Comments on: Adventures in Someone Else’s Kitchen

By: Marillyn Fagan Damelio

Marillyn Fagan Damelio — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:12:09 +0000

Type your comment here
Maggie: I am sitting in the Phoenix airport anxious to get back to snow after working two weeks in a windowless room… knowing it was sunny outside!!
Your story made me laugh out loud as I pictured the scene. Thank you for sharing and brightening my day!

By: Sharon

Sharon — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:47:59 +0000

I like cooking with someone in their kitchen, and I like cooking leisurely in someone else’s kitchen. (You should see the one where I sometimes babysit! Six-burner stove, industrial dishwasher, and a fridge-freezer four people could live in.)

The key word though is leisure. The minute something starts burning or you realize you didn’t open the tomatoes and now the garlic is browning WAY too fast, and where is the can opener, damn it?! That’s the minute where I want to be in my own kitchen.

But it is nice to test drive someone else’s knives or to pick up cool ideas. Because aren’t we all fantasizing about building our own perfect kitchens…no matter how little money or time or whatever we have?

So Mags, thanks for sharing your traumatic story. Next time I go to cook at someone’s house, the first thing I am going to do is ask: “How do you turn off your smoke detector?”

By: Mike V @ DadCooksDinner

Mike V @ DadCooksDinner — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:16:49 +0000

I agree with Pam – you aren’t really cooking until you set off the smoke alarm. I have one tied into my whole house system that’s right outside my kitchen, and the slightest bit of smoke sets it off. I tried replacing it with different models that were easier to shut off, but I couldn’t find one that had a “trust me, this really isn’t a fire” switch – they would all kick back on again after a few minutes. I have to pull it out by the roots – or at least that’s what all the wires left dangling look like when I’m done.

By: susan

susan — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:35:41 +0000

Sounds like a nightmare, Maggy! When you have your own kitchen the smoke alarm will just be background music where you roll your eyes and wave a dish towel!!!

By: Bob M

Bob M — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:49:51 +0000

Amber, the rest of the story! As Paul Harvey would have said:)!

By: Pam

Pam — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:46:52 +0000

When I’m on book tour, I make a living cooking in strange kitchens. It’s not easy, but it’s such good practice. You get to test drive other people’s stuff and figure out what you like before you buy. You also discover you can cook in just about anything. In fact by unscrewing the lid and pot handles off just the kind of pot you described, I’ve done my high-heat cooking.

You know what I always say. You don’t learn anything by doing it right. You only learn from mistakes, so count this experience as one more notch in your culinary belt.

You also know my other belief. You aren’t really cooking until you set off the smoke alarm!

By: Amber

Amber — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:30:47 +0000

Bob, the biggest kicker of it all is Maggy knew my birthday present, a giant Le Crueset, was sitting in the basement, wrapped and waiting for me to open upon our return!

Luckily, my husband knew how to turn off the alarm. I felt awful that this happened while we were away. The one time the alarm did this to me, it was because of a power failure. I ended up ripping the fuses out of the alarm box, it was that awful.

Mags, I think you should have used the slow cooker from the start. If it takes 4 hours in the oven on a low heat, that’s how long it will take in the slow cooker on high heat. Remember that for next time

By: Adventures in Someone Else's Kitchen | Three Many Cooks | Food and Recipes

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:25:02 +0000

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By: Bob M

Bob M — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:31:58 +0000

Yupper’s )!
Cooking in someone else’s kitchen is a big pain! Need to sign them up for Ree’s give-a-ways ? Or tell them about: Tramontina 6.5 Quart Cast Iron
At $40, this oven, crafted from enameled cast iron, is hard to beat.
Been there, done that.