Anyone had a fire like this?

Bernie

Sun, Apr 12 2015, 5:04 pm

I was making the type of potato kugel where you preheat oil in an aluminum pan at 550 before pouring it in the batter. After only a minute the oil spattered all over and caught on fire. It was a brand new oven used only a few times. I am wondering if this ever happened to you - I don't know what went wrong. Horrible Erev yom tov surprise....

zaq

Sun, Apr 12 2015, 5:19 pm

550 degrees? I think not. Check the instructions and you will probably find they said 350 degrees. at 550 you would charcoalize your kugel. In fact, many ovens do not even go up as high as 550. I have never heard of baking anything higher than 450.

even deep frying isn't that hot. deep-frying oils will smoke at 410-450 degrees so for deep-drying with regular vegetable oils like corn, safflower, and soybean you need to keep the temps no higher than around 400.

Bench gomel, hon. You had a narrow escape. Autoignition of cooking oils accounts for a significant number of residential fires--some of them fatal--every year.

ETA Did you use a foil pan? using a foil pan is like putting oil right on a fire because it has not enough mass to temper the heat from the metal oven rack. You need a nice substantial pan to act as a buffer between the exceedingly hot rack and the oil inside the pan.

debsey

Sun, Apr 12 2015, 5:23 pm

Bernie wrote:

It has happened to me. Usually means you overheated the oven. Sometimes, an identical temperature setting is much hotter in a new oven. I wouldn't heat the oil any hotter than 450 (425 to be on safe side). But sometimes, when an oven gets old, you set it to 550, but the actual temperature would be closer to 450. Then in a new oven, you set the same 550 and you actually GET 550, which is way too hot! Consider it a learning experience!

Notsobusy

Sun, Apr 12 2015, 5:54 pm

I have what is probably the same recipe. It is the most delicious potato kugel, my whole family loves it. Yes, the recipe calls for preheating the oil in a foil pan at 550. Then you pour the hot oil into the potato and egg mixture. With the recent fire in mind I was a little nervous while I was heating the oil, but I've never had a problem yet.

MagentaYenta

Sun, Apr 12 2015, 6:15 pm

Please be careful when preparing this recipe. Most oils will start breaking down and degrading at high temps. If you are using a new oven take some time and buy and oven thermometer to see if the oven is calibrated properly. If it isn't call in the service person while the unit is still under warranty.

If you insist on making this recipe be very very careful, perhaps a less than perfect kugal is a bit more economical than one that is likely to cause a grease fire. If the oil boils it will spatter and 550F is high enough to boil most cooking oils. Heck that's hotter than my engine oil gets.

southernbelle

Mon, Apr 13 2015, 9:39 am

Op here, not sure why I have 2 names. Yes, it was the recipe gluten less said - delish. I was always afraid to make it but I got the cookbook a taste of pesach last year, and I know the recipes are week tested. So I tried it and it was great - made it 4 or 5 times in the old oven that only went up to 500 with no problem. Never again!

33055

Mon, Apr 13 2015, 10:09 am

southernbelle wrote:

It was safflower oil

I had a feeling because the same thing happened to me stove top. I had an unplanned flash fire. Normally I make sea bass in the broiler. I had to make it on the stove. The safflower oil ignited and went out quickly. My glaze was caramelized perfectly as if I broiled it. I then flipped the fish and finished it the same way.

Iymnok

Mon, Apr 13 2015, 12:04 pm

Different oils have different smoke points, the temperature that it starts to burn. Peanut oil is the highest, olive is pretty good, safflower oil may be pretty low.
On pesach I use only olive or nut oils. The other options make me nervous.

mille

Mon, Apr 13 2015, 7:44 pm

Iymnok wrote:

Safflower oil actually has a higher smoke point than peanut oil: http://www.seriouseats.com/201......html

Also worth noting that refined olive oil (plain "olive oil") has a high smoke point, but extra-virgin olive oil, what most people cook with, actually has an extremely low smoke point.

MagentaYenta

Mon, Apr 13 2015, 8:06 pm

sky wrote:

I keep baking soda on hand close to the stove in case of grease fires like those.

A box of baking soda will work well on a small grease or oil flair up. Most folks don't recognize that little box will probably not put out a grease fire in the oven. Always keep a charged fire extinguisher in your kitchen. In many states it is a requirement that the property owner supplies one or two (depending on the states laws).