Water and Oil

This past week I experienced first hand just how dangerous working in the kitchen can be. We've all heard the dangers of cooking and frying. In fact, many years before I was born, my great-grandmother died as a result of a kitchen fire that happened while she was canning applesauce.

We don't usually fry fish( after all, we're suppose to be dieting!!) Instead we broil, using the convection oven or we use the small portable grill we carry with us. While staying at the fairgrounds in Casa Grande, we only had 15 amps electrical hookup so using the convection oven wasn't an option. The outdoor grill wasn't set up and we were hungry and impatient so frying the fish on the stove was our method of choice.

I heated up a little olive oil in the skillet ( very little oil, only about 2 tablespoons...really!!) and began placing the defrosted fish fillets into it.
First fillet in, no problem. Second fillet in and a mixture of oil and water splashed up on my arm. And yes, I did pat the fish with paper towel before I put it in the skillet but apparently there was still some moisture left.

Well the blisters broke the next morning, and I've been faithful about putting antibiotic ointment on and keeping the area covered with the biggest bandaids John could find at Walgreens.
Trust me, you don't want to see what's under the bandaid!

I've been cooking for over 40 years and this is the first time I've had a serious burn in the kitchen. The truth is, it doesn't matter if you are preparing a meal in a large space or a very small space like we have here on the motor home. I learned a valuable lesson. Hot oil and water don't mix.