That’s Hot! Warning: This Post Contains Photos That Are Not For The Squeamish

In the words of Paris Hilton….that’s hot! My arm is what’s hot, now that it’s been deep-fried. We had a slight cooking catastrophe at our house last night and I wound up with 1st and 2nd degree burns on my right arm. I’m okay. I’ve not gone to a doctor, but I might go to an urgent care clinic near work tomorrow if the blistered area looks any worse.

Last night, Sarah and I were frying churros for her Spanish class project that was today. The first batch went fine. The oil was about 20˚ below what it called for. I was using a thermometer to keep close watch of things. When we went to put the 2nd batch in, they cooked for a little while then suddenly - BOOM - one exploded all over the place, sending 350+˚ oil into the air, onto the stove and the ceiling and the floor. My first instinct was to step backwards, as the oil caught fire when it hit the burner. Unfortunately, this also meant I stepped into a puddle of grease on the floor and fell smack dab on my bottom. I managed to get up, and Brad had already lept to his feet with the swiftness of a super-hero. He was in the kitchen immediately, grabbed the fire extinguisher from next to the kitchen sink (mounted on a cabinet) and began spraying the stove, where the oil and remaining churros were still exploding and catching fire. When it finally died down, he was able to turn off the burner, the controls of which are “ingeniously” placed on the back of the stove, where one has to reach across the flaming pot to turn off the heat.

Brad wouldn’t let me help much, even though I wanted to and kept trying to sneak in to help anyway. He and Ashley cleaned up the entire countertop and stove area. Everything that had been on the counter top had to be washed. The cabinet doors had to be washed, the stove pulled out and mopped under and behind, the walls wiped down, the ceiling had to be de-churroed and the floor was mopped twice - all by Brad and Ashley. I did a little wiping down. Our 6-month-old $80 toaster was trashed, because dust from the extinguisher was in every nook and cranny. (That’ll teach me to buy an expensive toaster, huh?) There was also a pile of cooking magazines, most as-of-yet-unread, and recipes untried, on the microwave that I didn’t even mess with, just tossed them. Minor loss. No heartaches there.

Needless to say, Sarah did not take churros for her project. Her teacher was very understanding and excused that portion for her. She did get a small burn on her arm, but thankfully, I took most of the injuries. I would feel so much worse if it had been she who was hurt. I had Ashley take pictures for me. The blister on my elbow just started this morning and has ballooned up over the course of the day. If it doesn’t look better, or looks worse tomorrow, I’ll be heading over to an urgent care near work. Thankfully it doesn’t hurt really. That concerns Brad a little as he thinks I’ve probably got some tissue damage. Stay tuned for photos.

I don’t know how I’d have gotten out of this in such good shape and such a clean kitchen without my personal super-hero. Brad was wonderful and I know cleaning up all the extinguisher dust-covered oil goop was no fun. He said, I guess it’s spring cleaning just a little late. I told him this evening it wasn’t really an accident, I just wanted someone else to clean the kitchen for me. Seriously though, he never complained last night even though I know his back and knees were killing him, he was hot and sweaty and exhausted by the time we all went to bed at almost midnight. I love you Brad - thank you.

You can get more of the story, with more bits I probably left out, at Brad’s blog. He tells a much better story than I do.

In the meantime - let this be a reminder. Do you have WORKING smoke detectors in your home? Are the batteries fresh? Do you have a kitchen fire extinguisher in a handy, easy to reach place? Do you know how to use it? Is it still good? Go check these things immediately!! If we hadn’t had the extinguisher handy, we would have had a much more dangerous situation on our hands. Check with your local fire department if you need help - they are more than happy to help keep you safe.

And now, if you’re squeamish, look away. If you’re a medical trauma fan (like my favorite mother-in-law - hi Judy!) here’s your chance at some good icky photos (all photos were taken by our new resident photographer, Ashley):