Your Worst Kitchen Disaster [Giveaway]
This giveaway is now closed.
UPDATE: Thank you guys so much for supporting me in this! I am so excited to announce that I won the Pampered Chef Blogger Blunder Kitchen Disaster contest – $3,5000 of Pampered Chef product and a gift card to Spa Finder. I couldn’t have done that without all of YOU.
Even though the giveaway is over now, feel free to leave a comment still if you’d like and don’t forget to read through some of the other disaster stories. There are some GREAT comments in here.
Congratulations to Jeneen for winning the Easy Brie-zy Pizza Set!
Disasters Happen Here Every Day
I say (jokingly, of course) that it’s a good thing that I was asked to share my worst “kitchen disasters” because we all know that I’m too good (I’m totally not) to have a “cooking disaster.”
Eric looks up and says “cooking disasters happen in here every day!” I am baffled, at a loss for words. WHAT? But he quickly recovers saying that by cooking disasters he means big messes.
And he is definitely right about that one, only I don’t view those as true “disasters,” just my genius creativity at work. But I will admit that I’ve never been a very tidy cook and have always felt that the only thing I hated about cooking is the cleaning up part.
My Worst Kitchen Disaster
I’m home from vacation with one day to unload the car, unpack, do laundry, settle the kids and pack myself up again before I leave for another trip, this time work related.
I come downstairs from laundry, quickly rushing to the kitchen. My mind is obviously somewhere else because I’m completely perplexed as to why the floor feels so…disgusting…and crunchy.
It takes a moment for the horrifying scene before my eyes registers with my brain. I realize that what I’m stepping on are tiny multi-colored sprinkles. And there aren’t just a few. There are a lot more than a few. A whole heckuva lot more.
Upon further inspection I find that not only has Madeline emptied several once full bottles of sprinkles onto the kitchen floor, but that she’s sitting on the counter rubbing her sweet little hands together like she’s putting on lotion…only she’s used an entire bottle of green food coloring for the job.
She must be pretty satisfied with herself because she stops rubbing those hands to flash a toothy, chubby cheek smile my way before continuing on her merry way.
The next task at hand — dumping curry powder into some concoction she’s got brewing nearby. Unfortunately, more curry makes it onto the counter than into her bowl. Which then ends up all over the seat of her pants.
At the time I’m feeling all sorts of things: annoyed, concerned, furious… that my 2 year old has figured out how to push a chair from the kitchen table over to the counter so she can get into the spice cabinet.
I’m so beside myself that I call Eric and tell him that I don’t care how tired he is, that there will be child locks on all the kitchen cabinets when I’m home from my trip.
I have too much to do still, and so I leave the mess as evidence but not before I take the chair and the bottle of curry powder away.
The only thing I can think to do is send Madeline out back in her diaper with the sprinklers on and popsicle in hand so she can wash off while I pout about my circumstances.
Payback Time
Only now months later do I realize that this is just payback for the occasion that I, as my 3 year old self, found it quite prudent to create my very first cake on the kitchen floor. Like mother, like daughter.
I think my parents must have known back then that the kitchen would be always be my most favorite room in the house, because after that disaster I certainly made many, many more.
I can only hope that Madeline will one day find the same joy in the kitchen that I do. And that maybe she’ll get a little payback of her own too.
P.S. We now have child locks on every single cabinet in the house, in or out of the reach of little hands.
P.P.S. Every word of this is the absolutely truth.
Now it’s your turn – SPILL IT – what is your worst kitchen disaster?
Were you the cause or someone else? Did it involve a recipe failure, a gigantic mess, or something else crazy? Was it a major holiday recipe disaster or more every day run of the mill disaster? DO TELL! I am so curious!
Even if you don’t have anything to share, I’d love your comment. Comments on this post count as votes on my entry in the contest.
Giveaway Prize (1 winner):
Easy Brie-zy Pizza Set (valued @ $115)
Giveaway Requirements:
- Leave a comment on this post telling me about your worst kitchen disaster.
- You may NOT enter using multiple email addresses. Automatic disqualification.
- Additional entries must leave a separate comment.
- Contest ends April 15, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. CT.
- Contest open to US States only.
- Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 3 days to respond before disqualified and a new winner chosen.
Extra Entries:
Additional entries can be earned by doing any of the following, giving you a total of 3 entries. Leave a separate comment for each of your entries.
1. ReTweet the following message: Win a @pampered_chef Pizza Set (val. $115) and help @goodlifeeats win the Kitchen Disaster contest http://su.pr/1Kft6v #giveaway
2. Become a fan of GoodLife Eats on Facebook.
Contest Info
The Pampered Chef has asked me to share my very worst kitchen disaster with my readers in a little blogger contest. I own several Pampered Chef products and have always been happy with them so I agreed to participate. Plus, this is a good disaster story and something I’ve never shared here before.
I was not compensated for sharing my worst kitchen disaster in any way, but the winner — you need to comment on my post to help me win — winner gets $3,500 The Pampered Chef kitchen tool makeover and $125 towards SpaFinder.
