Kitchen chaos: When pizza sauce goes boom!
- Replies 20
Imagine waking up one morning, ready to start your day, only to come across a sight straight out of a horror film: your kitchen and living room splattered with red.
That's exactly what happened to Caitlin-Rose Wilkinson, an Aussie mum. But don't worry, it wasn't a crime scene—just a runaway bottle of Woolworths Pizza Sauce!
Mum Caitlin-Rose was in for a shock when she discovered streaks of sauce all over her walls and ceiling. It looked like someone had drawn a map using tomato sauce!
The mess was so bad that she had to call in a professional cleaner. Unfortunately, even with their help, there's still a mark on the ceiling that will need a fresh coat of paint.
So, what caused this saucy explosion? Caitlin-Rose suspects it all started because she forgot to put the sauce in the fridge overnight. She thinks that leaving it out allowed the sauce to ferment and build up gases, eventually leading to a messy explosion.
From the looks of it, the force of the explosion caused the bottle of sauce to, ‘rocket ship’ across the whole house!’ It bounced off the kitchen counter, then the sink, before finally launching into the air and through the light fixture into the hallway. Talk about a wild ride for a humble bottle of sauce!
Experts like Thomas Hartman, a Food Chemist from Rutgers University, explain that ‘When you get expansion and containers blowing up, a lot of the time it's from gas build-up within the container, and that's usually a red flag for microbial growth.’ That pressure can lead to explosions like the one Caitlin-Rose experienced.
That's why it's important to follow the advice of stores like Woolworths and refrigerate your pizza sauce once it's opened. Keeping it cool slows down microbial growth and reduces the risk of explosions.
Source: TikTok / @bycaitrose
Caitlin-Rose isn't alone in her saucy mishap. After she shared her sauce explosion ordeal, many people chimed in with their own tales of household havoc.
One person recounted, ‘Similar experience with homemade wine. Woke up to a pink (originally white) and traumatised cat, and my kitchen looked like a murder scene.’
Another shared, ‘My sister did an insurance claim for when a similar thing happened with a 2-litre juice she had in her pantry. They covered the costs of her cleaners and repainting her ceilings.’
And a third person added, ‘This happened to me and [tomato sauce] in the pantry... the mess was contained but it was still a MESS.’
And it's not just pizza sauce—in 2019, Sriracha Hot Chilli Sauce was recalled because of fears that bottles could explode due to fermentation. So next time you're tempted to leave that bottle of sauce out, remember Caitlin-Rose's messy ordeal and stick it in the fridge instead!
This incident serves as a cautionary tale for all of us. It's a reminder to heed storage instructions on food products and to be aware of the silent, but potentially destructive, process of fermentation that can occur in our very own kitchens.
Have you ever experienced a similar culinary calamity? Or perhaps you have some tips on how to prevent such accidents from happening? Share your stories and advice in the comments below.
That's exactly what happened to Caitlin-Rose Wilkinson, an Aussie mum. But don't worry, it wasn't a crime scene—just a runaway bottle of Woolworths Pizza Sauce!
Mum Caitlin-Rose was in for a shock when she discovered streaks of sauce all over her walls and ceiling. It looked like someone had drawn a map using tomato sauce!
The mess was so bad that she had to call in a professional cleaner. Unfortunately, even with their help, there's still a mark on the ceiling that will need a fresh coat of paint.
Aussie mum shocked by the aftermath of a pizza sauce-based explosion. Image Source: TikTok / @bycaitrose
So, what caused this saucy explosion? Caitlin-Rose suspects it all started because she forgot to put the sauce in the fridge overnight. She thinks that leaving it out allowed the sauce to ferment and build up gases, eventually leading to a messy explosion.
From the looks of it, the force of the explosion caused the bottle of sauce to, ‘rocket ship’ across the whole house!’ It bounced off the kitchen counter, then the sink, before finally launching into the air and through the light fixture into the hallway. Talk about a wild ride for a humble bottle of sauce!
Experts like Thomas Hartman, a Food Chemist from Rutgers University, explain that ‘When you get expansion and containers blowing up, a lot of the time it's from gas build-up within the container, and that's usually a red flag for microbial growth.’ That pressure can lead to explosions like the one Caitlin-Rose experienced.
That's why it's important to follow the advice of stores like Woolworths and refrigerate your pizza sauce once it's opened. Keeping it cool slows down microbial growth and reduces the risk of explosions.
Source: TikTok / @bycaitrose
Caitlin-Rose isn't alone in her saucy mishap. After she shared her sauce explosion ordeal, many people chimed in with their own tales of household havoc.
One person recounted, ‘Similar experience with homemade wine. Woke up to a pink (originally white) and traumatised cat, and my kitchen looked like a murder scene.’
Another shared, ‘My sister did an insurance claim for when a similar thing happened with a 2-litre juice she had in her pantry. They covered the costs of her cleaners and repainting her ceilings.’
And a third person added, ‘This happened to me and [tomato sauce] in the pantry... the mess was contained but it was still a MESS.’
And it's not just pizza sauce—in 2019, Sriracha Hot Chilli Sauce was recalled because of fears that bottles could explode due to fermentation. So next time you're tempted to leave that bottle of sauce out, remember Caitlin-Rose's messy ordeal and stick it in the fridge instead!
This incident serves as a cautionary tale for all of us. It's a reminder to heed storage instructions on food products and to be aware of the silent, but potentially destructive, process of fermentation that can occur in our very own kitchens.
Have you ever experienced a similar culinary calamity? Or perhaps you have some tips on how to prevent such accidents from happening? Share your stories and advice in the comments below.
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