Girl With Apron Update

Have I mentioned that I have a new fondness for cookin? Yes, I think I have. Many of you have helped me out with my cookin related questions. Have I mentioned I truly appreciate the kitchen advise? I think I have. But if not - thank you!

So, are you interested in an update?

In the past week I have:

• Waited  patiently for over an hour for roasted potatoes to become, well, roasted. Then realised that the oven was not on.
• Made a molasses and mustard marinade but forot to add the mustard.
• Tried to do the tooth pick test on a cake with the toothpick inside the oven mitt.
• Set off the smoke detector by addin oil to a pan that was on hih rather than medium heat.
• Burn my thumb while tryin to peel boiled potatoes. Why the heck can't they be peeled  before they boil?

Have I become discouraed? No. In fact tomorrow I will make brunch for Mr Wonderful. Wish him luck.

Now your turn. Please tell me somethin silly you have done  in the kitchen. I need to know that I am not the only one who  can lauh at their own kitchen mishaps.

Comments

[Cara]

Anytime I walk into a kitchen I do something silly. I used to cook but my husband felt sorry for me and took over the cooking. (this is a true story) I can bake but that's about it.

Also, Michele, as long as I've watched my Mom cook...she always peels her potatoes prior to boiling them. You just have to be careful not to over boil them. Stop burning your fingers and peel those potatoes prior to boiling!

[Mary]

Oh, that toothpick one takes the cake! ;)

I'm a pretty good cook, actually, and I do enjoy being in the kitchen. But sometimes I space out and things can get "interesting", if not dangerous.
Just last week I was making this lentil stew that my family affectionately calls "I'm Not Afraid Of Bean Soup" (long story), which calls for 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar to be added toward the end. I measured the vinegar into a glass pyrex measuring cup and set it aside to work on the accompanying salad we would be having. Well, as is my habit, I was sipping some Merlot while I was cooking dinner. (You see where this is going, yes?) My brain was elsewhere while I was cooking and I reached for the wrong glass and took a nice full sip of that deep reddish liquid that, alarmingly, was NOT wine.

I'm still hoping the enamel on my teeth will come back.

[Pearl]

Oh my! Just remember, Michele, to laugh though it and you'll enjoy it just the same. Everything is hard until it is easy. Is there a word limit speaking as someone who has actually burned water. (It was scorching the pan but close enough) I have turned microwave rewarmed rice into a black chime-a-glass with disk. I have turned on soup, smelled something cooking then burning, thought it was the neighbours until at somepoint it occured to me *I* was the one cooking and it was my pot that was warping. lol.

I have cooked baked potatoes in the microwave when they were all different sizes and the little ones burst and exploded, the medium ones were ok and the big one I forgot I was cookin g until I opened the microwave 4 or 5 days later and it was not looking so hot anymore in any sense. If search my blog for cookies you can see what my so called "macaroons" turned out like.

And last I'll mention, I tried to cook chocolate eclair chou pastry and a roast beef at the same time in the oven, causing the pastries to taste like gravy from being in the same space. Who knew you can't double up like that?

[Mommak]

That's tough as almost anything I do in the kitchen is funny. Once I made a casserole from a magazine article and found that I had enough ingredients to double it. So I did and gave the second casserole to a new friend of mine. When our family began eating dinner that evening, we all choked on the casserole. It was absolutely disgusting and tasted like cat food. I was so embarrassed. I called my friend and luckily they had not eaten yet. I begged her to please throw it out or feed it to her dog and apologized profusely. So I looked & felt like an idot.
BUT- I would have felt much worse if she & her family had actually tasted it. Moral of the story- never try out new recipes on the unsuspecting and if you do, make sure and taste it first!!

Enjoy your brunch:-)

[trine]

i think the reason to cook potatoes with the skin on is as that's where all the good stuff is... I tend to peel them first though, as if i care about being healthy! ;-)

I have once boiled potatoes without water which was quite disasterous, as well as oversalt thing (I do that all the time and it's dreadful!)

keep up the good work and keep us updated!
are you f ex having a nice sunday lunch tomorrow?

