Steak (again)

 I’ve recounted my first culinary blunder wherein I prepared a steak only to find it woefully undercooked. Me and my trusty hot plate have licked our wounds since then, and now I feel more confidant then ever when it comes to building up a good crust and making a decent pan-sauce out of the ensuing fond. Using a skillet over a stovetop is, in my experience at least, a little more reliable, but ever since our smoke alarm developed a hair-trigger to the slightest whiff of smoke, I’ve found preparing food outdoors to be more preferable. While were on the subject, It’s come to my realization that I should probably develop more of a tolerance around an open flame. It was roughly a few weeks ago when we planned on preparing French Fries on the stovetop and make the mistake of leaving the vegetable oil to its own devices. Needless to say, a calamity was averted thanks to some quick thinking, but that brief bout of raging fire made my soul leave my body for a short moment. As someone who cooks, open flames should come to me more naturally I guess, and since that incident our smoke alarms seem far more draconian in their detection than ever before.