Deep Fryer
Okay, so I know that this will sound silly to most people. Because, really, it's not a big deal.
Really.
And it shouldn't be a big deal. But it is. For me.
I used the deep fryer tonight! For the first time ever!! Really. We've had a deep fryer most of our marriage (ten years!) and this is the first time I have ever used the deep fryer.
With lots of other things in our house, this wouldn't be that big of a deal. There are things in our house that I haven't used simply because it's always been Michael's "Job". For example, I used our hand operated food processor for the first time last week. We've had it for about five years. I've never used it because Michael has always done it and I never needed to. Now that I have a use for it, I'll probably use it more often.
But the deep fryer is different. Very Different.
When I was little, I was a big time Daddy's girl. My Dad owned his own business, out behind our house. So he was always home. I loved it. Whenever I needed my Dad, he was there. Most kids didn't have that luxury, but I did, and I treasured it. The only time this wasn't the case, was when my Dad was "on site". I always knew that meant I wouldn't hardly see my Dad at all for a couple of weeks. He's a cabinet maker, and anyone who has ever built a house knows that by the time you are installing kitchen cabinets, you are ready for the house to be finished, so there is a BIG push. My Dad took this seriously. He always worked 12 -16 hours a day, but when he was on site it became more like 16-20.
I'm sure you're wondering what the heck this has to do with the deep fryer. I'm getting there. Like I said, I was a Daddy's girl, and I didn't like it when my Dad was gone without me. So, whenever he could, he would take me on site with him. I would stay with him for hours, quietly playing with screwdrivers (they were in families), or climbing inside cabinets, or handing my Dad screws (which really slowed him down, but I thought I was helping!).
When I was about 7, there was a particular job that my Dad was really in a hurry to finish. He figured he could probably get it finished this last day if my Mom came and helped him. So that meant all three of us went on site about an hour from home, and my older three siblings stayed at home. My sister was 12 years old, and the family rule was, "If Mom and Dad aren't home - NO FRIENDS". But just because it's a rule, doesn't mean it always gets followed, right? Well, my sister had her best friend come over and they decided it would be fantastic to make doughnuts. Great idea, right? Not if you don't know how. Watching your parents do it several times (hers, not ours) is not the same as doing it yourself.
It was a disaster. Literally.
All I remember, was my Grandpa coming into the house and saying "Your house is on fire, the kids are okay." Then he left. I was terrified. It couldn't possibly be our house. But it was. We drove home, not knowing at all what we were going home to.
Luckily, thanks to an amazing volunteer fire crew in our town, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. The oil caught fire and quickly spread the wall and the attic. Most of our kitchen was destroyed, but other than soot, nothing else was effected. As a seven year old little girl though, I was terrified of deep frying. Hot oil has always made me nervous. It took me a long time to be okay with putting oil in a frying pan to cook anything, I always opted for margarine, which I realize is the same thing, but somehow it felt safer.
So last weekend, when my father in law was here, he bought some fries to make for supper. I knew they would taste way better deep fried than they would in the oven. Michael was working, so I couldn't just get him to do it. I couldn't just skip them, because that was what my father in law wanted, he was counting on them. So I gulped and decided I could deep fry them. I was having a few issues with not knowing what I was doing as I was trying to get started. My father in law asked why I wasn't just doing them in the oven. Apparently that's the only way they do them at home. PHEW!!! Relieved does not even begin to describe how I felt! I cooked them in the oven, everyone was completely fine with it, and once again I was fine not using the deep fryer. Until Michael got home. He didn't like the fries done in the oven and didn't understand why I didn't use the deep fryer. I just looked at him with sad eyes and said that I was going to, but then his Dad said they were fine in the oven, so I didn't. He's very understanding, so he didn't say much. But I knew. I knew he wanted me to try. To learn. To overcome.
Today I needed something to go with supper. The unused fries were in the freezer, reminding me. I need to try. I need to overcome this fear. The problem with rational fears is just that. They are rational. There are things that can go wrong. It can cause problems. It can be disastrous. Michael has tried to reassure me that the deep fryer is completely safe. It's temperature controlled, it can't over heat. There is no spark, nothing to start a fire. So today, I asked him to show me how. I asked him to be patient and take it slow and show me step by step. He did.
Today, I used the deep fryer.
It was such a small thing, not a big deal to most people. Something that lots of people do everyday all over North America. But for me, it was a big step. A step to overcoming fear. I made fries.
It's still not my favourite thing, and not something I will make a regular habit of. My heart raced and my stomach clenched while I was doing it, but I did it. And now I know, that if I need to or want to again, I can. It's something I can do.
