Not too long ago, after a long, long day, I came home really hungry for cornbread. I turned on the oven to preheat it and then started doing the dishes so that I’d have dishes to actually make and bake the cornbread in. Two minutes later, I heard buzzing and fizzing and popping and out of the corner of my eye I saw lights flashing in the oven.
Not a good sign.
The buzzing and fizzing and popping could easily have been the kids or the cats. Or a renegade mouse. Or the radio, which has seen better days.
Or some paper that got caught behind the fridge and sort of got sucked into the exhaust unit thingie and was rattling around. I know this because one day that actually happened and I thought the fridge was short circuiting. I was sure it was going to burst into flames any second, and after sniffing for smoke hard enough to cause the air pressure in the house to significantly drop, I grabbed the fire extinguisher, stood at attention by the fridge and called my husband. It was kind of embarrassing to find out it was only a piece of paper that got sucked up into the exhaust thingie. Also, to find out how dirty it was behind the fridge.
But the flashing lights in the oven could not be explained by any of those things.
The lights in the oven corresponded with the pops and fizzes and buzzes and then bangs.
I looked inside and saw that one corner of the bottom element was sending up a fountain of sparks – like those fireworks that stay on the ground and that send up a fountain of sparks. I love those. Actually, I love all fireworks. Especially the big ones that look like zinnias and spread out across the sky. Oh, and the ones that go straight up and explode into three more fireworks of all different colors. And the pink ones. I love the pink ones.
Where was I?
There were fireworks in my oven. I don’t really think fireworks belong in the oven.
I turned the oven off.
It seemed like the right thing to do.
I was so glad my cornbread wasn’t in there.
When I got the courage to open the door, I saw that one corner of the element was toast.
Not actual toast. Just toasted.
Not actually toasted, more like melted and cracked.
Yep. One corner of the element was melted and cracked.
We did not have cornbread that night.
I was bummed.
The good news was that when elements go bad, they go bad just like that. It was not a freak of ovendom. Also, they’re easy to replace. Whew.
We have a new element now. We inaugurated it with spritz cookies.
Not in the shapes of fireworks.
Robin from Rurification blogs at Rurification.
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cityMousE says:
That happened to me just last year! Totally freaked me out. I watched it burn out – it happened right when I opened the oven door because i heard a pop – like it was welding itself – and then I turned it off fast and ran for the breaker. Scary isn’t it?
I like the pink ones too but I am especially fond of the green ones that explode outwards like big chrysanthemums…. BUT NOT IN MY OVEN.
You are so overdue for some good luck. Then again you have two new family members, and Coco is on the mend, so fingers crossed for you, Suzanne!
On February 22, 2012 at 1:21 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
This was Robin from Rurification, not me! Thank goodness! (Sorry, Robin! LOL) It will probably be me next!
On February 22, 2012 at 5:25 am
dee58m says:
Robin, oh my goodness goshness!! I just had this happen a few weeks ago, I would of much rather of had the sparks flying though, I had turned my oven on to preheat, left the room awhile while it was heating up. Just as I walked into the kitchen I could see flashing from the back right burner where it vents. What?! As I got closer, there was a fire dancing on the lower coil, yep, totally freaked me out..I’ve had sparks before but never a blaze. My coil looked just like yours in the end.
Guess we can look at it this way. Our ovens get alot of use? Thanks for sharing. 🙂
On February 22, 2012 at 1:54 am
bonita says:
I once had lots of pops and bangs and other assorted noises come from my oven. But it was a gas oven. . . I had no idea you were supposed to cut an X in the base of chestnuts before roasting them. That is, I had no idea chestnuts would explode . . . and make an awful mess. . . as they roasted.
On February 22, 2012 at 6:04 am
wildcat says:
This happened to me when I was 19! My parents went away for a week and left me in charge of my siblings. I was baking a cake because they were due home that evening. I opened the oven door to get the cake out, and the fireworks went off just as you described. It scared the heck out of me! I started screaming. I didn’t know what to do. My sister, in the next room, started screaming because she heard the popping noises and thought I was being electrocuted. My boyfriend had the sense to close the oven door, and it finally stopped. When it was safe to open the oven again, we blew the magnesium dust off the cake, frosted it and ate it. The end. LOL
On February 22, 2012 at 8:43 am
cityMousE says:
Sorry Robin….
On February 22, 2012 at 9:22 am
Ulrike says:
Eek! I would have freaked out.
At least it wasn’t a mouse. 😉
On February 22, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Robin from Rurification says:
wildcat – Hilarious! I think your story’s better than mine!
On February 22, 2012 at 5:46 pm
dee58m says:
wildcat.. I am sitting here laughing my butt off..what a visual you portrayed.. lol.. stories to tell in the future.. haaaa
On February 22, 2012 at 6:38 pm