The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Have you ever

Larry Clark's picture
Larry Clark

Have you ever

 

dropped a canister of flour from a height of 7 1/2 feet onto your kitchen floor? I don't recommend it.

 

Larry

Janedo's picture
Janedo

No, but my kids have had fun emptying plastic containers of flour on the floor and then playing with it, turning into white ghosts.

Jane 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Hi, Larry.

Are you going to tell us how you came to attempt this?

I've heard of "drop biscuits." But I don't think this is how they are generally made.


David

josordoni's picture
josordoni

I read this as 71 feet at first, and wondered what you were doing on top of the house (block of flats more like) with a canister of flour.

 

But, yes, do tell....

Larry Clark's picture
Larry Clark

 

 I have three flour canisters stacked in a high cupboard in my kitchen. When I grabbed the top canister the lid had not been snapped shut and came lose. I ended up with the lid in my hand and the canister hit the floor on its' side. Flour spewed across the floor like napalm. 

 Larry

josordoni's picture
josordoni

Actually did you know that flour really can explode?

 Lynne

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From Wikipedia:

 

Flour dust suspended in air is explosive, as is any mixture of a finely powdered flammable substance with air,[2] see Lycopodium. In medieval flour mills, candles, lamps, or other sources of fire were forbidden. Some devastating and fatal explosions have occurred at flour mills, including an explosion in 1878 at the Washburn "A" Mill in Minneapolis, the largest flour mill in the United States at the time.[3]

Larry Clark's picture
Larry Clark

 

I spent a couple of years in Montana and every once in awhile a grain silo would explode or catch on fire. When I was a kid they would occasionally run public service announcements on TV warning about the dangers of trying to smother a kitchen grease fire with flour.

 

Larry

 

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

 That's interesting about flour exploding....I was once told to you could throw flour on a grease fire?  Do you think that would be advisable?   

 Sylvia

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Use salt.


David

PaddyL's picture
PaddyL

Never tried salt.

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Thank you Larry....that's very good to know...I had heard of silo's exploding but really thought you could put out a grease fire with flour.  Sylvia

cordel's picture
cordel

Baking soda is actually better than salt.

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

 Thanks David, also good to know...you think I would know this...being as my brother is a retired Batal.Fire Chief...also 2 of his sons, cousins and an Uncle all firemen....

I quess if I did have a big enough fire in the kitchen the sprinklers would come on and there would be a really big mess....Sylvia

verminiusrex's picture
verminiusrex

No, but I've had a 50 lb bag of flour split on me, makes nearly the same sort of mess.

karol's picture
karol

I did have my #1 son, when he was little, make another huge mess with a gallon of milk and bottle of Hershey syrup all over my kitchen floor, he wanted to make chocolate milk, lucky for me I just got home from Sears with a wet/dry craftsman vac. He smeared it all over the floor.

ilovetodig's picture
ilovetodig

Not flour, but a whole large pressure cooker of pinto beans exploded in my kitchen not long ago.  It is amazing how large an area that can cover.  I still find dried beans in nooks and crannies from ceiling to floor and even into the cabinets.  GOD IS SO GOOD!!