Chemical fire extinguishers are good to have handy, but make a god-awful mess. Having worked many years in restaurants, I've learned that most fires can simply be smothered by placing a larger pan, inverted, over the fire, or by using baking soda or salt.

Recently I bought a few of those small, inexpensive aerosol cans of fire extinguisher. Reviews on them were not stellar, so I tested one on a campfire during a recent outing. I was very satisfied with the result. The cans put out a well-directed stream of chemical foam that quickly extinguished a very hot burning, medium-size campfire. The foam clung to the wood and kept it from flaring up again. If this had been a kitchen fire there would have been no cleanup necessary of any surrounding areas.

I won't be replacing my chemical extinguishers but will add some more of these small foam units in the future.