ranges are built to resist this. Coil cooktops certified to UL 858 must pass a cooking oil ignition test, which Intertek lists as effective April 4, 2019. NIST describes a 30-minute test on the highest setting. Stoves certified before then were not tested this way. Many ovens do shut off on their own: GE says most modern ranges turn the oven off after 12 hours. Some induction cooktops, such as Bosch's 800 Series, list an automatic safety shut-off. Check your manual to see what yours does.

Where Stovyn fits

We make Stovyn, a stove monitor. A thermal sensor reads each burner. If one is left on, Stovyn alerts you through its speaker and your phone, so the answer comes to you. Trusted contacts are told only if an alert goes unanswered. It does not shut the stove off. Stovyn Standard is $99 and Pro is $199. It is a pre-order and ships December 20, 2026.

See Stovyn How it works

Frequently asked questions

Why do I keep thinking I left the stove on?

Turning off a burner is something most of us do on autopilot. So it is easy to have no clear memory of doing it. A deliberate check, done the same way each time, gives you a memory to recall. If the doubt stays even after a clear check, read the section on anxiety above.

Is it safe to leave the stove on low while I go out?

No. NFPA says to stay in the kitchen while food is cooking, even when simmering, and to use a timer. The U.S. Fire Administration puts it simply: if you leave the kitchen, turn the burner off.

Does the oven turn off by itself?

Many do. GE says most modern ranges have a shut-off that turns the oven off after 12 hours of continuous use. Sabbath mode on some ranges overrides it. Cooktop burners are a different matter, so check your manual.

Can a stove monitor help with stove anxiety?

It can help if the worry comes from not knowing. A monitor tells you when a burner is on, so you are not left guessing. If checking has become a compulsion, a device may turn into one more thing to check. A therapist who treats OCD can help you decide.

Sources

This page is informational. It is not medical advice and cannot diagnose any condition. Stovyn is a monitoring device, not a certified safety device. It does not replace smoke alarms or CO alarms, and it does not call 911. In an active fire, get out and call your local emergency number.

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