Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 1)

[andiesenji]

One of the reasons you are instructed, in basic kitchen lore, to never pour water into a pan of hot grease is that it forms steam which carries the fat particles into the air surrounding the pan and if you have an open flame WOOSH - you have a fireball.

People have been severely burned, inhaled burning vapor and died from the effects, so this is not something you want to do.

I saw this happen at an outdoor food event at Universal Studios (before Universal Citywalk was built) quite a few years ago and the young chef who was the victim lost his eyebrows and eyelashes and the front of his hair and his voice was permanently changed because of damage to the larynx. He was treated at the Grossman burn center and a friend of mine was one of the nurses there.

Edited February 26, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[Shalmanese]

My guess is that first of all, the fat was hotter this time than the previous times and that also you sprayed the lemon juice directly into the pan in a wide area this time instead of mostly onto the pork chop.

It also depends on the position of the pan being just a tiny bit off the flame.

[hathor]

Andiesenji and Shalmanese, thank you. What you are saying makes sense. I wanted to run this by some more knowledgeable people than myself because I really don't want to do it again. It was impressive and scary. Thank you.

[fifi]

Andiesenji and Shalmanese, thank you. What you are saying makes sense.  I wanted to run this by some more knowledgeable people than myself because I really don't want to do it again. It was impressive and scary. Thank you.

←

I think what you experienced is not very different from many disasters. What you have done many times in the past without problem suddenly blows up in your face, literally. It is usually the coming together of multiple details: the pan was a little off center, more of the juice went into the grease, the temperature was a bit higher . . . you get my drift. Be safe out there.

[NulloModo]

I cant fry to save my soul. Tonight i was trying (main word- trying) to make some crab cakes in peanut oil, as it was the only frying oil i had left. The things fell apart and the only thing i have left to show is a nice burnmark on my hand (and a little one on my eyelid- ouch.) Did i use too much/not enough breadcrumbs, egg, meat, or what? It was really wet at first and wouldnt hold at all while frying. So, i added more crumbs. Still nothing- just edges that burned amazingly fast. So, I turned the heat even higher (which is when i landed on normandy by the looks of it) and still they fell apart. What the hell is going on?

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I agree with busboy here, breadcrumbs in crab cakes are the devil, a couple eggs will do much better and leave you with a purer crabby taste. Also, you have to lay then very gently into the hot fat, and then not move them/shuffle them/flip them/touch them until they are ready to be turned. Once they have cooked enough on one side they shoudl be firm enough to flip, and then, don't touch them again till you remove them from the pan and put onto the paper towels to drain.

It is similar to cooking a good burger, you want the heat to form a crust and hold it all together, the more you play with it, the worse your results will be.

[origamicrane]

there's a curry cook off going on at the moment and i want to know how long should you roast your spices? ie: fennel , cumin etc.

to they change colour? till there's aroma/smoke?

[misstenacity]

I am embarrassed to ask this, since the temptation is to suck it up, etc.

How do you know if you need stitches for your partially-severed fingertip?

I went about 1/4" this time, not fully detached. But it was last night already (I put on antiseptic and bandaged it but didn't scrub it out) and probably now I just need a good glop of something to prevent an infection and some tight closures.

Comments?

Andrea.... who needs to sharpen her damn knives.

http://tenacity.net

[Smithy]

there's a curry cook off going on at the moment and i want to know how long should you roast your spices? ie: fennel , cumin etc.

to they change colour? till there's aroma/smoke?

←

I think you should ask that question over on the Lamb Curry, eGullet Recipe Cookoff IV thread in question. Folks over there should know.

Besides, if you post your question there, I won't have to.

edited for punctuation

Edited March 3, 2005 by Smithy (log)

[Patrick S]

I am embarrassed to ask this, since the temptation is to suck it up, etc.

How do you know if you need stitches for your partially-severed fingertip?

I went about 1/4" this time, not fully detached.  But it was last night already (I put on antiseptic and bandaged it but didn't scrub it out) and probably now I just need a good glop of something to prevent an infection and some tight closures.

Comments?   

Andrea.... who needs to sharpen her damn knives.

http://tenacity.net

←

I highly recommend liquid bandage. It protects against infection very well, is a perfectly fine substitute for sutures in most cases, prevents the wound from being pulled open again while its is healing, and is available OTC. You can even do the dishes with no problem. Clean and dry the wound. You'll have to reapply every few days. I wouldnt be concerned unless you see signs of a serious infection.