To follow along with The Pampered Chef SPILL IT! Contest, “Like” their Facebook Page and share your worst story there, too (by Wednesday at noon CT) for a chance to enter this same contest.
Bethany says
After getting inspired by watching the Food Network one day, several years ago, back when I didn’t know jack squat about cooking, I decided to make dinner for my now-husband. The guy on the show (I can’t even remember what show it was now) made pan-seared salmon and smashed potatoes. I thought I could easily accomplish this. So, I went over to the now-husband, Steve’s house with salmon and potatoes. Started boiling the potatoes and heating up the EVOO in the skillet. As I noticed it starting to get hot, I reached over the skillet to turn the heat down. In a matter of 15 seconds after turning down the heat, the EVOO whooshes into flames. I’m there all by myself, running in circles around the kitchen, and finally decide to call 911 (I had no idea how to put this fire out without an extinguisher). At that time, Steve’s brother pulls up (he was living with him at that point), hears my conversation with the 911 person on the phone, rushes in and manages to extinguish the fire with a big blanket, which somehow did not get scorched (still can’t figure that one out). I told the lady on the phone that we were fine and that the fire was out… evidently, they still have to send out the fire engine, which I was not aware of until I started hearing sirens coming closer and closer to the house. Turns out that Steve had actually pretty much followed them home. He told me later that he saw them pulling out from the station and gradually noticed that he was pretty much following them to his own house. Luckily there wasn’t really any damage, other than some blackness on the wall behind the stove.
To this day, I still maintain that there was no warning that EVOO will burst into flames if it gets too hot before adding the food. I had NO CLUE. As I mentioned at the beginning, this was back when I didn’t know jack-squat of how to cook, unless it came from a box or was spaghetti. Soon after the incident, Steve and I were engaged and at my bridal shower, my best friend and her husband got me a fire extinguisher. They’re not letting me live this experience down. But never again will I let EVOO get too hot on the stovetop!
Jamie says
One day I fixed beef enchilads for dinner. They were baked in the oven in a glass 13 x 9 pan. I removed the dish from the oven and placed it on one of the electric burnes of the stove top. I didn’t realize the burner was still on the low setting. As I was finishing up cleaning, I heard a cracking sound. I realized that the dish was on a hot burner and I quickly removed it from the burner. Shortly after that the dish exploded. Enchilads and shards of glass was all over the kitchen. Thankfully I was not near the dish when it exploded.
Janssen says
Oh man, I’m kind of a messy cook also, but so far no disasters like that. . .I’m guessing it’s in front of me since my daughter is about eight months old!
Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday says
I once made gingerbread cookies but instead of putting 1/2 tsp of baking soda I put a 1/2 cup. Imagine how THOSE tasted.
(Give me a break though, I was like 9 years old at the time)
Katie says
BLECH! My cousin and I went to borrow baking powder from a neighbor once when we were little. We asked for 1/2 cup instead of teaspoon and she eyed us very suspiciously and then proceeded to call my aunt to confirm the amount.
Julie says
I can totally relate to being messy in the kitchen. I cook with no regard to where the ingredients end up (as long as the correct amount ends up in the bowl). By the time I’m done it looks like a bomb went off!
As for my worst kitchen disaster, it actually took place out of the kitchen. This was back before I had much experience cooking (or grilling). I decided to grill some chicken for a different flavor, I had no clue how to grill beyond how to turn it on. My boyfriend had neglected to clean the grill in quite some time and about 10 minutes in both sides of the grill had lit on fire, flames coming about a foot above the grates. I immediately turned the grill off and then stood there looking at the flames for a couple minutes, my mind completely blank. (I’m sure my mouth was hanging slightly open too!)
Eventually, I was able to regain brain function and put the fire out. Needless to say the boyfriend cleans the grill once a week now!
Amanda says
Once my daughter spilled silver luster dust on my ivory carpets near the kitchen. Its still there. Two years later.
Wenderly says
That’s hilarious! A good story for years to come! I can’t think of my *worst* kitchen disaster at the moment…not enough caffeine in my veins yet. However, every time my sweet Yanni cooks, it’s fabulous & delish yes, but the kitchen is a disaster to say the least. I just smile and clean. It’s a small price to pay!
Katie says
Eric feels exactly the same! We agreed early on that it was only fair for him to help with the clean up (meaning, do it mostly himself) if I did all the fantastic cooking. 😉
Amanda says
Oh! And my stove blew up once. RIght in front of me! Was not so fun to clean up. 🙂
Katie says
We had an oven fire once. I had enough sense just to keep the door closed until it died down. It was on Easter! But not too bad of a disaster once the fire was gone. We didn’t have any pound cake for dessert though.
Amanda says
OH my goodness!! I bet Madeline was having the time of her life though! 🙂
Katie says
Oh yes. SHe is my mess maker. SHe’s also had the time of her life with Vaseline, toothpaste,hand lostion, lip gloss, and more…
Deborah Mele says
Wow, loved your story and know that in years to come it will be something you can all look back on and laugh about!
