The recommended location is easily accessible and on the way to an exit. I plan on keeping mine in the double angled cabinet near the hall if it fits, will likely have to put a sign or other indication it is there. Othwise, haven't figured that out yet. I love oldbat's niche. I could have done that, but I'm short and clumsy. There's a 99% chance I'd manage to knock it over and out of reach when I try to grab it quick. If the counter there was standard instead of 30 inches I'd have a chance, though then I wouldn't have the extra inches that make the niche :-/

Thank you all! I can't believe I didn't get around to bringing back the fire extinguisher. I saw it in the hall closet last night and remembered. (It's pretty close to the kitchen but not the first place you'd look in a panic, that's for sure.) I looked at a website and also called my neighborhood fire station. The local firefighter said that under a sink is acceptable for residences; for foster homes etc it has to be mounted on a wall. He and the online site both said that the ideal location is in full view somewhere on the path out of the kitchen, so you don't have to go toward the flames to get to it. He acknowledged that people don't always want a fire extinguisher hanging on their kitchen wall and wasn't concerned about someone having it in a cabinet. The website was a little more alarmist than he was and said it should be out in plain sight so the babysitter could find it fast. (!) During all this I also ran across an America's Test Kitchen video review of fire extinguishers. Their online written review has a lot more information (including a description of the terrible performance of some of them) but I'm not a subscriber so I couldn't access the whole thing. The video review is helpful, though, so I'll link it. If you all see a fire extinguisher on the wall when/if I finally get around to posting finished kitchen pics, you will know that I took the babysitter thing to heart... (we pretty much never hire babysitters, but still). Here is a link that might be useful: Fire extinguisher review on Youtube

That's the door out of the kitchen toward the rear hall of the house and about 10' from the range. We also had one in our rear hallway near the laundry. When my insurance inspector came he said that he could count on both hands how many people actually have fire extinguishers where they belong, but everyone says "yes" on the application. We also had heat and smoke detectors hardwired. It seemed like we had at least 10 in our house because they have to be in and immediately outside, every bedroom. And we had heat detectors in the kitchen and attic. Then, two houses back: This location, while better than nothing, really isn't too hot. ;-)

Another thought on having a fire extinguisher - have you ever actually used one? I worked at a private school where the admin arranged a whole class for the staff on using a fire extinguisher. I couldn't believe it, but what the heck? It turned out to be pretty interesting. One surprising thing was how my fellow teachers managed the kind of extinguisher with a hose: Every single person who used that extinguisher sprayed their shoes before spraying the target, even after watching the person beside them do the exact same thing. So that's probably not the kind to get if you only use it for real once in your life. Using this kind everyone could hit the target first time out. Also, actually take a look at the top of the thing to see where the pull ring is and a take mental walk through what you'd have to do to make it spray. It's not at all difficult (except for the shoe spray thing), but it does require you to figure it out ahead of time. Another thought: if you have small hands (that would be me) or limited strength (arthritis?), be sure that the extinguisher you choose you can actually use. I frequently find that tools and what-all are designed by Godzilla who figures everyone has baseball mitts for hands. If the squeezy parts of the extinguisher are set so far apart that your thumb and baby finger can't get a grip, you might as well not have the thing. Choose one from a more enlightened manufacturer or go for the kind that has a trigger set not too far from the handle. When you really need a fire extinguisher, you probably won't be in your most calm and analytic frame of mind, so be sure that the design of the equipment itself won't add to or even create feelings of panic.