[andiesenji]

I use the paper surgical tape and tape the wound closed with a lot of tension on the tape.

You can then put a bandage over it but the tape will act just like a suture.

Change the covering bandage but leave the tape in place for at least 24 hours, 36 if you can keep it clean and dry.

You will have less scarring than you get with stitches.

I once cut across the top of my thumb with a mat knife, exposing the extensor tendons.

I taped it closed, covered it loosly with a sterile gauze 4 x 4 and had my boss look at it the following day. He simply applied more tape and said it should heal fine and not need suturing. The scar is virtually invisible, only a faint line.

[Patrick S]

Pedant's corner: whilst steam is the same temperature as water, it has more thermal energy. The additional energy is the "heat of vapourisation" - the energy that was required to transform water is at 100C into steam. The heat of vapourisation is then released as heat when steam hits an object and condenses back to water.  This is why steam will burn you more severely than water; I assume it also affects cooking although I couldn't say how.

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Will steam being emitted from a pot of boiling water really burn you more severely that sticking your hand into that water? That doesn't seem correct to me. I agree that since steam is capable of being heated above 100C, it can burn you more severely in that case.

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Under the right circumstances, you can also heat water above 100C at normal pressure without it boiling. You can demonstrate this phenomenon in your microwave with a clean pyrex glass and some water. Check out the exploding water section of the Unwise Microwave Experiments site.

[Mallet]

Given the SAME amount of boiling water and steam, you will be burned more my the steam (as mentionned before, steam gives off some heat to change state into water, and then some more because it's now really hot water). However, dunking your hand in a giant pot of boiling water exposes you to a LOT more H20 than steam coming off the top, which is why in regular kitchen situations steam doesn't burn as much.

[Patrick S]

Right, and this is also why boiling water will cook anything much faster than steam will.

[Fernwood]

I am embarrassed to ask this, since the temptation is to suck it up, etc.

How do you know if you need stitches for your partially-severed fingertip?

I went about 1/4" this time, not fully detached.  But it was last night already (I put on antiseptic and bandaged it but didn't scrub it out) and probably now I just need a good glop of something to prevent an infection and some tight closures.

Comments?   

Andrea.... who needs to sharpen her damn knives.

http://tenacity.net

←

I think Patrick's and Andie's suggestions are probably on target at this point. It's rather late to think about sutures but, have you had a tetanus booster in the last 5 years or so? When I sliced the tip clean off my pinky a few months ago I put on a bulky pressure dressing as best I could and went back to the stove (dinner party at home). The next day I realized I didn't know just what to do next. Luckily I ran into an orthopedic surgeon friend who gave me advice about how to change the dressing after 48 hrs. (The first change may not be as big a deal for you but I had the gauze dressing firmly embedded in raw flesh at this point and getting it off was almost worse than the original event.) Anyway, after the practical advice he told me that fingertip injuries where the open wound is <1 square centimeter generally do just as well with first aid as they do with sutures at the big medical center, so I felt justified in finishing the short ribs, etc., that night, even though I had to do it with my left hand over my head much of the time to control first the bleeding and then the throbbing.

My finger looks almost normal now, just a smidge shorter than its opposite number.

So you probably did the most reasonable thing. Get yourself a tube of antibiotic ointment and keep the rest for next time. You don't have to scrub a wound like that, just rinse it out well. But do think about the tetanus shot!

Good luck, Fern

[shoutsandmurmurs]

so glad i found this thread. absurdly stupidly simple cooking (or cooking-related) questions are my forte.

numero uno: so i just bought this beautiful nine piece all-clad nonstick cookware set. it's so gorgeous, i don't want to mess anything up. i want it to stay as pristine as possible.

only i bought the set from an outlet, so it didn't come boxed or with warranty or care information. i've registered online for the warranty part, but my question is this (brevity is obviously NOT my forte):

what exactly is harmful to the nonstick surface? i grew up with an anal retentive mother who would never let me use anything except rubber spatulas (or similar items) on her nonstick pans. she would probably have died if i busted out a whisk.

is she right? what am i supposed to do when i need to whisk something?

i feel like such a dunce!

