A little birdie told me that "Sheldon" > said:

In response to Carol's statement:
>I need one of those tennis racquets that you put over the frying pan to
>prevent spatters.
>
>I simply lower the heat... I'm not running a race... I don't need
>burned pans, because burned pans mean burned food. Some people cook
>for showmanship, I cook for goodness. If grease is spattering all over
>you're doing something wrong, like frying at the smoke point, and then
>your food will taste like shit, burned shit, but shit nevertheless.

It only happens when I'm frying hamburgers or steaks, and want a crispy
brown surface. If I keep the heat down, they literally boil in their own
juices (still haven't found the meat grinder since moving here).

>Does such a thing exist for tomato-based sauces?
>
>Carol
>
>Yes. It's called a pot lid. <g>

Smart-ass!

>But lower the heat... the only time you want a boil is if it's plain
>water, as in cooking pasta... you never ever boil tomato sauce, not
>unless it's on top of a pizza in a hot oven... which is why pizza sauce
>is always a raw sauce, it gets fully cooked in the oven. If your
>tomato sauce is still spattering even after lowering the heat then you
>need a deeper pot... I mean like if you fill a pot to within an inch of
>the brim and crank up the heat till your stove, floor, and walls turn
>red, then you're a kitchen slob.

I think that Kitchen Slob only applies if the tomato sauce actually reaches
the ceiling, but I could be wrong. I do fill the pot only one third full,
and keep the temp at 2 or 3, out of a possible 6. But my tomato sauces
seem to be trans-species, and were raised as popcorn. Keeping a spoon in
the pot does seem to help.

Carol
--
Coming at you live, from beautiful Lake Woebegon