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I did something stupid when cooking last night. It didn't seem stupid at the time I was doing it, but it seems stupid in hindsight for sure.
I was boiling some water in a teapot when I got hungry and decided to cook some dinner instead. I had this Bertolli Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Ravioli in a frozen pouch, and all you need to do is dump it in a pot, bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes and it is done.
So I took the teapot off the burner and put a pot on it instead. Since the burner was hot, I thought I'd better add some water to it so it wouldn't burn. So I poured off a cup of near-boiling water from the teapot and put it in the pot. I next added some olive oil, just pouring it on top of the water. I usually add the olive oil first, so the pasta will not stick to the pot. I put the lid on the pot and went to get the ravioli package from the freezer.
I came back from the freezer, cut the package open and was about to add the ravioli to the pot. As soon as I removed the lid,
KA-POW!
A combination of oil and hot water just exploded and sprayed all over the place, including onto my right forearm, my shirt, my glasses, and all over the stove.
I really don't know what happened. I can only guess that the oil sat on top of the water without mixing or dispersing. So steam from the boiling water probably built up under this "patch" of oil, and it just exploded.
So, always add oil first, then water. Or at least mix or stir the oil and water immediately and thoriughly to prevent any oil "patches" from forming.
The oil burnt my forearm, not in the sense of causing serious burns but in the sense of stinging and burning the skin for an hour or so before the pain went away.
Nothing all that serious, but serious enough that you (and I) will want to avoid anything similar in the future.

I was boiling some water in a teapot when I got hungry and decided to cook some dinner instead. I had this Bertolli Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Ravioli in a frozen pouch, and all you need to do is dump it in a pot, bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes and it is done.
So I took the teapot off the burner and put a pot on it instead. Since the burner was hot, I thought I'd better add some water to it so it wouldn't burn. So I poured off a cup of near-boiling water from the teapot and put it in the pot. I next added some olive oil, just pouring it on top of the water. I usually add the olive oil first, so the pasta will not stick to the pot. I put the lid on the pot and went to get the ravioli package from the freezer.
I came back from the freezer, cut the package open and was about to add the ravioli to the pot. As soon as I removed the lid,
KA-POW!
A combination of oil and hot water just exploded and sprayed all over the place, including onto my right forearm, my shirt, my glasses, and all over the stove.
I really don't know what happened. I can only guess that the oil sat on top of the water without mixing or dispersing. So steam from the boiling water probably built up under this "patch" of oil, and it just exploded.
So, always add oil first, then water. Or at least mix or stir the oil and water immediately and thoriughly to prevent any oil "patches" from forming.
The oil burnt my forearm, not in the sense of causing serious burns but in the sense of stinging and burning the skin for an hour or so before the pain went away.

Nothing all that serious, but serious enough that you (and I) will want to avoid anything similar in the future.
