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.
Flour dust suspended in air is explosive, as is any mixture of a finely powdered flammable substance with air,[2]seeLycopodium. 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]
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.
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
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.
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!!
Never did that - but did drop a whole big can of melted shortening on the kitchen floor. Days - no make that a couple of weeks - of constant wiping up. Smear Smear Smear. Could have been worse - spilled your flour on top of it. Yucko
As i have been a chef for 23 years i can tell you that both "can" put out a fire. Flour has the tendency to "flash burn" as it floats around and causes more ancillary fires sometimes. The moral of the story is that salt can be cleaned up without the closing of the kitchen or hiring of a cleaning crew.
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No, but my kids have had fun
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
Uhhhh....
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
that's a long way..
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....
The Dropsies
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
explosive!
Actually did you know that flour really can explode?
Lynne
-----------------------------------
From Wikipedia:
Yep, very dangerous
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
fire
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
Not "advisable!"
Use salt.
David
Or baking soda.
Never tried salt.
grease fire
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
Baking soda is actually
Baking soda is actually better than salt.
hopefully
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
not exactly
No, but I've had a 50 lb bag of flour split on me, makes nearly the same sort of mess.
Another big mess
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.
Not flour, but a whole large
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!!
Ouch - melted shortening
Never did that - but did drop a whole big can of melted shortening on the kitchen floor. Days - no make that a couple of weeks - of constant wiping up. Smear Smear Smear. Could have been worse - spilled your flour on top of it. Yucko
Oh, wow!
I'll take my flour mess to your melted shortening any day.
We used to have a Golden Retriever that was great for cleaning up any eggs that hit the floor.
Larry
salt vs. flour