by catherineyronwode » Sat Aug 06, 2016 10:56 am
Hi, paniuroczy --
I agree with Aida. Candles need to be watched.
However, i will go one step further: What you described is not a "good sign" because while a quick burn may sometimes be a sign of rapid movement, in this case what really happened is that you did not pay attention to your work.
It's like cooking. A spell kit is like a recipe for which you buy all the ingredients and the instructions in one package.
You can buy Reuben sandwich kits online. (I bet you didn't know that, did you?)
The recipe for a Reuben sandwich crafted from a well-known brand of kit (Zingerman's Bakehouse Reuben Sandwich Kit) says to warm the loaf of Jewish rye bread at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and to heat the corned beef in aluminum foil in the same oven for 10 minutes, slice the warmed rye bread diagonally, spread mustard (or Russian dressing) on two slices of bread, drain the sauerkraut, and slice the Swiss cheese, then place sliced cheese on one slice of bread and sauerkraut on the other. The slices are placed together to make a sandwich. The cast iron skillet is heated and butter melted in it. The bread is browned to a golden colour on both sides and the cheese must melt. This also heats the sauerkraut. The cooked, crisp sandwich is opened up (caution -- hot!) and the heated, drained, and pressed corned beef is inserted. The sandwich is closed up again, sliced diagonally, and served hot.
The recipe for the kit does NOT tell you how to diagnose what went wrong if your kit was not successful, but common cooking science will provide a corrective list of failure points and fixes for you to try next time.
Oh, but the bread burned? You weren't watching the bread and/or the frying temperature was too high.
Oh, but the bread got soggy? You either didn't drain and press the sauerkraut and/or you didn't drain and press the corned beef and/or you didn't brown the bread long enough.
Oh, but the sandwich wasn't really hot? Your pan temperature was too high and the bread browned before the sauerkraut was heated. Alternatively, using refrigerated sauerkraut can cause this type of failure; to forestall any problems with refrigerated sauerkraut, warm the sauerkraut in the oven as you do the corned beef (but separately) and/or use a lower pan temperature.
Oh, but the cheese didn't melt? Your pan temperature was too high and the bread browned before the cheese melted and/or the sauerkraut was too cold (see above) and/or you sliced the cheese too thick.
Now ... knowing this, you can see the many ways a recipe that should always work out can actually fail.
The same is true of candle burning -- warm room, cold room, varied compositions of wax, and air drafts all play into candle burn time. YOUR role is to "watch the bread browning." That is, the crucial failure point is inattention.
Inattention can never signify "good luck" or a "well-made sandwich."
Aida was right -- just finish the spell with free-standing candles.
catherine yronwode