If Madigan Bans Sterno, How Will We Heat Our Fondue?

By Anthony Todd in Food on Aug 11, 2011 4:30PM

Calling it "over the counter napalm," Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has started a campaign to have all gel fuels banned. 37 people nationwide have been burned by gel fuel, and 4 of them were in Illinois, leading Madigan to demand their recall. We're sure that caterers everywhere cried at the news - gel fuels are most commonly used for keeping chafing dishes hot during service.

The stories of burns, especially to children, are quite horrifying - according to NBC, the normal "stop, drop and roll" procedure just spreads the fire, and they printed some pretty heartbreaking pictures of burn victims. On the other hand, we'd be willing to bet that the number of people seriously burned by boiling water, or their gas stoves, is way higher. Perhaps the gel fuel should come with a warning? Or perhaps we're biased, as one of our favorite Chicago Classics would instantly be put out of business if such a ban was passed.

(Thanks to Kim Bellware for the headline!)