I got this beautiful new stove. They brought it to me today. I snapped this photo so soon after they dropped it off that the glass on the door is still foggy from coming in from the cold. What’s the occasion? Why the fancy new appliance? Well….
Let’s go back to January 1st. Derek and I are preparing our final meal at home before leaving on our giant road trip. It was going to be fabulous: Biscuits and gravy. I had the gravy going on the stove and the biscuits were mixed, rolled out and waiting to be baked. The oven gave out a beep-beep-beep, signaling it had preheated. I opened the door to put the biscuits in to bake.
The oven door was only open for a half-second before I let out a squeaky shriek and let the door slam close again with a stress filled.
Inside the oven sparks were flying. Like a tiny welder had set up camp on the floor of the oven and was creating a masterpiece. Sparks like the kind that come off sparklers in the summer. At the base of the sparks, a tiny, orange-white flame. The oven was on fire.
I tried to explain what had happened when Derek looked at me, confused as to why I’d made that weird sound and why the pan of biscuits was sitting on top of the stove instead of in the oven…but all that came out was incoherent shock-talk. You know, “It’s…fire.” “I don’t know wha–” “It–just–I–there a fire in there.” Enough of the babbling wife, he opened the door again and we both took another look. The second look didn’t last much longer than the first. It was smoky and the light was so bright.
We turned the oven off and switched the burners off too. Then it hit me. If it looked like a tiny welder, then couldn’t that light blind us?! Immediately I started seeing spots in my vision. Derek, always calm, said it was because I’d just looked at a bright light. Yes, I said…but what if it was too bright? What if it’s like looking at an eclipse? Like the little girl my fifth grade teacher told me about, who looked at the eclipse and was blind by the time her mother called her downstairs for dinner. What if we are both going blind? Derek–your eyes are your life!
After that rant, I realized we probably weren’t going blind. I was just upset that there was a fire in the oven. For the record, my vision is fine now.
With the stove off {luckily the gravy had just finished as well} we decided it would be best if Derek ran to the store to pick up biscuits–since we wouldn’t be cooking any of our own.
While he was gone I stirred up the gravy and got it off of the stove. I did a few dishes, put a few things away. But then I turned around and saw a curl of black smoke sneaking out of the oven door. Curious, and determined not to look directly at the flame again {just in case} I opened the door. It didn’t take long to realize the flame had grown and there was a full on fire in the oven now. I call Derek. All of a sudden, I feel like I’m standing in the kitchen with a bomb. Like the oven will explode at any second. He tells me to keep an eye on it, to get the fire extinguisher out from under the sink–just in case.
Okay. I can do that. I get under the sink and release the fire extinguisher from is perch. Should it look this vintage? I think. Once I pulled it out and stood up I took a better look. Yes, it did look old–but maybe that’s just how it looks…after safety doesn’t need to be cutting-edge-cool. Then, on the front of the cylinder I spot the warning: Inspect monthly. Recharge if pressure is below range…Then, I see the date of issue: 1981. This fire extinguisher was made before I was born and who knows the last time it was charged, the indicator is deep in the “Recharge” section of the pie chart.
Just as I’m about to panic again–because I’ve got an explosive oven and a fire extinguisher that probably won’t be of any use to me–my phone rings. It’s Derek. “Unplug the whole thing, ” he says. I’m not sure why two highly educated adults didn’t think of that in the first place. Maybe because the plug is in the floor behind the oven and you have to roll it away from the wall to see it–out of sight, out of mind and all that bit. Or maybe it was because I was so freaked out. Either way, we hadn’t thought about it. I hung up the phone and went back to the kitchen. The top of the oven was hot as I pulled it away from the wall. Once I could see the plug, I dreaded having to go back and unplug it. It meant having to get down on my hands and knees on the floor in the space between oven and wall. A very vulnerable place to be when you are somewhat convinced the machine could blow up. {Irrational, I know.}
But, I’m one to face fears. So I did it. And the flames died down. And I didn’t have to use the fire extinguisher. And we learned a valuable lesson–you really should check your fire extinguisher and keep it up to date.
One good thing that came out of all of this is that I got a brand new stove. It’s beautiful and they brought it to me today. {I really procrastinated on buying another one after the road trip.} It’s got a giant oven, a flat stove top and I got it at major discount because it was a floor model at Menard’s. And now that I’ve got a working oven again…my only question is, “What should I make for dinner?”
Amy
PS–Seriously, check your extinguisher!
