*Sigh* The stupid, it burns... unfortunately, it burned Kouryou-chan.
Last night, Omaha suggested that we have stuffed baked potatoes for dinner, and that seemed like an excellent idea. We often short-circuit the process by steaming them inside-out using a microwave for the first 20 minutes, then completing the baking in an oven for the last 20 minutes. This halves the cooking time while providing the dry, chewy outer skin that is one of the hallmarks of good baked potato.
As I took the potatoes out of the oven, Yamaraashi-chan said, "Aren't those hot?" I explained that the very dry outer skin doesn't transmit heat very well, and so I could easily pick up a potato and hold it for a few seconds, transferring it from the oven to a plate, without any lasting injury.
This led to a description of the game "hot potato," the original format, in which a potato is tossed from person to person, none holding it long enough to seriously injure him- or herself. I tossed one to Omaha, who tossed it back. Then to Yamaraashi-chan, then Kouryou-chan, Omaha, and back to Kouryou-chan, who missed the catch awkwardly. The potato split open and its contents spilled onto Kouryou-chan's arm. The inside of the potato is quite moist, hot enough to steam. It hurt. Kouryou-chan raced herself to the bathroom to run her arm under cool water.
We had some lidocaine-based burn topical, and then some silver sulfide solution left over from the time Kouryou-chan burned her hand. She's doing fine today, only a little redness and some tiny raised bumps. She'll do all right, but damn, that kid has no luck with hot things.
As I took the potatoes out of the oven, Yamaraashi-chan said, "Aren't those hot?" I explained that the very dry outer skin doesn't transmit heat very well, and so I could easily pick up a potato and hold it for a few seconds, transferring it from the oven to a plate, without any lasting injury.
This led to a description of the game "hot potato," the original format, in which a potato is tossed from person to person, none holding it long enough to seriously injure him- or herself. I tossed one to Omaha, who tossed it back. Then to Yamaraashi-chan, then Kouryou-chan, Omaha, and back to Kouryou-chan, who missed the catch awkwardly. The potato split open and its contents spilled onto Kouryou-chan's arm. The inside of the potato is quite moist, hot enough to steam. It hurt. Kouryou-chan raced herself to the bathroom to run her arm under cool water.
We had some lidocaine-based burn topical, and then some silver sulfide solution left over from the time Kouryou-chan burned her hand. She's doing fine today, only a little redness and some tiny raised bumps. She'll do all right, but damn, that kid has no luck with hot things.