[winesonoma]

so glad i found this thread.  absurdly stupidly simple cooking (or cooking-related) questions are my forte.

numero uno:  so i just bought this beautiful nine piece all-clad nonstick cookware set.  it's so gorgeous, i don't want to mess anything up.  i want it to stay as pristine as possible.

only i bought the set from an outlet, so it didn't come boxed or with warranty or care information.  i've registered online for the warranty part, but my question is this (brevity is obviously NOT my forte):

what exactly is harmful to the nonstick surface?  i grew up with an anal retentive mother who would never let me use anything except rubber spatulas (or similar items) on her nonstick pans.  she would probably have died if i busted out a whisk.

is she right?  what am i supposed to do when i need to whisk something?

i feel like such a dunce! 

←

Silicone coated whisk. Duh? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-h...3089980-1518240

Edited March 8, 2005 by winesonoma (log)

[Smithy]

so glad i found this thread.  absurdly stupidly simple cooking (or cooking-related) questions are my forte.

numero uno:  so i just bought this beautiful nine piece all-clad nonstick cookware set.  it's so gorgeous, i don't want to mess anything up.  i want it to stay as pristine as possible.

only i bought the set from an outlet, so it didn't come boxed or with warranty or care information.  i've registered online for the warranty part, but my question is this (brevity is obviously NOT my forte):

what exactly is harmful to the nonstick surface?  i grew up with an anal retentive mother who would never let me use anything except rubber spatulas (or similar items) on her nonstick pans.  she would probably have died if i busted out a whisk.

is she right?  what am i supposed to do when i need to whisk something?

i feel like such a dunce! 

←

Well, as winesonoma points out, there are silicone-coated (or otherwise plasticized whisks) available. The more general answer to your question, I think, comes from All-Clad's web site , which unfortunately doesn't say what-all you CAN use, but explicitly states that using metal utensils on your non-stick surface will void the warranty. I don't have much non-stick cookware (and none of it's high end like yours) but I'm almost to the point of using wooden utensils even on my metal-interior pans, just so they don't get scratched. Talk about fussy! I know what you mean about wanting to keep it looking nice!

[jerkhouse]

In responding to this, please remember the name of the thread - the questions are supposed to be stupid. Are you supposed to eat the rind on Brie?

[hathor]

Dear Jerkhouse: depends on how hungry you are. Certainly won't kill you. Some people like it, some don't. 'Course some people eat fish skin too.....

[fifi]

Oh good. I guess that means I am not too weird for not liking the rind on brie. I really really really don't like fish skin, either.

[Marlene]

Oh good. I guess that means I am not too weird for not liking the rind on brie. I really really really don't like fish skin, either.

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I personally cannot stand the rind on brie either fifi. I always eat around it.

[NimaCooks]

Here's a question: We've had a wooden cutting board for several years now (more than 5). Over the years, the cutting surface has gotten fairly beat up, but I've been pretty good about washing it and keeping it clean. I'm thinking about taking a Hi pressure washer to it to try to get into the wood and clean it. I'm wondering, is there a rule of thumb for how long you should keep a wooden cutting board?

[winesonoma]

Here's a question: We've had a wooden cutting board for several years now (more than 5). Over the years, the cutting surface has gotten fairly beat up, but I've been pretty good about washing it and keeping it clean. I'm thinking about taking a Hi pressure washer to it to try to get into the wood and clean it. I'm wondering, is there a rule of thumb for how long you should keep a wooden cutting board?

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Is it end or edge grain? Do not pressure wash it or it will be ruined. Sanding or scraping are all I ever do.

[misstenacity]

Thank you for the responses. The finger follow-up was a trip to a clinic the next day to have it "looked at" and then after a loooooong and painful bandage-removing session the doc said it looked fine and asked when my last tetanus shot was.

He said the flap might fall off eventually, but overall it was fine and just to call him if I got the red streaks going up my hand. Yeah, I'm sure blood poisoning would be fun!

And for the record, I love cheese rinds and fish skin.

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

[jerkhouse]

thanks for the replies. I like fish skin, so next time I get some brie, I'll try out the rind. I hope I like it because it would sure make eating it a lot easier; I usually leave about half the cheese attached to the rind because I would even avoid the cheese that was close to it - I have no idea why I was so spooked by it; I'm not generally a picky eater.