I got burned!
November 13th, 2009 by Wanda Adams
Beef stew eau de burn.
The other day, craving beef stew, I set out to make one. Now this is a dish I've made dozens of times and am totally confident about. The last time I made it, it was ambrosial! But this time....one of those kitchen disasters happened.
I had dredged the beef pieces in seasoned flour and put them in my favorite Le Creuset Dutch oven to brown. Turned my back and the flour started to burn. I hadn't glazed the pan with enough fat and the dry flour just went from brown to black in a flash. My nose alerted me and I turned back.
If there's one thing I've learned in years of cooking (and watching "Top Chef"), it's that if something starts to go south, don't stand there hoping it'll fix itself, do something right away. I grabbed some tongs, pulled all the meat out of the pan and put it in another pot, rinsed the pan (which was horribly blackened on the bottom).
I then proceeded to make the beef stew in the soup pot, adding broth, tasting, adding more beef concentrate, tasting, trying a splash of vinegar (bad idea), a pinch of sugar, tasting, some garlic salt, some chicken concentrated (because I ran out of beef), finally the carrots and potatoes. Still, every time I tasted I could detect a bit of burned background. What I think I should have done is dump all the dredged beef chunks into a colandar and rinse them, dry them and start all over again — it wasn't the meat that was burned, it was the dredging flour.
Bottom line, the stew was okay (Husband said "Something smells wonderful," when he got home so I took the Julia Child route and said not a word; she always said you should admit nothing.) I think only someone with an exceptional palate would detect the slight "eau de char" but I was depressed. I KNOW better. You don't turn your back on the stove any more than you turn your back on the ocean. And when you make a mistake, think the solution carefully through before you proceed. But, as you can see on "Top Chef" any day, no matter how much you know, how much training you have, anybody can have a bad day in the kitchen.
Anybody can get burned.
P.S. Tip: If you incinerate the bottom of a favorite pot, fill it with hot water and a half cup or so of vinegar, bring it to a boil, allow it to cool a bit and use a wooden or silicon spatula to scrape it. (I actually just scrape with my fingernails.) This technnique often works well.
P.P.S. After I wrote this blog, I put the rice on the stove to cook and went out on the deck to talk to my husband, got involved in the conversation and...of course, burned the rice. Had to make a whole new pot! What a day!
November 13th, 2009 at 4:17 am
You poor thing! I can't remember the last time I burned anything but I have over-salted a couple of times. Funny thing, we don't realize it that evening but if I should take a bite of it the next morning...it's like, wow, where did that come from. Your stew looks good anyway.
When cleaning a non-stick pot or baking pan, try filling it with hot water up to the level of the crud, swirl in some Cascade dishwasher granules and let it soak for a couple of hours. It completely softens the particles and they almost float off with just a spray of water. It is the easiest way to clean gas stovetop porcelain grills also. Just fill up the sink, swoosh in the granules and soak. Remember, that dishwasher soap is harsh stuff and it does the work for you.
November 13th, 2009 at 4:32 am
One of these days you will break down and get a small Panasonic non-stick rice cooker and then you will thank your lucky stars at how easy it's made your life. Granted, it costs about $35, but it is a workhorse, easy to store, clean and operate, and makes excellent rice for two in about 20 min.
Rinse 1/2 cup of good quality Japanese rice in a wire mesh sieve under running water until clear (I shake sieve back and forth and briefly run my fingers through rice); place in pot, add 3/4 cup water, replace lid, and push lever down to start. Go talk with husband on the porch.
November 13th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Oh boy, I feel your pain! I did the same thing with beef stew before too. Except, I didn't try to fix it and I ended up with all of these black bits floating at the top. It was still edible, but it definitely did not look nice!
I agree with Tahoe-gal. Panasonic rice cookers are the best!
November 14th, 2009 at 10:05 am
that is why tell my husband shut up I am cooking ..GO AWAY!
if I burn my pot twice in 19 years we been married ..I use the sand paper after ..I rinse it really good after I sand it ...I was so mad burning ..my husband ate it ...he better not complain! I use to be able to smell things right away..nwo my nose is plug..I cannot concentrate when my husband yap nonse sense while I cook....
November 15th, 2009 at 9:30 am
I learned a long time ago, just toss it and start all over. In the end the only way to do anything, is the right way!!!
November 15th, 2009 at 10:51 am
me - i take the pot outside in an area where no damage to plants can occur and use oven spray - let that do the elbow work. if pot has plastic or other than metal handle(s), cover w/ tin foil so not to destroy the finish on the handle(s). sometimes i put pot/pan on newspaper and just leave the whole pot/mess outdoors until i care to deal w/ it. use the hose to rinse or take back to kitchen and continue just cleaning the mess up. do this w/ bake pans that have charred pieces adhered to the metal too........really works.
November 19th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Aloha Wanda... Over 60 yrs ago, I learned to cook rice on a kerosene stove and many times I burned the rice. My mom taught me to place a slice or two of bread and let them absorb the odor. It removed most of that awful smell...She also taught me to "watch what you are doing!"
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