[Jennifer]

I have my share of kitchen stories, but I'm afraid none compete with your growing compilation. But remember this: it's all part of the adventure. Cooking is, for me, a creative outlet, a stress reliever, and a labor of love. All with the same outcome of a fully sated set of tastebuds and a full tummy.

Well worth it.

Although...if you can hire a chef...

[Arethusa]

Oh I've done that oven thing lots of times-"Areth, shouldn't that chicken be done yet?". I also did the oil thing but it was with bacon? The oil splash was amazing. I've also tried peeling onions with the wrong side of the knife, declaring that's dull, getting a weird look from my aunt and then noticing my error.

I've even had mishaps with the microwave and in spite of this all I really can cook a bit. Really! It's even edible!

[Jennifer]

P.S. If the oversalted thing happens to be in liquid (i.e. soups, stews, roasts, etc.), drop in a raw (peeled) potato. It will soak up all the salt and your dish will be nearly good as new.

P.S.S. If you tear a slice of white bread into pieces, it will keep all the cookies in your cookie jar fresh, soft and chewy. It's even been known to bring stale cookies back to life.

Just sayin'.

[Alessandra]

I love to cook but I'm always cutting myself - my husband always says that I'll kill myself one of these days by accident.

One night I was about to make cookies. I turned the oven on and put the baking sheet on top of my stove. Somehow between making the cookies and baking them I manage to put my hand on top of the cookie sheet and then I was IN PAIN! I had turned the wrong knob on! Instead of the oven, I turned on the cooktop.

Needless to say, my husband was upset with another one of my attempts to make myself part of the food pyramid.

[Mr. L]

My wife contributes this one: She pan-fried bacon & brussel sprouts, put the skillet in the oven at 500 degrees to finish cooking, then grabbed the unprotected handle to pull the pan out of the oven because...the handle is not usually hot when she uses the pan. OUCH! And she cooks ALL the time, so it can happen to anyone!

[lu]

Go, Michelle, go!

I once roasted a turkey with its 'bag o goodies' still tucked inside the cavity. Yum. Yum.

[Carrie]

I haven't done any daft for a looong time(mainly 'cos only eat one type of food: Potatoes!) but my partner, Chris set fire to some rice in the microwave yesterday. The microwave is stained a lovely shade of beige and it smells! Can't get rid of the stain or the smell so tips, anyone? I've tried neat bleach, water and lemon juice and kitchen cleaner with no success. :(

[franchini]

Where do I start with my kitchen disasters. My most recent was yesterday, when I let a pan of steaming broccoli dry out. The pan, steamer and the broccoli were all spoilt. We got a takeaway instead, as the broccoli was a big part of the meal. No disasters yet today, but the night is young and we haven't had dinner yet....

[cori]

I once was boiling eggs to make hard boiled eggs and forgot about them. Do you want to know what happens to boiled eggs when the water evaporates.? They EXPLODE. All over the kitchen and ceiling and everywhere.EGG in everything.Do you want to know what happens to egg when not completely cleaned in every crevis? Have you heard of Rotton EGG? Not good.I highly do not recommend it.I am simply saving you from yourself.

[Cara]

I just thought of something that I did recently that was really stupid. I was making my daughter Ramen noodles and decided to clean the top of my stove while the burner was on high. I was using a paper towel and all of a sudden it caught on fire. I was able to quickly put it out but how stupid am I to clean a stove top while a hot burner is on?? LOL

[bari]

Two weeks ago I dropped a brand new five pound bag of Uncle Ben's White Rice onto the floor. The plastic popped and I had dry rice all over the floor. It is amazing how far those little buggers will travel! I vacumed forever. I vacumed this morning too. I found more rice. Next time I go for the boxes.

[Raehan]

Great stories, Michele.

