Fear of frying

My skin is still healing from that horrible blister I got from making poisson. That burn was so traumatic that I think I suffer from PTSD everytime I put more than an half inch of oil in a pan.  Sunday I made escabeche (heavy on the veggies) with savoy cabbage on the side.

I just couldn't get the tilapia fried right, for a couple of reasons -  I'm scared of the oil and I can't grip the tongs without my hand cramping up. My husband came to the rescue but the skin just didn't have the right texture. Next time I'm going to convection it, it'll be easier and healthier. The sauce was delicious, I think it's the best escabeche I've made to date. Come to think of it, just about everything I cooked last week was fantastic.

Oh how I lust for a commercial kitchen. If only I could muster up the courage to follow my dreams, abandon academia, and cook.... perhaps it's simply a fear of flying.