Having said that, I doubt that I need to post this, but I will anyway. Here is a list of don'ts when it comes to browning a piece of meat for pot roast.
- Don't add too much oil to the pan (a nice thin coating will do fine- a quarter of an inch is both unnecessary and dangerous).
- Don't use meat that is still partially frozen.
- Don't wear a tank top when cooking with hot oil.
- Don't use tongs to fight with a big piece of beef that is thoroughly stuck to the bottom of the pan (because you didn't follow the 2nd bit of advice from above).
Or you'll end up with this.
Both Jeff and I saw the large amount of oil (approximately 1/4 cup is my estimate) that jumped out of the pan onto the inside of my arm. Did you notice not only the circular-ish spots, but the nicely elongated splatters, as well?
I soaked this puppy in ice water (to which I'd added both lavender and tea tree oil) for at least half an hour. When I would take it out of the ice water to check on it, the burned spots were actually still warm. The ice cold water, lavender and tea tree oils have really helped with the burn, I think. I used to work in a professional kitchen and can't tell you how many times Melaleuca (the only way to get tea tree in the 90's) saved my arms.
It was starting to blister up last night, but looks much better today, no broken skin or anything. It just hurts when I bend my elbow, which considering it's my right arm, only occurs once every five minutes or so. I'm practicing being ambidextrous. You should have seen me trying to eat soup at lunchtime. And as I type this, I'm sitting about two feet back from the keyboard with my arms outstretched. I look like Frankenstein in typing class.
Oh, HONEY!
ReplyDeleteThat just SUCKS!
Did I ever tell you about the time I was taking a 450° pie crust shield off a blackberry pie and it stuck a little and as I gently tugged, it suddenly turned loose, slipped maliciously out of my pot holder-clad hands and flung up toward my face making a very neat, and obvious, blistering burn up my neck and chin?
Pretty.
Burns are the worst. Sounds like you're taking care of yours quite proficiently, though.
You mentioned working in a professional kitchen. What did you do?
Ouch for you too!
ReplyDeleteI baked cookies and muffins (and cut up cambros full of salad toppings) at Healthy Habits. I guess it counts as professional if I got paid for it, huh? Not like I have any chef experience or anything.
Although, I do have a friend that used to be a chef and he taught me to do that cool, flip thing when you've got stuff in a pan. Haven't tried it in awhile, doubt I will anytime soon. I'm a bit skittish around hot things for the time being.
Ouch! That looks worse than I thought.
ReplyDeleteYah, it's even more purple today. Still no peeling or blisters, though.
ReplyDeleteYikes, that doesn't look too good!
ReplyDeleteI think burns are one of the worst injuries to have. It's different than an ache or a sprain, it just seems to HUUUUUURT much worse and make me cry even more.
ReplyDeleteI hope your poor skin feels better soon!