When I was around 10 years old I made a lemon meringue cake and didn't know what corn starch was. My mom had put this cob of corn in the refrigerater in a jar with water in it (don't ask, I know it seems an odd thing to do). Anyway, I thought that the water surrounding the corn was corn starch and I used about 2 dozen eggs trying to make a lemon mixture that was thick.

As for mistakes I've made recently. I can't think of anything like that but I must tell you I am not a great cook on a weekday, because my little ones' worst times of day are right at cooking time. I do burn things. I literally have a 27 pound weight clinging to my leg asking for attention. I don't know why that is. She is quite charming when it's not cooking time.

I honestly only enjoy cooking when I can do it in solitude and have a good three hours to do it.

[Kathy]

Cooked the turkey with all the bagged crap still inside of it. Yuck.

[maggie]

OY!

I was going to boil water for my kiddo's formula, at the same time I was going to fix a big ol' dinner for my dad and his girly-friend.

Why wasn't the water boiling? ...It was taking FOREVER! (here in colorado springs, it takes one minute for water to boil)

And why was my pot holder on fire?

Yeah - *note to self* make sure you turn on the correct burner when cooking on stovetop!

[Julie]

I consider myself to know a little bit about cooking (thanks to the Food Network!) However, this has not stopped me from making some boo boos.
One memorable one is my forey into two layered cakes. I should stick to one layer. It ended up looking horrible. And, as a plus, I had it in the oven to "store it" and instead forgot it was in there. It was a tad bit smoked when I inadvertently pre-heated the oven the next day to make dinner. oops.
I love my mom and she has had some oopsies too. Ever try making pumpkin pie without the canned pumpkin??

[zee]

It's almost too embarassing...

I was going to make some french fries (this is about 10 years ago, I no longer eat fried foods), and I put my finger in the oil to see if it was hot enough. :o(

[Dawn (webmiztris)]

omg, I think Zee takes the cake!!

[Zoots Mom]

Well, if you're trying to mix liquid and flour to make gravey? Don't put it in a Tupperware container and shake it like hell, especially if its warm...Ceiling, cabinets, top of stove...oh yeah, and my Thanksgiving guest was, my sister in law who....was a nun, was the adminstrator of the hospital my hubby and I worked in and fortunately understanding...but what a god awful mess...

[Jugglernaut]

I broke the tip of my spatula off in the biscuit batter and didn't notice, or find it, until AFTER the biscuits came out of the oven. Fortunately, I saw the chunk rather than biting into it.

[J&J's Mom]

My son decided to make his brother's oatmeal one morning...in the microwave for 10 minutes ...without water!!

I tried to take a cookie sheet out of the oven without my oven mitt..ouch.

[Amber]

For posterity, I put mine on my own site.

[Mamacita]

My husband loves dark rye bread. He also loves French toast. A few days after we were married, I thought I would merge his two loves and make French toast with dark rye bread. I tell you this story so you will not go and do likewise.

[Lucy Jane]

I once lost my mind and made a pepperoni omelette. I was sooo Ill afterwards, I can't really eat eggs anymore. The pepperoni was dipped in tabasco, wayyy too much grease.

[Sharn]

Um. I set my mother's kitchen on fire.

I forgot about the oil I'd put in the pan and then someone decided to call me, so I went off on the phone and yabbered, next thing I know there was a "whoomp", a huge big flame that put a black mark on the ceiling and the curtins caught on fire.

Note to self: don't answer phone whilst trying to cook.

[JohnH985]

Hi,
I came across your site while hopping from one site to another. Another book addict! I love reading! When people come to my home they always look at the walls and walls of books and say "Wow, a lot of books" and ask "Have you read all of them?" I like your site, the design is very good. Feel free to check mine out.

John

[JohnH985]

Ooops, forgot to list my site...it's
altjirangamitijina.blogspot.com

I'm fairly new to all this and just getting into it.

