I swear He's going to burn the house down.

@deebomb (15304)
United States
November 22, 2008 7:05pm CST
My grandson is having trouble with turning on the right burner. He decided to heat some hot dogs and make some ice tea. We have an electric stove so the burner doesn't show up that it's on like a gas stove does. There was a plasctic container with some coffee grounds to put on ant hills on the back burner. He turned on the back burner and melted the plastic container and now the house smells like burnt coffee. Every once in a while he forgets to turn off the burners. I guess I'm going to have to ban him from the stove. By the way he's 20 years old.
3 people like this
20 responses
@schulzie (4061)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Wow, that really sucks. My mother did that on several occasions and she was in her 60's and 70's when she did it. She would have a plastic pitcher on the stove and then accidentally hit the knob and it would slowly melt. Or other times she laid down a plastic wrapper on an already hot burner that was off, cooling down, but it was still very hot. I know all about that plastic smell going all throughout the house. It took me forever to remove the plastic from the rings on the coils of the electric burner. Hang in there. Have a nice day and happy myLotting!!!
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
24 Nov 08
Thats the trouble with electric stoves you can never really tell if they are off or cool with out touching them and thats not the best way to find out. I'll make sure we don't use the stove top to set ny thing on any more. It was more of a burnt coffee smell than plastic. The coffee seemed to keep the plastice from sticking. The oder was gone in a short time with the window to the kitchen open. Glad it wasn't real cold.
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
1 Dec 08
Wow!! Sorry to hear you are having problems like this with your grandson. I hope somehow you can figure out a way to keep things like this from happening by trying to help teach him how to decipher things a little more. It must be frustrating for sure, as we have someone like this in a lot of ways that I work with, and all you can do somedays is just cringe, and hope he does not ruin the equiptment, etc, anymore than it already is.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
1 Dec 08
The stove is alright we just cleaned the coffee off the burner. If the burners are on low it's hard to tell when they are on.
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
29 Nov 08
LOl I have done something like that one time or another hehe I used to have those metal things you put over the burner - when it's not hot of course LOL - and make the stove look nicer, but for some reason a few times I hit the wrong one. It shouldn't really be a problem since the light shows us which burner is on, but there is no limit to what one can do when absent minded hehehehe
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
29 Nov 08
Our stove doesn't have a very big lite to let you know which burner is on it only has one light about the size of a pencil eraser. I used to have those pretty cover but I decided I was scorching too many of them.
@cupkitties (7421)
• United States
23 Nov 08
waiiit a sec.. coffee grounds on ant hills??
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
24 Nov 08
Yes I read some where that coffee grounds would kill ants if you sprinkled it around their mounds. So I woun't find out now if it works.
• United States
29 Nov 08
Thanks for making my response the best response. I was so shocked to see that when I logged into Mylot! :)
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
29 Nov 08
Your welcome I thought you gave a good response. by the way welcome to myLot I hope you enjoy your time here.
@Optimize (201)
• Canada
23 Nov 08
hahahha. i was reading and i thought he was like 5 or something and then i saw 20 years old that made me laugh hahaha :p
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
24 Nov 08
Yes he got a little excited about it.
@checapricorn (16061)
• United States
23 Nov 08
[i]Hi deebomb, wow,,that is very scary, maybe you need to prepare a poster for him right infront of the stove like " do not forget to turn off after using" to remind him! LOL! He has to learn how to be more careful and responsible! LOL![/i]
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
24 Nov 08
He didn't forget to turne the burner off checapricorn. He turned the wrong one on. any way he just melted the palstci container and we had coffee grounds all over the stove.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
23 Nov 08
Hello deebomb. I hope that your grandson will be more careful with the burner after using it for the sake of safety. There is nothing more important than safety. Please let him remember to always turn off the burner if he has used it. Take care, friend.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I think that after this he will be more careful and pay better attention.
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I would be banning him from the stove for sure. YICK! Burnt coffee smell! I bet that will take forever to get out of the house.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
He's 20 years aold and has to learn to cook sometime. I'm not going to keep cooking for him all the time. No actually the smell didn't last very long after we opened up the house and set fans in the window.
