As a licensed Real Estate Sales agent for Houlihan Lawrence in Katonah, I not only help people sell or purchase houses but I also help them find rentals. A year ago last November, I found a rental home for some very nice clients. When I checked back with them a month later to see how they were enjoying the house they told me of their Crispy Critter Thanksgiving Day. This is their story.

They were excited to have a double oven, and when they put the turkey in the top oven and latched the door they thought they were well on their way to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. The only problem was, when it was time to take the turkey out of the oven, the door would not open. It was LOCKED! They could not figure out why the door was locked and would not open. The display indicated the oven was locked. The end result was the turkey continued to cook and cook. When it was time to eat, the turkey could not be removed from the oven and it was hours later before they were finally able to open the oven door, by then the turkey was a crispy critter!

When I was listening to the account of what happened I realized when they latched the door to the oven it locked into the self-cleaning mode. Once the door was latched, it would not open until the oven finished the cycle and completely cooled. By that time, which was hours later, the turkey was ruined and burnt to a crispy critter!

So here are some words of advise I give to sellers, landlords, buyers and renters: If you move into a house without instruction manuals, you can go online, download and print the manuals so you know how to use and care for appliances. A manual would have provided instruction on the use of the oven and they would have had a juicy turkey to enjoy. Here’s hoping for a better outcome this year! This is a true story; I could not make this up.

I urge everyone to use caution while cooking on Thanksgiving Day. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, “Thanksgiving Day fires in residential structures cause more property damage and claim more lives than residential structure fires on other days.”

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted By: Sonja Lovas