Man Sets House On Fire After Cooking Steak In Toaster

There's a reason why you should be careful which viral 'hacks' you decide to use in your own life, which is that they could actually be very dangerous.

And one would-be chef from New Zealand found this out the hard way when he set fire to his home while trying to cook steak in a toaster.

Now, if attempting to cook raw meat in an appliance usually reserved for bread, there's more.

The unnamed man then decided to leave said toaster unattended while he popped out to his local fish and chip shop for chips to go with his meal.

Unsurprisingly, when he returned home, he found it had been engulfed in flames, with the blaze badly damaging the property he shared with his partner.

And according to reports, the man has since demanded more money from his insurance company to pay for the cost of repairs.

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He reportedly received $418,000 (£211,709) for the damage, which was the maximum available to him under his policy.

Dissatisfied, he contacted the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO), claiming the insurer should cough up a further $200,000 (£101,270).

Unfortunately for the homeowner, it turned out that his policy terms had changed, meaning it no longer covered replacement, instead just the total sum insured.

And he was subsequently turned away, told that the insurer had done all it could in the circumstances.

Speaking to Stuff.co.nz, Karen Stevens, from the IFSO, said it's vital that people understand fully the terms of their insurance agreement.

She said: "Every year, everyone with insurance policies receives a renewal offer that can amend or change the policy that they originally signed.

"I can't stress highly enough the need to read each renewal letter carefully. Most insurers now offer total sum insurance, meaning your house is insured for a set price.

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"If you don't do your homework and insure your house for too low a sum insured, you could find yourself unable to rebuild your home.

"The sum insured should be what it would cost to rebuild, not what it's worth on the market."

Adding: "Your acceptance of the new terms is often the next payment of your premium."

Experts have warned in the past about the dangers of attempting to cook food using a toaster.

Appliances Online's expert, Colin Jones, told news.com.au: "Cooking any raw foods in a toaster is not only a health risk, but it could also create a fire hazard with the potential for oils and fats to create a flame.

"As a toaster is primarily designed to cook bread and not raw foods, the oils and fats would void the warranty of the toaster and could cause damage to it.

"Also as it would be difficult to clean, you could also run the risk of cross-contamination, by placing raw food into a toaster and then reusing it."

So, yeah, don't do it.

Topics: New Zealand, Viral, Chips, Hack, Fish, Fire, Weird, House, Steak, TikTok

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom