Thursday, October 6, 2011

Pilot Light Lit: Check

Add another skill to my list: relighting a pilot light!

I confess I was a bit anxious about striking a match in the kitchen this evening, given the smell of gas, but nothing exploded and the little flames caught most satisfyingly.

I like a gas stove, although it's occasionally a little nerve-wracking, because I like to be able to tell by looking at it whether or not the burner is on, and whether it's on low or high. Electric can be deceptive, since it can be quite hot without glowing red, or it might not be hot at all.

I suppose electric is more like the wood-burning stoves of my youth, which also offer few clues as to whether they're on 'high' or 'low' heat, and you can always splash a few drops of water on either of them and see how rapidly it boils away, but again, I like gas.

Look! The flame is high! That water will boil soon!

Or look! The flame is low! That rice will simmer quietly for 45 minutes!

As you can tell, cooking is very exciting in my house. That's why I don't do it often: it's exhausting.

Anyway, if your stove isn't lighting and your kitchen smells like gas, your pilot light is probably out, so based on my newly gained experience I say you should lift up the top of the stove and look for a little flame midway between the burners on each side.

If there isn't one, light a match and touch it to the little raised section between the burners, and a flame should catch most satisfyingly.

Or the kitchen could explode. I guess you never know with gas. But from my vague knowledge, there's probably not enough gas to explode as long as the smell isn't so powerful that you can't stand to stay in the building. If you can't stand to stay in the building, probably call someone instead.

Also, I am not a natural gas expert, nor do I play one on TV, so possibly it's safer just to ignore everything I say.

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