John

[blaze]

'I Hate Clowns'! was spoken with such a profoundity that the effect still lingers on around the whole planet.

Who said that, methinking.

[blaze]

No Wonder! our globe looks blue-n-GREEN from a distance.

[maryse]

i almost blew up my brother's apartment.

[Marie]

Oh, it happens... :-)

I've set up dinner in the crock pot, all proud of myself that dinner would be ready at such and such a time... only to realize 2 hours later that I never plugged the damn thing in!

And then there was the time I made my sister a birthday cake in our college dorm kitchen. The kitchen was poorly lit, and I was wearing only 1 contact lens... and I guess I had trouble reading the measuring cups, cuz the cake came out flat as a pancake! Oh, and it was a box cake. Took some effort to screw that up!

[Phil]

If you read my "100 things about me", you'll see that I have burned to blister EVERY finger on each hand at least twice. About half of those incidents were kitchen related. Having a large dog that likes to hang out in the kitchen "just in case" something drops usually results in some entertaining kitchen disasters as well. Accidentally leaving drip pan (with drippings) in an oven during the self-cleaning process should be avoided at all costs.

[Bakerina]

When I was eight years old, I had the brilliant idea to make pralines from the recipe in the Nancy Drew Cookbook, without my parents' knowledge or permission. I didn't know how to test for the soft-ball stage in sugar cookery, and didn't understand that you really need a candy thermometer if you want to guarantee that the sugar is cooked to temperature. I took a few tries at the soft-ball test, then gave up and decided that it looked cooked enough (no, I had no idea what "cooked enough" looked like). I spread waxed paper over every available flat surface, kitchen table, countertops, etc., dropped the mixture onto the paper in little praline-y blobs, and then went off to do something else. My mom came home from the grocery store to the sight of cooked sugar syrup dripping off the edge of, well, everything, and pooling in the crevices between the wood planks that made up our kitchen floor. Needless to say, she was not impressed. :)

I still think that Mamacita's story of making French toast with dark rye is one of the funniest things I will ever hear in my life. Mamacita, I understand. :)

[Raehan]

Michele, how did brunch go?

And I forgot to tell you this one. On Rachel's first birthday party I made a homemade cake with homemade banana frosting. The problem was, banana frosting made from fresh bananas tastes pretty good bu doesn't look all that great. Rachel's eight year old cousin took one look at the cake and said, "I refuse the cake. I refuse the cake."

I don't make her birthday cakes anymore. And I certainly hope she has better manners than that a eight.

It did taste good, though. She was one. She liked it.

[dzeni]

I loved reading all your cooking mishaps! So funny. I tried the rye bread french toast thing recently when we ran out of our usual "Multigrain" bread. How can I put this ... Ewww!

I also manage to peel myself on a regular basis when attempting to peel potatoes. On the plus side, I can make a really good chocolate cake (see my December 2004 archive if you want the recipe).

[Lizzie]

Alas, but there is so much to tell! But, I guess I can start with what happened just a few minutes ago. I started to slowly heat some yummy split pea soup I made from Easter left overs and forgot about it, until I started to smell something funky.

"AH, MY SOUP!"

Yep, not only did I burn the soup, but I ruined the stupid pot!

"I'll heat it up in the microwave this time!"

BEEP.

Yum!

I took a huge spoonful and spat it straight across the kitchen table and onto the dining room floor.

The freakin' soup was spoiled sour!

Thus, is a day in my rockstar life ;o)

[emily]

I love to cook and am actually pretty good at it.However,I have had my share of mishaps.I have taken a casserole from the oven,set it on top of the stove...on a burner that I had failed to turn off.Sweet potato souffle went flying all over my kitchen.And glass.It was a mess!

[Deb]

Well, it wasn't me (honest) but my friend was tossing pasta with olive oil and mistakenly used dishwashing soap instead (it was in a similar unmarked bottle). As we were tossing, we were wondering why the pasta was getting bubbles...