Joe had to be away this evening until late, so I decided to make use of the time by cooking.
I started out by mixing up a batch of Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes. These are one of my favorite pancake recipes and since I haven't had them for several months, I was excited to make them. I was also looking forward to using the griddle which my parents gave to me as a wedding gift. It's a really spiffy digital one -- and I just assumed the pancakes would cook at 425 degrees. That's the temperature they always cook at, right? (This was the first time I was using it for pancakes.) I dropped the batter onto the griddle and listened to it sizzle.
While those were cooking, I began peeling apples to make Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce. We had 3 apples that have been in our refrigerator for almost a month. Up until now, I just haven't taken the time to use them in cooking (they aren't the kind you eat by themselves!), but tonight was the perfect opportunity.
I was halfway through the second apple when I smelled something burning. Not cluing in to the smell, I just finished peeling the apple. But then I realized that the smell was getting really strong. Ahhh...my pancakes.
Quickly I grabbed my spatula and flipped the first one. Burnt. Usually, if the first one is burned, that means the last one isn't too bad. But as I flipped them one by one, I realized that they were all burnt. Every. Single. One. Black and crisp.
Of course, since there's only two of us, I had cut the recipe in half which meant that the eight that were burned were well over half the pancake batter. Oh well. You learn by mistake, right? I immediately turned the griddle down to 300 degrees and resumed peeling apples.
Gratefully, the last few pancakes turned out okay. Probably because I was closely monitoring them this time.
By now, the apples were on the stove cooking and I was looking for something to eat for dinner. Burritos sounded good and I thought it would be fantastic to "grill" one on my griddle. I left a burrito on the griddle for a good 15 minutes while I consumed a salad. When it felt hot and crispy, I took it off and began to chow down. But it only took a few bites for me to realize that it was majorly undercooked. The cheese wasn't even melted. The beans were cold. But the outside was crispy. So I peeled off the outside layer and ate that, throwing the rest away.
Suddenly, a very familiar burnt smell reached my nose. The apples! But apples don't burn, right? Or do they?
I lifted the lid of the pot to discover black apples. Yes, black. I learn something new every day.
I started out by mixing up a batch of Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes. These are one of my favorite pancake recipes and since I haven't had them for several months, I was excited to make them. I was also looking forward to using the griddle which my parents gave to me as a wedding gift. It's a really spiffy digital one -- and I just assumed the pancakes would cook at 425 degrees. That's the temperature they always cook at, right? (This was the first time I was using it for pancakes.) I dropped the batter onto the griddle and listened to it sizzle.
While those were cooking, I began peeling apples to make Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce. We had 3 apples that have been in our refrigerator for almost a month. Up until now, I just haven't taken the time to use them in cooking (they aren't the kind you eat by themselves!), but tonight was the perfect opportunity.
I was halfway through the second apple when I smelled something burning. Not cluing in to the smell, I just finished peeling the apple. But then I realized that the smell was getting really strong. Ahhh...my pancakes.
Quickly I grabbed my spatula and flipped the first one. Burnt. Usually, if the first one is burned, that means the last one isn't too bad. But as I flipped them one by one, I realized that they were all burnt. Every. Single. One. Black and crisp.
Of course, since there's only two of us, I had cut the recipe in half which meant that the eight that were burned were well over half the pancake batter. Oh well. You learn by mistake, right? I immediately turned the griddle down to 300 degrees and resumed peeling apples.
Gratefully, the last few pancakes turned out okay. Probably because I was closely monitoring them this time.By now, the apples were on the stove cooking and I was looking for something to eat for dinner. Burritos sounded good and I thought it would be fantastic to "grill" one on my griddle. I left a burrito on the griddle for a good 15 minutes while I consumed a salad. When it felt hot and crispy, I took it off and began to chow down. But it only took a few bites for me to realize that it was majorly undercooked. The cheese wasn't even melted. The beans were cold. But the outside was crispy. So I peeled off the outside layer and ate that, throwing the rest away.
Suddenly, a very familiar burnt smell reached my nose. The apples! But apples don't burn, right? Or do they?
I lifted the lid of the pot to discover black apples. Yes, black. I learn something new every day.
Needless to say, right then and there I gave up on any other cooking plans I had for tonight.
Oh! Kitchen disasters! Believe me, I have them too!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read the "Kitchen Disasters" section in cooking magazines? Some of the stories in there make my worst disasters seem like nothing!!
~Hannah
This brought to mind my mom's first kitchen story:
ReplyDeleteShe was a newlywed and decided to get up and make my dad breakfast - and of course, you need toast (the toaster was a wedding gift) she put the toast in and went about getting the plates ready and smelled the "burning smell" and soon, the fire alarms were going off - no one told her you had to set the toast to the desired darkness (hey, at home all you ever had to do was pop in a piece, right?!)
Aww, I'm sorry. Burning food is always disappointing. I can never seem to get the right timing and/or temperature when cooking pancakes. I guess it's just one of those things I have to keep trying at til I hopefully get it!
ReplyDeleteSome days are just like that. It's helpful that you have a good sense of humor about it all. Don't worry, you're young and there are many more disasters to come. In the end, it makes for good blog fodder, right?
ReplyDelete