Thank you, Michael.
Really.
And it shouldn't be a big deal. But it is. For me.
I used the deep fryer tonight! For the first time ever!! Really. We've had a deep fryer most of our marriage (ten years!) and this is the first time I have ever used the deep fryer.
With lots of other things in our house, this wouldn't be that big of a deal. There are things in our house that I haven't used simply because it's always been Michael's "Job". For example, I used our hand operated food processor for the first time last week. We've had it for about five years. I've never used it because Michael has always done it and I never needed to. Now that I have a use for it, I'll probably use it more often.
But the deep fryer is different. Very Different.
When I was little, I was a big time Daddy's girl. My Dad owned his own business, out behind our house. So he was always home. I loved it. Whenever I needed my Dad, he was there. Most kids didn't have that luxury, but I did, and I treasured it. The only time this wasn't the case, was when my Dad was "on site". I always knew that meant I wouldn't hardly see my Dad at all for a couple of weeks. He's a cabinet maker, and anyone who has ever built a house knows that by the time you are installing kitchen cabinets, you are ready for the house to be finished, so there is a BIG push. My Dad took this seriously. He always worked 12 -16 hours a day, but when he was on site it became more like 16-20.
I'm sure you're wondering what the heck this has to do with the deep fryer. I'm getting there. Like I said, I was a Daddy's girl, and I didn't like it when my Dad was gone without me. So, whenever he could, he would take me on site with him. I would stay with him for hours, quietly playing with screwdrivers (they were in families), or climbing inside cabinets, or handing my Dad screws (which really slowed him down, but I thought I was helping!).
When I was about 7, there was a particular job that my Dad was really in a hurry to finish. He figured he could probably get it finished this last day if my Mom came and helped him. So that meant all three of us went on site about an hour from home, and my older three siblings stayed at home. My sister was 12 years old, and the family rule was, "If Mom and Dad aren't home - NO FRIENDS". But just because it's a rule, doesn't mean it always gets followed, right? Well, my sister had her best friend come over and they decided it would be fantastic to make doughnuts. Great idea, right? Not if you don't know how. Watching your parents do it several times (hers, not ours) is not the same as doing it yourself.
It was a disaster. Literally.
All I remember, was my Grandpa coming into the house and saying "Your house is on fire, the kids are okay." Then he left. I was terrified. It couldn't possibly be our house. But it was. We drove home, not knowing at all what we were going home to.
Luckily, thanks to an amazing volunteer fire crew in our town, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. The oil caught fire and quickly spread the wall and the attic. Most of our kitchen was destroyed, but other than soot, nothing else was effected. As a seven year old little girl though, I was terrified of deep frying. Hot oil has always made me nervous. It took me a long time to be okay with putting oil in a frying pan to cook anything, I always opted for margarine, which I realize is the same thing, but somehow it felt safer.
So last weekend, when my father in law was here, he bought some fries to make for supper. I knew they would taste way better deep fried than they would in the oven. Michael was working, so I couldn't just get him to do it. I couldn't just skip them, because that was what my father in law wanted, he was counting on them. So I gulped and decided I could deep fry them. I was having a few issues with not knowing what I was doing as I was trying to get started. My father in law asked why I wasn't just doing them in the oven. Apparently that's the only way they do them at home. PHEW!!! Relieved does not even begin to describe how I felt! I cooked them in the oven, everyone was completely fine with it, and once again I was fine not using the deep fryer. Until Michael got home. He didn't like the fries done in the oven and didn't understand why I didn't use the deep fryer. I just looked at him with sad eyes and said that I was going to, but then his Dad said they were fine in the oven, so I didn't. He's very understanding, so he didn't say much. But I knew. I knew he wanted me to try. To learn. To overcome.
Today I needed something to go with supper. The unused fries were in the freezer, reminding me. I need to try. I need to overcome this fear. The problem with rational fears is just that. They are rational. There are things that can go wrong. It can cause problems. It can be disastrous. Michael has tried to reassure me that the deep fryer is completely safe. It's temperature controlled, it can't over heat. There is no spark, nothing to start a fire. So today, I asked him to show me how. I asked him to be patient and take it slow and show me step by step. He did.
Today, I used the deep fryer.
It's still not my favourite thing, and not something I will make a regular habit of. My heart raced and my stomach clenched while I was doing it, but I did it. And now I know, that if I need to or want to again, I can. It's something I can do.
Thank you, Michael.
Comments
Post a Comment