One of the most important kitchen tips I can share is why it is extremely important to check your oven BEFORE preheating!
So there are certain rules we have to follow when it comes to cooking and baking:
- Make sure you have all of the ingredients before starting a recipe
- Make sure the heat/flame is on when you cook/bake
- Make sure you use safety guidelines
- Last, make sure when you check your oven BEFORE you turn it on!
Trust me that last one I learned the HARD WAY this past weekend. Yes, even yours truly “fubar’d” this one. My Kitchen Aid mixer bowl that is almost 21 years old got the short end of the stick on this one (I’m sorry!)
Last Sunday, Mr. Fantabulous wanted soft pretzels and I wanted to make an Italian Wedgie for lunch. I made the pretzel dough, put it in a bowl and cover it with the shower cap. Normally I’d use my bread proofer from Brod & Taylor but it’s in the backroom and I can’t get to it as Mr. Fantabulous is putting flooring down in front of the doorway.
Then I whip up a 1/2 batch of my pizza dough, oil the bowl I mixed it in and put the dough back in that. I topped it off with a shower cap and put both bowls in the oven (light on) to rise.An hour or so later the pretzel dough is ready to roll out. I pull it out, turn on the oven to 450F and go about making my pretzels.They are shaped, boiled and ready to go into the oven…
I open the door and go to put the pan in and hear/feel “CLINK!” (know where this is going?) <ugh….>
Yep.. I preheated the oven with my pizza dough bowl (that was covered in plastic!!!) in it. Needless to say, the dough is ruined, the plastic melted into the and all over my stand mixer mixing bowl. I freaked out. This bowl was my first ‘big girl’ kitchen purchase when I bought my first house. I tried soaking it hot soapy water now but that didn’t work. I tried freezing it and that failed. I then thought about buying a replacement bowl but a new bowl is like $60 which, at that point, I may just consider getting a new mixer.
Mr. Fantabulous could see how devastated I was but he kept saying it was fixable. I couldn’t bring myself to take pictures as I was so sad. Well Monday during the day I was busy so that night, when I walked out to the kitchen there sat my bowl looking honestly, better than the day I bought it. Mr. Fantabulous at there beaming as I literally had tears in my eyes. He fixed it! He took it to his shop, melted the stuff with a glue gun, scraped off the residue and plastic. Then he used some commercial grinder thing on it then a polisher/buffer. I mean it looks perfect! Now he did say “please don’t ever do that again. That took me like an hour to do and wasn’t easy.”
Now if you have a Mr/Mrs Fantabulous in your life then you’re all set. But don’t put them through it. Instead honestly, CHECK YOUR OVEN EVERY SINGLE TIME BEFORE TURNING IT ON!
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