Burning the place down

I set some water on the stove to boil, went to the sink to rinse some dishes out. I smelled something... something burning. I look over and there was smoke pouring out of a box of instant oatmeal I had left on the stove. I had turned on the wrong burner.

One of the first lessons I learned in Home Ec. way back in 1st or 2nd grade was that you NEVER leave paper on your stove. I've always thought, really, why would you have paper on your stove? I have followed this lesson up until this very day.


Lesson #1 NEVER leave paper on your stove.
Lesson #2 Never buy a box of instant oatmeal that is too big to store in your cupboard.