These cast-iron safety plates are 1/3 to 1/2 as hot as regular electric burners, thus reducing the chance of a fire. The maximum burner temperature on these safety plates is 662° F, hot enough to boil water or cook a meal – but not hot enough for oil, food, and household materials like potholders, clothing, or paper to easily catch on fire. In addition to forgetting food cooking on the stove, people with dementia have unpredictable behavior and may engage in fire-risky behaviors, such as turning on unused burners, or placing papers on the stove. A newspaper placed on a regular burner would go up in flames, but would not on a safety burner.

Safety burners attach on top of the existing coil burners of an electric stove and must be installed by trained personnel. Stove safety products like the one illustrated here can extend the ability to cook for people with dementia. However, it is important to assess the person's safety while using this product, or unsafe cooking behavior can still occur.