[firepatrolchef]

Ok kiddies...the clocks being turned back has come and gone...did
everyone change their smoke detector batteries? And give those lil
suckers a good vacuuming..if the smoke particles cant get IN they
cant set the thing OFF. Test em too!

OK....safety as it pertains to cooking. I know Im gonna catch some
input on this due to my employment background but Ill do it anyway.

If youre gonna do something like boil a mixture of such things as
Grand Marnier and OJ as a poaching medium for pears....for GOD sake
(not to mention that of your kitchen) do it VERY gently over a low
flame and keep the **** pot covered!!!

Point in case....

Yesterday afternoon I was doing just that....cept the thing was
uncovered (I was trying also to cook the alcohol off) and since I
was in a hurry....on a full blast flame. WELL, couple minutes into
the boil....I hear VOOM! and before my startled eyes is a little
volcano that used to be just a pot of Grand Marnier and OJ. I kid
you not when I say the flame was a good 8 inches high, and boiling
fire was erupting over the sides of the pot, all over the stovetop,
and down into the burner openings...and its NOT like I was standing
there going oooooh SH*T!!!!....I mean I moved real fast to
extinguish the pot (a simple hard blow on it did it) and luckily the
stuff on the stove burned itself out in a second or two.

As best I can figure...either the vapors are heavy enough to roll
over and down the side of the pot...or started misting when they
boiled and hit the flame. I dont think it boiled over...but in the
brief time I turned my back I guess it couldve.

So lets all add a dry chemical fire extinguisher for the kitchen to
thelist of what we want for Xmas this year.

By the way the stuff in the pot was just fine....I cleaned the stove
up and resumed cooking.....made a sweet cornbread that I cut up into
small cubes as a bed for the poached bartletts....toasted it a
bit...and the poaching mix (grande marnier, peach schnapps a bit
too, OJ, vanilla, cinnamon basil finished with soy margarine) made a
nice sauce.

Now, someome I discussed it with said a) the acid in the OJ
contributed to the flaming and b) adding a little water will prevent
it from flaming....never heard that before...input?

Anyway...the dessert mustve known it was being prepared for a friend
whos a burlesque performer. Cuz it came in with one **** of a
fluorish! And since its a once in a lifetime dessert....I cant
drink anymore so I have no more alcohol in the house....I proudly
present...for one night and one only...PEARS AMBER!

And with that...Im thankful I still have my eyebrows...and my
kitchen.
Ill take this opportunity to wish you all a great Thanksgiving.

[phatch]

My opinion? With the rolling boil, you basically created an alcohol carburetor. And with the high heat, lots of heat licks around the sides of medium and small cookware. You reached ignition of the alcohol/O2 mix and it followed the alchohol vapor trail back into the pot.

Phil