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lessons from gas stoves
Aug. 31st, 2005 07:55 amI grew up with an electric range, which meant I never understood what was so great about pilot lights or what Sylvia Plath thought she was going to accomplish. I also never understood why it was reiterated in so many kids' books that even touching the stove when it was off was a no-no on the level of trying to bathe a crotchety and undeclawed cat by oneself. After all, it wasn't hot unless it was turned on, and you could see the burners glowing (I was a tall kid) or the oven light on to warn you away. Simple logic.
So my first gas stove, in the apartment before this one, was a real eye-opener. No more storage of potholders in the unplugged electric skillet atop the turned-off range. No more ability to clean the entire stove top without watching 409 boil away before getting any use out of it. On the other hand, it was great for towel-free drying of cookie sheets and cake pans whose outside surfaces had rusted, and softening butter was a breeze. I've gotten more cocky as time has progressed, putting all sorts of stuff to dry on the stove top--metal, glass, ceramic, even some tough plastic put places there aren't pilot lights.
Well, I've gotten my come-uppance. Making pizza on Sunday night, with the oven at 450, I forgot that I had set my beloved white plastic mixing bowl at the back of the stove to dry. One cookie sheet knocked it back against the splashboard (or whatever you call the lip at the back of a stove that sometimes holds controls--ours doesn't), and I didn't bother to move it until quite a bit later. This morning, I noticed that one of the rubber grip rings around the bottom of the bowl had split. On further inspection, one side of the bowl bottom, rings included, was lightly charred. The split ring was actually split in two places and indented in a melty line, and there are hairline cracks in the bowl itself where the char is. Apparently the splash gets as hot as a pilot cover or worse; wish I'd known that before.
I'd keep using the bowl, but I'm more afraid of getting bacterial colonies in the cracks or toxins in the food than I am of losing a few grains of flour. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the manufacturer seems to have quit making mixing bowls, or at least bowls of this type. So for large mixing bowls, it's currently down to my huuuuge Tupperware, my glass bowl I'm afraid to break, and the metal bowl for the mixer. And if I want a replacement, I'm going to have to (gag) shop for it. Ah well. The glass one is at least big enough to use the new pastry blender with (it needs a lot of room). And Christmas, as my mom used to say this time of year, is coming. Though I think I may hurry it along a bit this time.
So my first gas stove, in the apartment before this one, was a real eye-opener. No more storage of potholders in the unplugged electric skillet atop the turned-off range. No more ability to clean the entire stove top without watching 409 boil away before getting any use out of it. On the other hand, it was great for towel-free drying of cookie sheets and cake pans whose outside surfaces had rusted, and softening butter was a breeze. I've gotten more cocky as time has progressed, putting all sorts of stuff to dry on the stove top--metal, glass, ceramic, even some tough plastic put places there aren't pilot lights.
Well, I've gotten my come-uppance. Making pizza on Sunday night, with the oven at 450, I forgot that I had set my beloved white plastic mixing bowl at the back of the stove to dry. One cookie sheet knocked it back against the splashboard (or whatever you call the lip at the back of a stove that sometimes holds controls--ours doesn't), and I didn't bother to move it until quite a bit later. This morning, I noticed that one of the rubber grip rings around the bottom of the bowl had split. On further inspection, one side of the bowl bottom, rings included, was lightly charred. The split ring was actually split in two places and indented in a melty line, and there are hairline cracks in the bowl itself where the char is. Apparently the splash gets as hot as a pilot cover or worse; wish I'd known that before.
I'd keep using the bowl, but I'm more afraid of getting bacterial colonies in the cracks or toxins in the food than I am of losing a few grains of flour. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the manufacturer seems to have quit making mixing bowls, or at least bowls of this type. So for large mixing bowls, it's currently down to my huuuuge Tupperware, my glass bowl I'm afraid to break, and the metal bowl for the mixer. And if I want a replacement, I'm going to have to (gag) shop for it. Ah well. The glass one is at least big enough to use the new pastry blender with (it needs a lot of room). And Christmas, as my mom used to say this time of year, is coming. Though I think I may hurry it along a bit this time.
