adventures in cooking

[kindkit]

Yesterday I decided to try cooking vadai, which are a sort of savory South Indian doughnut. So I soak the dal, make some coconut chutney, grind the dal into dough, add the flavorings, shape some little doughnuts, and start to fry up the first batch. They're nearly done and I'm flipping them to check the brownness when one of them explodes. Literally explodes, making a loud scary explodey noise and splattering hot oil all over my face (fortunately I wear glasses, so none got in my eyes), chest, and right arm.

I'm okay. Just some red patches on my skin that were quite sore yesterday but not too bad today. But I'm very aware of how lucky I am, how easily I could have been badly burned. (In particular, I'm haunted by the thought of how easily, when I jumped back in automatic reaction to the explosion, I could have knocked a pan full of hot oil all over the floor and my bare feet.)

I did not fry up any more vadai, though I actually had to argue myself out of the attempt because I really really dislike wasting food.

My guess is that the oil was too hot, sealing the outer crust of the vada so well that steam built up on the inside until it burst. Yeesh. This kind of thing is why I've always been reluctant to deep fry. Definitely no more deep frying for me until I buy a thermometer.

Comments

[lycomingst]

Hot oil scares me. I'm glad the damage was limited, but ouch!

[kindkit]

I'd been trying to get over my various Issues about deep frying (I've been craving fried foods lately, what can I say?) but now I think I have more issues!

[cathexys]

I'm so glad you're OK. You are right that you could have been much worse (or eyes OMG eyes!)

I splashed some oil on my hand 3 weeks ago, and it's still visible. I'd never realized how bad a burn even a few drops can cause.

And I hear you on wasting food, but if there's ever a reason!!!

[kindkit]

I've been googling around trying to figure out why it happened. I can't find any definitive answers, but it does seem that things made of dough, when deep fried, sometimes explode (there are lots of stories online about people trying to make churros and having them explode). So I think I'll avoid trying that again, which is disappointing because properly made vadai are supposed to be really really good.

[st_aurafina]

Holy crap, I'm so glad you're okay! Fried food can kill! Like grenades.

Now I want doughnuts. So deadly, yet so delicious.

[kindkit]

Delicious grenades, covered in sugar!

[lilacsigil]

Oh wow, I'm glad you're mostly okay! Oil burns can be terrible things.

[kindkit]

It was scary. Which is to say, it was over in a millisecond, but it was scary in retrospect!

[vilakins]

Seriously scary! I've never had food explode (though my mother's pressure cooker used to spatter food on the ceiling often enough that I was afraid to approach it).

Could it be anything to do with the altitude in New Mexico?

[kindkit]

You know, I hadn't thought about altitude but I bet you're right. Gas has a lot more volume at altitude, so water in the dough turning to steam, say, would produce a lot more force.

[(Anonymous)]

Kitchen related accidents are so embarrassing and so scary at the same time. I once set light to my hair cooking broccoli (which was incredibly humiliating) so I sympathise.

[kindkit]

God, how terrifying. I had a close call once with setting a shirt sleeve on fire, but other than that I've been lucky.