expatgirl
Master Chef
sad......but you didn't know, daveso......I would have thought it would have been good, too...did the broth evaporate away or did they just have too many cloves in it in which case it would have been overwhelmed anyway....
Kitchen Disasters
- Thread starter ChefWhite
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
expatgirl
Master Chef
gotcha.....did you order pepperoni or veggies with that disaster?????
I burnt down 8million dollar restaurant.
j/k
j/k
candelbc
Senior Cook
My worst (and ironically the most painful) kitchen disaster was one time I was working up my own recipe for Pumpkin Fudge. I had figured out a way to modify my usual base for Peanut Butter and/or Chocolate fudge by adding pumpkin and pumpkin spices.
The result was a somewhat lava like consistency that reacted in the same way. Basically, every time a bubble would come to the top of the pan, it would burst with a somewhat amazing force. I had a sweetened, soft-ball staged concoction on the ceiling, floor, my arm, face, and just about everything else in the kitchen. It was painful, but something Sarah and I still laugh about.
Interesting note about making the different types of fudge. I use Fudge as a way to collect donations every year for the "Relay for Life" cancer walk. I sell it for $25.00 a pound, with all proceeds going towards the Relay. At my work, sweets sell big. It's gotten to a point where people are lining up when the annual event takes place, just waiting to buy fudge. I make Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Cookies & Creme, Butterscotch, and Pumpkin (I did finally figure out a good recipe). I usually average about $1000.00 a day selling it for Relay.. Just thought it was worth mentioning for those of you who have charities. Sweets always sell!
-Brad
The result was a somewhat lava like consistency that reacted in the same way. Basically, every time a bubble would come to the top of the pan, it would burst with a somewhat amazing force. I had a sweetened, soft-ball staged concoction on the ceiling, floor, my arm, face, and just about everything else in the kitchen. It was painful, but something Sarah and I still laugh about.
Interesting note about making the different types of fudge. I use Fudge as a way to collect donations every year for the "Relay for Life" cancer walk. I sell it for $25.00 a pound, with all proceeds going towards the Relay. At my work, sweets sell big. It's gotten to a point where people are lining up when the annual event takes place, just waiting to buy fudge. I make Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Cookies & Creme, Butterscotch, and Pumpkin (I did finally figure out a good recipe). I usually average about $1000.00 a day selling it for Relay.. Just thought it was worth mentioning for those of you who have charities. Sweets always sell!
-Brad
Lisa Breuer
Assistant Cook
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2008
- Messages
- 23
You guys are killing me! I'm totally laughing at these stories. If anyone needs a fun prank, my favorite (of many - it's how I work) was what I did to my mom when I was a teenager. She used to ask me to hop up and get her stuff when I was comfortably settled in, which sort of annoyed me sometimes. One night when she asked for a glass of milk, a dropped a raisin in the bottom. She drank it all the way down, then got to the "thing" partially covered in milk in the bottom. I sat there about to burst, while she asked (and I'll always remember this one - ) "Was this glass clean when you took it down to use it?"
DING... we have a winner... Wow.. now that's a kitchen disaster!!
Saphellae
Head Chef
Ew about the praying mantises!!! LOL!!! How long did it take you to realize that they had hatched?
LavenderLily
Assistant Cook
My worst was when I decided to bake a cake from scratch for my son's first birthday. (Actually several small cakes and different sizes of cupcakes to make the Baby Einstein caterpillar.) I used the wrong measuring spoon and put in twice as much baking powder and baking soda as I was supposed to. I was up all night cleaning the oven. I made a second attempt the morning of the party, with better results, except that they didn't have time to fully cool before I had to frost them and the frosting got all melty and drippy.
For his second birthday, the control panel on the oven shorted out the day before his party and I had to bring the cakes to a friend's house to bake them. I shudder to think what will happen this year.
For his second birthday, the control panel on the oven shorted out the day before his party and I had to bring the cakes to a friend's house to bake them. I shudder to think what will happen this year.
Fisher's Mom
Executive Chef
My worst was when I decided to bake a cake from scratch for my son's first birthday. (Actually several small cakes and different sizes of cupcakes to make the Baby Einstein caterpillar.) I used the wrong measuring spoon and put in twice as much baking powder and baking soda as I was supposed to. I was up all night cleaning the oven. I made a second attempt the morning of the party, with better results, except that they didn't have time to fully cool before I had to frost them and the frosting got all melty and drippy.
For his second birthday, the control panel on the oven shorted out the day before his party and I had to bring the cakes to a friend's house to bake them. I shudder to think what will happen this year.
OMG, I'm sorry to laugh but a disaster in the oven that looked like that was a weekly occurrence in my house for years!!! I know how long it takes to clean that up, girlfriend. You must love your son very much.
Thanks for the lung cleaning!
I think the worst 'disaster' was putting too much oregano in the eggs. Maybe I think that because my friend still ribs me about it 20 + years later.
Then there was the time I was making a broth and let the pan run dry. Had to toss the pan.
Then there was the time I sterilized dirt in the oven ... worked but golly it stunk!
I got it! The worst disaster in my kitchen was when I allowed Wife to replace the old Centurian range with a more modern unit.
babetoo
Chef Extraordinaire
ka-boom
as a teen i blew up my mom's pressure-cooker. i put rice in it. must have put to much. it blew the little thing that jiggled in one direction and the lid in another. and rice on the ceiling. what a mess.
i have not used a pressure cooker since. lol
babe
as a teen i blew up my mom's pressure-cooker. i put rice in it. must have put to much. it blew the little thing that jiggled in one direction and the lid in another. and rice on the ceiling. what a mess.
i have not used a pressure cooker since. lol
babe
PanchoHambre
Washing Up
how NOT to steam vegetables
ok so not quite a "disater' but almost
last night I was trying to steam some carrots and potatoes for a curry dish I was making and I set my large stock pot with water in the bottom on the stove and next to it I sat the veggies in the steaming basket (in this particular pot you need to put he steamer insert in the pasta insert) next to it.
