Have you guys ever seen the movie Final Destination? They even made a sequel. The idea is that you can’t escape Death, but once in a while people do. So he starts going after you because your number is up. Then you die in seemingly benign (as in not murder) ways usually as a result of a chain of events. Maybe a drippy faucet wets the floor then a lamp drops and charges the water, electrocuting you.
Yesterday, I was cooking dinner. I has a piece of salmon in the oven with some simple oil oil, sea salt, cracked black pepper, and truffle oil. It was under the boiler. I also has a pot of water boiling to cook spaghetti. I was planning on putting pesto on top of it. Oh yeah, and a citrus butter spread on top of the salmon after it came out of the oven. So, I had the timing down just right. The fish and pasta would finish at the same time.
While I was waiting for the pasta to finish, I washed a wok I used the night before for stir fry. I put it on the dish rack to dry. It sat there precariously because of it’s shape and size of the rack. The timer went off and I got two oven pads and moved the boiling pot over to the sink to drain the pasta. Mid body rotation, the wok decides to fall off the rack. Not wanting this to happen. I lunge out to catch it. One problem. Both hands were pre-occupied, holding about 3 litres of boiling water and spaghetti. Result, pasta all over the floor and my entire right arm drenched with boiling water.
First thought: “Damnit, that just completely messed up my timing.” As you all know, fish is a tricky thing to cook. You leave it in too long and it gets rubbery, dry, and starts sticking to the foil. Now I was in a pickle. It takes at least 5 minutes to get a fresh pot of water boiling. Another 8 minutes for spaghetti to cook (al dente). I let the fish finish cooking and then I turned down the heat to 170 to keep it warm. Then I set out to clean up the mess I made. There was spaghetti everywhere.
Then it started. The burn. Oh yeah, I burned myself. Great. So off to google. How do I deal with burns? According to an Australian fire department’s website, I should run it under cold water for 10-15 minutes. Do you know how long that is? That’s an eternity and that’s a lot of wasted water. So I comprimised – 2 minutes. Then, I finished cooking my meal and ate it.
The rest of the night I just waited for the slightest hint that I might have graduated from First Degree Burn School to Second. Waiting for those lovely little signs that I might need to use my insurance card for the first time in 2 years. For those little blisters to start appearing…
Appear they did not. Score!
Both hands were pre-occupied, holding about 3 litres of boiling water and spaghetti.
Heh. An American using metric system. I love it.
Next time you cook like this, you know the Zombieslayer’s number, right?
Haha, the first (and only) time you came to my house, *you* cooked for me. What a way to make a first impression. You get a pass for life.
ok, your first problem is that you eat fish. sick. your second problem is you don’t use your insurance card.
Poor Vo! Sad, sad story. The way you intro-ed things, I thought you may not be able to finish telling your tale. Thanks for not dying! You know Nate and I are pros at 2nd degree burns from climbing Mt. Shasta. You should have called, I’ve got about a handfull of things that would have helped to soothe you.
I only need two things to give me a “hand”. Notably two hands!