When I initially started cooking, I had no idea that oil does not boil. I was trying to deep-fry something and kept getting annoyed since my oil hadn’t boiled yet. Finally, I turned the heat up to high, covered the pot, and left it for ten minutes.

When it still wasn’t boiling, I got furious and added a couple shrimps. The whole thing almost exploded, and it’s a wonder I didn’t start a grease fire and burn down my house. The pot spat everywhere, screamed, and smoked profusely.

My roommate ended up going in and unlocking the back door so I could pitch the entire pot, including the oil and shrimp, into the snow. I learned my lesson there. Nowadays, I stick to shallow frying.