@missybear (11391)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Oh Gee, i don't think you should leave him alone anymore, he might burn down the place. When i turn on my electric stove a red light comes on.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I should have made him learn about the kitchen and cooking a long long time ago. Yes there is a red light that comes on but it is very small and hard to notice. He knew he turned the burner on but since that side is different from the other he though he turned on the front one instead of the back one.
@artibg (292)
• Bulgaria
23 Nov 08
I think you should take this seriously because a lot of fires start when careless people forget to turn off the stove. Perhaps there's a way to sort this problem out. For example, when i was young i would always forget to turn the lights off when i go to sleep. So my mother put note on the door of my room saying 'Turn off the light before going to bed!' It might sounds funny but it helped me solve the problem. happy mylotting
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I think we'll just have to stop using the stove as a counter top too. And we do take it seriously.
@katrhina23 (1282)
• United States
23 Nov 08
OMG ! while reading your post, i was thinking he is a 7 year old boy. I cant imagine how a 20-yr old person would still do that. Tell him to use only one burner all the time and before he finishes his cooking tell him to turn the burner off.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
He usually does use the same burner but he was cooking hot dogs and making tea. He just didn't realise that the burners on the other side of the stove are reversed. He knows tro turn the stove off as his food is finishing cooking.
• United States
23 Nov 08
lol... you started this discussion off great. The entire I was reading the discussion I was thinking it was a child. lol... that is cute but then again not cute if your grandson burns down the house. Yes, you are going to give him the don't touch the stove speach just as I have to do with myself sometimes. i do not know how to cook at 34 with 2 kids and I too forget to turn the stove off. :)
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
With eleectric stoves it's harder to tell when the burners are on unless you turn them on full blaste then it take a while for the coil to get red. He just needs to pay better attention.
@laladida (151)
• United States
23 Nov 08
maybe you should cook for him
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I do cook for him most of the time but he has to make his own tea and needs to learn to cook for himself because I'm not always going to be here for him.
@Polly1 (12645)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Yep, its time to ban him from the stove, he needs supervision. Good luck with the smell, peeu.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I guess He'll have to eat cold hot dogs for a while. I think I'll just start making sure that there isn't any thing setting on the stove from now on. the smell is finally gone.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I'm sorry to hear that. We have an electric stove too now. I have to constantly keep an eye on it because it is the flat surface type.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
That would even be worse with no burners visible.
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
23 Nov 08
That would be pretty scary. I would probably do the same thing. That is one reason we have always had gas stoves. Does'nt the top of the oven change colors around the burners so you know they are on or still hot? If they don't I can certainy see making some horrible mistakes with them. I have only cooked on them a couple of times, when were were renting condos or houses for vacations. It is really weird to use an electric stove when you are used to gas, but I managed.
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Gas would nice but the electric stove comes with the house and there isn't a gas line in our area. The burnere only turn red if they are turned on high and that is only after the burner get to a very high temp.
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Ouch, that's not good. My husband manages to do that every so often, but usually there is nothing else on the stove. Or he takes things off the burner and forgets to turn it off. I always have to check after him. Can't exactly tell him not to touch the stove. Sorry to say, I have no idea how to solve that problem.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Thats what he usually does is forgets to turn the burner off after taking the pot off. I ususuall have to check after him too. guess I'll have to be more vigulant with keeping every thing off the stove. Last time he worped the pan cake griddle.
• United States
23 Nov 08
Does he have issues keeping other things straight? I'm just wondering if there is a larger issue than simple forgetfulness in the kitchen. If he is having trouble remembering other things, he may need to be examined by a doctor; if this is the only area that he seems to be having issues with, then he probably just needs a few cooking lessons.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
23 Nov 08
No he doesn't have any other issues just forgets which burner is on. I sometimes forget to turn it off too. There is just a tiny red light to let you know that a burner is on. The left side is opposit to the right side. He knows how to cook jut that as I said the left side is opposit from the right side.
• Nigeria
23 Nov 08
well, banning him from using the stove is not the best solution to the problem.You can still teach him again and watch. Some children are slow learners.You pointed out that he is 20. That makes him big enough to handle the stove.Still take time to teach, he will become use to it.