I wanted to make a quick batch of egg salad to take to work for lunch, so I put the eggs on to boil and went and jumped in the shower, when I got out I heard a weird noise, smoke detector, I turned on the wrong burner and torched a good hard anodized non stick skillet, got to it just in time, there was grease in it and it was just about to go. filled the whole house with smoke and I was late to work. oh well, could have been allot worse
I almost burned up my kitchen
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RobsanX
Sous Chef
I don't think people realize how dangerous kitchens can be. One time our girl had a friend over and DW let them cook pancakes. I told her that they should be supervised, but she was at that age that DW was giving her more independence.
Luckily we smelled the gas in time to shut the unlit stove off before our house exploded. DW decided that it would be a good idea to supervise the girls after that...
Luckily we smelled the gas in time to shut the unlit stove off before our house exploded. DW decided that it would be a good idea to supervise the girls after that...
Cardinal rule in our house has always been, "never leave a stove unattended," especially in the case where sound is masked (as in the shower). Glad it didn't turn out to be an emergency. Scary to think if you'd been trapped in the shower.
x-termin8or
Assistant Cook
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2008
- Messages
- 40
Agreed. But at least, as you said, it could have been worse and it wasn't.
coookies
Cook
very glad that this did not turn out to be a catastrophe! stoves can be scary things!
Maverick2272
Washing Up
I have two kids in the house that decided me telling them the stove was hot and could be dangerous was good enough for them.
The third one? She seems he** bent on finding out for herself!
So far I have successful in thwarting her efforts, like Katie I never leave it or her unattended or dyer consequences happen... like she comes out of the bedroom with all of moms make up on her and everything else in her proximity... Geez....
The third one? She seems he** bent on finding out for herself!
So far I have successful in thwarting her efforts, like Katie I never leave it or her unattended or dyer consequences happen... like she comes out of the bedroom with all of moms make up on her and everything else in her proximity... Geez....
Good thing it wasn't any worse. Like Katie and Mav, I never leave the stove unattended. I also don't leave anything on the stove even if it's not on. My control knobs are on the front of my stove and a few times I have come into the kitchen and seen that the knobs were not in the off position, they weren't turned to the ignition point but It was kind of scary. The only thing I can figure is the dog must have put her feet up there to see what was on the stove. Years ago I had a similar mishap with turning on the wrong burner and I was lucky too.
PieSusan
Washing Up
Yes, I, too, learned not to leave a stove or oven unattended. I don't want to waste my efforts or risk a fire.
n2cookin
Senior Cook
I am glad that it was not worse and you got to it in time. I have learned that I am getting more forgetful as I get older. I have ruined a good sauce pan because I walked into another room then got side tracked and forgot I had something on the stove. Now I do not leave the room unless I set a timer. I agree stoves should be attended but there are times one needs to just go get something from another room. And I now know that I can get sidetracked too easily.
Constance
Master Chef
When I first married my second husband, I had an apartment size stove. The potatoes that were cooking on the back burner boiled over into the cast iron skillet full of frying chicken. The grease splattered, and I had flames three feet high on the stove.
In a very stupid move, I turned the pot of boiling potatoes over the burning skillet on the electric stove, and left it there while I turned everything off.
I guess I was very lucky, but my daddy really gave me a good talking to over that. He said I could have gotten electrocuted.
In a very stupid move, I turned the pot of boiling potatoes over the burning skillet on the electric stove, and left it there while I turned everything off.
I guess I was very lucky, but my daddy really gave me a good talking to over that. He said I could have gotten electrocuted.
bandonjan
Senior Cook
I too burned up a sauce pan. It had an aluminum core in steel and the aluminum was
liquid by the time I remembered I'd put water on to boil for pasta. I was on the computer and totally forgot about the water. Now I set a timer or flat don't get on the computer when I'm cooking!
liquid by the time I remembered I'd put water on to boil for pasta. I was on the computer and totally forgot about the water. Now I set a timer or flat don't get on the computer when I'm cooking!
les
Sous Chef
Cooking can be a dangerous pastime, if you leave the area. My son's friend came home one day, after shift work, set the chip fryer on, layed down on the sofa, waiting for the right temperature, promptly fell asleep! It was the smoke alarm that woke him up, thank goodness! Kitchen was ruined through smoke damage though, & his parents were not amused as they all had to move out for a year!
p.s. His job? Combi Chef!
p.s. His job? Combi Chef!
larry_stewart
Master Chef
Glad to hear that it wasnt anything more than a house full of smoke ( all though it may take awhile to get the smell out)
I had 2 incedents. The first is, I took a pot off a hot burner, shut it off, but didnt put anything back on top of it. That is when my cat, Phrank, jumped up onto the burner and burned his foot. Now, I always have a teapot filled with water to put on any burner I have just used so the cats, me and my family dont have a similar incedent.