A bit later I wondered why I heard all ths noise but the water was not steaming up yet then I realized... I turned on the WRONG burner ... the one my insterts were staged on so my veggies were cooking suspended directly over the burner (on high) and my poor pasta insert was charred
opps at least I realized before anything bad happened but I think my pasta insert is permanently discolored.
ok so not quite a "disater' but almost
last night I was trying to steam some carrots and potatoes for a curry dish I was making and I set my large stock pot with water in the bottom on the stove and next to it I sat the veggies in the steaming basket (in this particular pot you need to put he steamer insert in the pasta insert) next to it.
A bit later I wondered why I heard all ths noise but the water was not steaming up yet then I realized... I turned on the WRONG burner ... the one my insterts were staged on so my veggies were cooking suspended directly over the burner (on high) and my poor pasta insert was charred
opps at least I realized before anything bad happened but I think my pasta insert is permanently discolored.
LMJ
Senior Cook
Age 10: I wanted to make popcorn on the stovetop. So I put a saucepan of canola oil on the stove. And being ten, forgot about it...
... until I saw the reflected glow of the 8' tall tower of flame licking the ceiling.
Well, thankfully I was a SMART ten, smothered the flame with a baking sheet, and threw the pot into a deep snowbank outside. It was still hot enough to melt thru and kill the grass underneath.
Took a few YEARS to clean the soot out of that saucepan. Still using it, though!
... until I saw the reflected glow of the 8' tall tower of flame licking the ceiling.
Well, thankfully I was a SMART ten, smothered the flame with a baking sheet, and threw the pot into a deep snowbank outside. It was still hot enough to melt thru and kill the grass underneath.
Took a few YEARS to clean the soot out of that saucepan. Still using it, though!
Constance
Master Chef
By the way, did I ever tell you about the time I dropped a whole 5 lb. bag of flour in the kitchen floor just as I was finishing up cooking supper for company?
VeraBlue
Executive Chef
This disaster is under the heading of "you should have seen it coming"....
It was the very early 90's, and I'd recently started my first position in a professional kitchen.
I was given the task of making buttercream icing. I was taught how to use the giant hobart mixer. I whipped about 10 pounds of butter with a bit of vanilla till it was soft and tripled in volume.
Then I added the appropriate amount of 10X.
Then I neglected to lower the speed of the mixer from 3 to 1.
A split second later it occurred to me that I should have added the 10X in stages.
Then I turned it on.
........
.........
After the sugar settled (on every piece of equipment in a 10' radius, not to mention on me, as well) the other, more experienced staff members simply looked at me and said "it sux to be you, right now". It took me half an hour to clean up the mess.
You cannot make this stuff up, I say
It was the very early 90's, and I'd recently started my first position in a professional kitchen.
I was given the task of making buttercream icing. I was taught how to use the giant hobart mixer. I whipped about 10 pounds of butter with a bit of vanilla till it was soft and tripled in volume.
Then I added the appropriate amount of 10X.
Then I neglected to lower the speed of the mixer from 3 to 1.
A split second later it occurred to me that I should have added the 10X in stages.
Then I turned it on.
........
.........
After the sugar settled (on every piece of equipment in a 10' radius, not to mention on me, as well) the other, more experienced staff members simply looked at me and said "it sux to be you, right now". It took me half an hour to clean up the mess.
You cannot make this stuff up, I say
This disaster is under the heading of "you should have seen it coming"....
It was the very early 90's, and I'd recently started my first position in a professional kitchen.
I was given the task of making buttercream icing. I was taught how to use the giant hobart mixer. I whipped about 10 pounds of butter with a bit of vanilla till it was soft and tripled in volume.
Then I added the appropriate amount of 10X.
Then I neglected to lower the speed of the mixer from 3 to 1.
A split second later it occurred to me that I should have added the 10X in stages.
Then I turned it on.
........
.........
After the sugar settled (on every piece of equipment in a 10' radius, not to mention on me, as well) the other, more experienced staff members simply looked at me and said "it sux to be you, right now". It took me half an hour to clean up the mess.
You cannot make this stuff up, I say
Good job, Vera. What'd you do for an encore?
meshoo96
Senior Cook
My worst kitchen disaster had to be "Tacos from Hell" night. We have a skillet that I would keep in the oven when we had people coming for an open house. It was electric oven, so there was no heat. Well, one night I was making tacos and I didn't want to make a huge mess, so instead of making the actual ground beef, I bought the Old El Paso tub of pre-prepared microwaveable taco meat. I preheated the oven, stuck the tub in the microwave and walked away. A few minutes later, I smelled plastic burning. I checked the microwave...nothing...hmmmm...then it dawned on me...OH NO!!! Yes, the oven. There was a plastic case around the skillet that, although was heat resistant for the skillet, it was not heat resistant to the 375F oven. We had a fire in the oven. I closed the door and the fire wouldn't go out...not even with shutting the oven OFF...because we all know it's electric and takes FOREVER to cool. Well, the last option so as NOT to burn the house down was the fire extinguisher. I had a sore throat for a week, yellow powder everywhere, and the realtor was coming to show the house the next day...needless to say, it was a long night and plastic...once cooled...is a pain in the butt to get out of an oven.
