Checking Oven Before Preheating

Although in Home Economics class, back in 7th grade, I learned you should always check your oven to make sure there is nothing in it before preheating it, I rarely do it. It rarely crosses my mind, and when it does I think how I never leave anything in the oven to worry about. Ha! You should never say never.

The most recent time I left something in the oven, I had baked 4 apples and my daughter and I ate 3 of them they were so good. I left the last one in the oven so my husband could eat it. I know we would have eaten it if I had left it out. However, I forgot it and didn't feed it to my husband. I don't know how long it was in there when I preheated the oven for something I was cooking for dinner. When I heard the beep of the oven telling me it had finished preheating I went over to put dinner in the oven. That is when I noticed the smoke. Nothing was on fire, but it was not fun cleaning up that mess.

Now I always try to check the oven, at least when I think about it I do. I know a time will come when I have left something in the oven, even though it is something I would NEVER do.