The second incedent. I was at work and busy with a patient. The receptionist came to me and asked if i wanted to speak to my wife. I told him that unless the house was on fire, i dont because im busy. No more than 5 minutes later, I received another call from my wife. The receptionist said, doc, you have to answer this one, there is a fire in your kitchen !!!!! Me and my big mouth... Anyway, I got on the phone. It turns out that the night before we reheated some chinese food in the oven. the food was in those aluminum tins so we just threw the whole thing in to heat up, not realizing that the tin had a small hole in it and the grease dripped out all over the heating coil. Anyway, the next day, my wife preheated the oven,the grease caught fire and smoke was everywhere ( which is when she called me). I told her to grab the baking soda and throw it on, which she did and it extinguished the fire. the fire was contained to the oven so it wasnt a big deal. But , as mentioned above many times, the kitchen is a potentially dangerous place, and things should be checked, double checked and not taken for granted. I learned that almost the hard way.
*** the first phone call was just a ' what do u want for dinner' call. The fire hadnt started yet. It was just bizarre how minutes after i made my sarcastic comment, the fire started and i received the second call***
larry
I had 2 incedents. The first is, I took a pot off a hot burner, shut it off, but didnt put anything back on top of it. That is when my cat, Phrank, jumped up onto the burner and burned his foot. Now, I always have a teapot filled with water to put on any burner I have just used so the cats, me and my family dont have a similar incedent.
The second incedent. I was at work and busy with a patient. The receptionist came to me and asked if i wanted to speak to my wife. I told him that unless the house was on fire, i dont because im busy. No more than 5 minutes later, I received another call from my wife. The receptionist said, doc, you have to answer this one, there is a fire in your kitchen !!!!! Me and my big mouth... Anyway, I got on the phone. It turns out that the night before we reheated some chinese food in the oven. the food was in those aluminum tins so we just threw the whole thing in to heat up, not realizing that the tin had a small hole in it and the grease dripped out all over the heating coil. Anyway, the next day, my wife preheated the oven,the grease caught fire and smoke was everywhere ( which is when she called me). I told her to grab the baking soda and throw it on, which she did and it extinguished the fire. the fire was contained to the oven so it wasnt a big deal. But , as mentioned above many times, the kitchen is a potentially dangerous place, and things should be checked, double checked and not taken for granted. I learned that almost the hard way.
*** the first phone call was just a ' what do u want for dinner' call. The fire hadnt started yet. It was just bizarre how minutes after i made my sarcastic comment, the fire started and i received the second call***
larry
sparrowgrass
Head Chef
I have been taking and teaching a lot of emergency management classes lately, and one thing we teach is (extremely basic) firefighting techniques.
Do you all have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen? How old is it? If it is more than 3 or 4 years old, you should replace it, because the powder in the bottom of the extinguisher cakes and becomes useless. The fire chief who was teaching that particular class said to take the old one outside and "practice" with it, so you will know what happens when you pull the pin and squeeze the handle.
If you have an emergency and you don't know how old the extinguisher is, you should bang it, REALLY HARD, on the floor or counter top before you pull the pin and start spraying at the base of the fire.
Do you all have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen? How old is it? If it is more than 3 or 4 years old, you should replace it, because the powder in the bottom of the extinguisher cakes and becomes useless. The fire chief who was teaching that particular class said to take the old one outside and "practice" with it, so you will know what happens when you pull the pin and squeeze the handle.
If you have an emergency and you don't know how old the extinguisher is, you should bang it, REALLY HARD, on the floor or counter top before you pull the pin and start spraying at the base of the fire.
letscook
Head Chef
I was busy in the house and had eggs on to cook for a potatoe salad and all of sudden heard this noise and my eggs were exploding in the kitchen, Yup they stuck to the ceiling, walls, stove, floor and the smell OMG It was awfull,
I now turn the eggs on and don't leave the kitchen or I set a timer and carry it with me. The minute the eggs come to a full boil - I shut the heat off and put a cover on the pan and let them sit there till cool to the touch. Perfect cooked eggs and not accidents.
I now turn the eggs on and don't leave the kitchen or I set a timer and carry it with me. The minute the eggs come to a full boil - I shut the heat off and put a cover on the pan and let them sit there till cool to the touch. Perfect cooked eggs and not accidents.
marigeorge
Senior Cook
I think most of us have had close calls........glad that it was only smoke and no flame.
Glorie
Senior Cook
I'm glad you caught it in time!
Claire
Master Chef
Anyone who has cooked for many years has many similar stories to tell. I remember one that is second hand, that two of my younger sisters were in charge of dinner (I'd long since flown the nest). One sister panicked when the skillet flamed, and the younger (being at the time a pre-teen) ran into the kitchen and put out the fire immediately, while the elder panicked. Most of my life I've had a kitchen within sight of my entertaining areas. Now I live in an 1850s house, and I'm quite paranoid about stove safety. I wouldn't dream of having a gas stove, because I cannot imagine having a flame three rooms away. Oh, it doesn't really matter, because the gas company came and told me I cannot have gas in the back half of my hour without major expensive work on my gas lines anyway.
So, that will be a lesson learnt? perhaps?maybe?.
Check the cooker before jumping into the shower or, don`t leave the cooker on when taking a shower!
You were so lucky you didn`t burn the house down!
Archiduc
Constance
Master Chef
I put some eggs on to boil one time, and then forgot about them. They boiled dry and then exploded all over the ceiling.
My dad was quite aggravated, as he had to re-paint the ceiling.
Ooops!
My dad was quite aggravated, as he had to re-paint the ceiling.
Ooops!
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