Probably my worst disaster was many years ago. I was in nursing school and working part time with two young kids. My husband was home babysitting while I was at work, and fell asleep on the couch in the living room which was right next to the kitchen. My two year old son went into my baking cupboard and emptied everything (sugar, flour) all over the living room (carpet, furniture)including on my slepping husband. I walked into the house to see a white living room and a sleeping husband covered in flour.
Susan says
There’s nothing like teaching children to cook and they end up spilling a whole bottle of vegetable oil on the floor.
Katie says
Once I broke a glass bottle of olive oil on the tile. Luckily hubby was there and swooped in to clean it up faster than lightning!
Janet Foster says
Oddly enough, my worst kitchen disaster happened while I was a Pampered Chef consultant prepping for a show. My dessert recipe for that show was going to be one of those brownie pizza’s with the fruit on top.I heated the oven in the church kitchen (which was the party location) and mixed up my brownie batter. I was a little stressed out and rushing because this was going to be a big show. I hurriedly mixed up the batter and apparently got careless and overmixed it. I poured it onto the stone and put it in the oven and moved onto the next dish. About 10 minutes later, I smelled something burning. I ran to the kitchen and there was smoke coming out of the oven. The batter had slide over the sides of the stone and was dripping onto the bottom of the oven and burning. There was smoke everywhere and the batter had started to flame up a little. My hostess and I were both horrified. I turned off the oven and took the stone out. Luckily there was an extra box of brownie mix in my car and the church had double ovens. I spent 45 minutes after the show, scraping burned brownie batter out of the church’s oven.
Katie says
I think I would run and hid in the nearest bathroom.
Amber | Bluebonnets & Brownies says
Oh wow, that is one giant disaster!
My worst kitchen disaster happened just recently. I consider myself a pretty decent cook. I’ve roasted chickens since I was a teen just learning my way around the kitchen.
A few months ago, my husband, best friend and her husband wanted to go skiing. Knowing that I’d have much more fun in the kitchen than on the slopes, I sent them on their merry way, with promises of a hot meal upon their return.
I took the chicken out of the freezer when they left at 4 a.m. for their long drive to the nearest slopes. I started cooking it at about 6 p.m. in the evening. It had been sitting in water all day, I thought, “There’s no way this chicken isn’t thawed”.
At 10:30 p.m., that stupid chicken still wasn’t cooked all the way through. Everything else had been done for hours. We’d noshed on baguette and cheese, then bits of the carrots and parsnips.. at at 11 p.m. decided to carve that chicken, microwave what we could to doneness, scarf it, and go to bed.
I felt so awful. They’d been starving when they walked in the door, and we really should have just ordered pizza!
Katie says
Awwwww! I hate those kind of kitchen mess ups. You’re trying to do something super nice and it all goes wrong. I guess it’s the thought that counts!
Ivonne Loving says
My worst itchen disaster has gone down in infamy in my family. It even included a visit from my county’s fire department!
I thought that I could grill some Kaboobs in my balcony while I made the sides in the kitchen (right next door). I didn’t foresee that as soon as I would be half way with my spectacularly smart kitchen method the wind would pick up and huge flames would rise from my small grill. Some passerby saw the flames and called the fire department!
The rest of the story, well you can imagine: my tears, my husband’s surprise walking through the door and two fire trucks and an angry landlord!
Charles says
I was whipping up a great pasta sauce one day – beautifully cut aubergine and courgette, thick tomato sauce – the pasta is boiling away, everything’s looking good. I taste the sauce and decide it lacks a certain “something”. “I know”, I think, “I’ll add a bit of booze”. Hunt around the kitchen for something suitable. Now, red-wine would be great, Vodka makes a great pasta/tomato sauce, but on this occasion, the only thing I can find is a bottle of Calvados. I sniff it – smells fine, at least, you can’t smell the apple. Slosh it in the pasta sauce and serve it up.
Well, you can say that my wife thought I was also making an apple pie too, so strongly did it smell once it had reduced down a bit. Apple and Tomato pasta sauce really isn’t recommended on my side 😀
(Then of course there’s the usual thing which I think a lot of us have probably done at least once) – Ready made pizza base, slide straight onto the bars in the oven – open the door 20 minutes later to find a pile of tomato/cheese goop sitting on the bottom of the oven – still tasty though!)
Jaime says
I was cooking for a guy I really liked for the first time. He loved pumpkin, so I’d been talking up my famous pumpkin bread, which took a lot of ingredients and was pretty time-consuming but very delicious. I was so nervous when he got there that as he sat blissfully unaware in the sun room adjacent to my kitchen, I set a towel on fire by leaving it too close to a burner. I tried to carry on a calm and breezy conversation as I frantically beat out the flames, with him none the wiser. Meanwhile, I was so frazzled that I set my oven to “BROIL” instead of “OVEN” and BROILED my pumpkin bread for an hour. Needless to say, it was completely flabby and inedible and that describes the tone of my date, too! Oh, well!
Katie says
I totally broiled a chocolate cake in college once! I had completely forgotten about that.