Today's newspaper article

Here’s an interesting article I found on “The Australian” website.

I think I feel like a roast right now !!!

Sunday roast kitchen's most dangerous meal, insurance study shows

• by:Valentine Low
• From: The Times
• July 30, 20132:47PM

Sharp knives, hot fat and pans full of boiling water combine to make a roast meal the most perilous thing one can do in the kitchen Source: Taste.com.au

THE Sunday roast is the cornerstone of British culinary tradition, a meal whose origins may lie obscured in the annals of gastronomic history but which is guaranteed to evoke nostalgic feelings about childhood weekend joints with all the trimmings.

It is, however, also the most dangerous meal that can be prepared in the kitchen, according to a report carried out by an insurance company. Sharp knives, hot fat and pans full of boiling water combine to make a roast meal the most perilous thing one can do in the kitchen (apart, that is, from a man telling his wife that his mother's roast potatoes were really so much better).

The next most dangerous dishes, according to the report, are chicken tikka masala, a full English breakfast, fish and chips and bangers and mash. The least risky dishes are said to be beans on toast, followed by boiled egg and soldiers.

The report said: "The elements that put the Sunday roast top of the ranking include the risk involved with simultaneously cooking a variety of ingredients, the number of knives needed for peeling and chopping, the potential for pans to boil over and the severity of burns which could be caused by hot oil, spitting fat or heat from the oven."

One of the surprises in the report is that it does not put making chips - with its attendant risk of a chip pan fire - at the top of the dangerous list. It is also curious that chicken tikka masala is second. While the dish is undoubtedly popular, it could be argued that it is not often cooked at home.

Perhaps the survey was referring to the hazardous activity of opening a takeaway container or the painful consequences of not pricking the top of a ready-meal container before putting it in the microwave.

Food safety experts would also argue that there are plenty of dishes that would involve far more danger to the individual, such as anything reheated, or mayonnaise made properly with raw egg yolks. Perhaps, however, the survey did not include salmonella poisoning in its list of undesirable outcomes. As for beans on toast, its risk rating of 2 out of 100 (compared with 73 out of 100 for the Sunday roast) presumably does not include the possibility of the tin having to be opened with an old-fashioned can-opener, one of the more risky kitchen practices.

Shelina Permalloo, winner of Masterchef 2012, added: "Given the number of elements and crucial timing involved in cooking a Sunday roast dinner, it's not surprising it's the riskiest to prepare. It's important to give yourself plenty of time - running around like a headless chicken will undoubtedly lead to an accident.

"Make sure you have all the preparation, such as peeling and chopping, done before you start on the cooking - trying to do everything at once is tricky to manage. Don't be distracted because pans on the hob can easily boil over and roast potatoes in oil can get dangerously hot. Preparation in advance will also allow you to relax and enjoy your Sunday roast with your friends and family."

Phil Ost, home insurance expert at Zurich, said: "The modern kitchen is a feast of gadgets and gizmos which can easily become a recipe for disaster.However, our 2013 risk assessment shows that it's the more you have going on at once when cooking which is likely to result in an accident, with the greatest danger being a fire."

The Times

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