I am writing this for those who are just getting into cooking or trying to learn.
Story time:
So, I decided to go ahead and grill some chicken legs today at the request of my son.
I had them marinate for the better part of 10 hours, got the grill nice and hot and then put the chicken on. I was using the left over marinade to brush the legs.
When the chicken was about half way cooked, I started to smell something, “off.” I opened the grill and it was like the film, “backdraft.” I was enveloped in a large wave of heat and flame.
Keep in mind, this is my first propane grill; and, I’ve never had this issue with charcoal. Additionally, I’m not the smartest person, nor am I a grill master. What I am is a fairly experienced chef, who tends to excel with sauces. This whole grilling with a white tank of compressed gas is a bit out of the box for me. However, I know enough not to put water on a fire like this; and, we don’t have a fire extinguisher… yet. So, I called the 911, turned off the gas, unhooked the tank, and moved the tank as far away from the grill as I could. I also moved the grill away from the wooden railing it was sitting next to, as well as, kept the grill closed. 2 minutes later the fire was out, so I call the 911 and asked them to cancel the call as the danger had passed. A moment later the ambulance showed up. After talking with them for a few minutes they advised me they would report this as a non-issue. They did; however, deny my invitation to a chicken dinner.
After the Ambulance left the fire department pulled up, ready for an inferno. They were in full gear and started removing tanks and hoses from their rig. I waved to them advising them that the situation was over and under control. They told me that the dispatcher told them the same already. After they had a well deserved laugh, at the situation- at this point they were laughing with me, not at me. They told me I did the right thing, and even took a look at the grill telling me that with a little bit of cleaning it should be good to go again, since “it’s designed to hold fire.” Maybe they were trying to politely say I over reacted. If that’s the case, I wasn’t taking chances with 2 kids in the house. The FPD also denied my invitation for some well darkened chicken legs. They were good sports though, and very helpful considering to them it must have looked like I was waisting their time.
My point behind the story is that no matter how good you are, or how careful you are, accidents will happen when you are cooking. I’ve cut myself, I’ve burned myself and yes, I’ve almost burned my house down. However, none of it will deter me from cooking. Don’t let mishaps deter you either. When things do happen, it’s important to think clearly and do what you can to mitigate any damages.
That sort of mindset goes with anything. After my injury, we had several people come speak with us in the rehab center that had also been through spinal cord injury rehab. One guest made it a point to make sure that we realized the crossroads we were at. “Things aren’t optimal right now, but you can lay in bed and just exist, or you can get up and keep moving forward.” That little snippet of advice can be carried through every part of life; bad should.