Super heavy: made in Germany: non sticking:
My question is: After the concern about teflon coated pans, do you believe Titanium pans to be safe from any leaching? When I purchased them I did not realize they were coated: or are they?
I love cooking with them.
Your comments are appreciated.
Thank you, Liz

For starters, thank you for the comprehensive lesson! I do a lot of pan frying but couldn't get consistent results. With these techniques I'm sure that I'm off to a more pleasant and more efficient process!

I have a couple of questions:

I use extra virgin olive oil when I pan fry. I like the flavor and believe it's a healthy oil (healthier than others - note that I recognize that this might be a misconception). Is there any other oil you'd recommend that would be more efficient whily still being tasty and healthy? Or is olive oil just fine?

Second question is about rubbing olive oil on the meat for seasoning. When I grill I like to rub olive oil on the meat and then season it with sea salt and ground pepper. I have used the same technique when pan frying but now I'm thinking that it might not be a good idea as the unheated olive oil might tamper with the right temperature of the pan. Should I just season the meat with salt and pepper and leave the oil to coat the pan only?

Thanks!

Happy cooking to all

We haven't forgotten about you. I'm not an expert on titanium and Tony is the expert on olive oil so I'm deferring to him for these. Cheers...

Titanium pans have non-stick properties, some feel superior to teflon. But they don't like to be heated too high and have similar limitations.

Renata, I use a good grape seed oil to cook with. I used to use sunflower oil, but converted to the health benefits of grape seed. Remember that all unrefined oils have very low smoking points, so once heated in a pan they denature and lose their flavour and health benefits. Some olive oils are refined, so more ideal for sauteeing. Keep the real good stuff for seasoning salads and other dishes, or simply add a bit AT THE END of cooking for its flavour. Grape seed oil is semi-refined, so with high smoking points but still excellent health benefits. Hope this helps.

What is the difference between sucs and fond? Google has let me down, not giving me a very good definition of why fond isn't the correct term for "bits" left in the pan after saute. There were some French language sites, but my French isn't that good yet.

Hi Linda. Once and for all, let's get this one right. First of all, both words are French. Fonds literally means base or foundation, and the French chefs way back intended this term to refer to any fundamental preparation, particularly stocks. The word sucs, which derives from "sucre" (sugar) was invented specifically to describe those caramelized bits that stick to the pan. In my French culinary training - in French and by French instructors, and with French textbooks, by the way - I never came across the word fonds to describe sucs. Somehow, in the North American lexicon, fonds replaced sucs, even though to a French chef fonds means stock. Let's get back on track. Hope this helps.

Sorry Renata, but I didn't answer the second part of your question. It's alright to add oil to your meat or fish before pan frying, in fact it does help to create a protective barrier before it hits the pan. However, it's more beneficial to season BEFORE rubbing with oil so the salt and pepper can penetrate and flavor the food. Also, use a refined olive oil or any oil with a high smoking point to avoid denaturing. Again, I'm a big advocate of grape seed oil for these purposes. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the French lesson. Maybe, this will be the site that will set everyone straight on terminology. Honestly, I've learned so much taking the cooking classes, and just watching the "drill down" parts of recipes. This has been some of the most productive time I've spent on the computer.

Thanks Linda...or should I say...Merci beaucoup, c'est vraiment très gentil (that's really very nice).

I have to say I totally agree with Tony. I also use grapeseed oil most of the time. It is healthy, withstands higher heats and it also has a good, but neutral flavor. It also tends to be cheaper than using olive oil, which is a bonus.

Don't get me wrong I LOVE my olive oil. But most often I use extra virgin, which I use as Tony mentioned, at the end off cooking to finish. Or I use it for salads and dressing etc.

Lately, I have even been pouring a bit of really nice extra virgin olive oil onto a piece of whole grain rustic bread...it makes a delicious snack.

Thanks for the responses, Dawn and Tony! I'm a huge fan of olive oil and definitely don't want to "waste" the good stuff.

As for rubbing olive oil, I will make sure I use it after the salt and pepper (not before, as I used to)

Olive oil, grape seed and butter, these are the fats I use...but I don't like to use the word FAT as it has always such a negative tone in English. My father who is from Nice in France uses Olive oil in his cooking all of the time even to fry his eggs on Sunday, personally I used Organic extra virgin olive oil in my cooking often but I make sure not to get it to the smoking point...if I need to get to a higher temp. I use grape seed.
Please stay away from Pommace olive oil.

Most of the time I use olive oil for frying, because of the spanish influence in latinamerican countries we are very used to it , also I enjoy so much pouring it over slices of "gallego" bread, a hard crust bread made in the Spanish bakeries all around the city, and always for salads and dressing.
When I´m looking for a neutral flavor I use sunflower or Soy oils. Though I know about the benefits of the grapeseed oil it´s not available in my place. After this lesson, for sure I´ll be most capable of using them for frying in the proper way.
Thanks

I want to thank you for the great lesson on pan frying. I just completed it, went downstairs and made a perfectly pan fried chicken breast. Usually I end up with the sucs burned so badly that a pan sauce is out of the question. Learning how to properly preheat the pan and then paying attention to the heat and adjusting it throughout the cooking process were the key points for me. Now it seems so simple and obvious.

The lesson is really helpful but I'm still a bit confused about the water test. It seems that water hitting the pan and dispersing into lots of tiny water balls is an indicator of both the pan being not hot enough or otherwise too hot. They both sort of look the same in the video. How do you tell the difference?

The mercury ball of water is what you are looking for. You are right though, that the "before it's hot enough" and the "after it's too hot" do look similar, but it's just a matter of time. When a pan is too hot the water bubbles splatter and spread out quicker, and the there is sometimes a bit of smoke or instant steam from the water hitting the hot pan.

If you watch the pan and test it a few times as it heats up you should be able to know when it is still not hot enough, then as soon as you hit the "water ball, or mercury ball" stage you are good to go.

Thanks for your feedback and we are glad that you found the lesson helpful. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask away.

Ciao dawn

I was able to 'argue' with my mother in law that stainless steel pan frying is indeed a better option than non-stick. :) So you got points there. Plus your method of teaching is amazing. I've promised Joe I'll feature it on our site in 2009, and the only site I'm visiting on the Internet (literally) during Dec and early Jan is Rouxbe.com ;)

I also have one question:
When cooking in batches, doesn't the pan get too hot for the second batch? Do you do the water test constantly? Or is there a better way? My question is: How do you avoid under-cooking or over-cooking the second and consequent batches?

The pan temperature will stay pretty constant, so don't worry too much...you will not need the water test again (plus the water would splatter with the oil).

The most important thing is to make sure you have your mise en place ready so you can immediately go with the second batch. Depending on what you are cooking you just may need to add a bit more oil.
http://rouxbe.com/drilldowns/162 - "What is mise en place"

The first side of the first batch is generally the best, but ultimately the second batch should cook the same as the first batch.
Just watch out to not burn the sucs on the bottom of the pan...you may need to turn the heat down a bit...but again this will depend on what you are cooking and what is happening in the pan at the time. This is where you instinct comes in, trust yourself and adjust things as needed. Add more oil if you think it needs it, adjust the heat...whatever you think...trust yourself!

Hope this helps Sean...and thanks for the kind words!

Any recommendations what to look for when buying a stainless pan? I remember the sloping pan was one factor. Anything else? In New Zealand, we have pans that range from $150-$400. Not sure what to look for.

You can get good stainless steel pans for that price...I recommend one that at least feels comfortable in your hand. Try tossing with it while you are in the store.

I have a variety of pans from all-clad to le creuset to viking to mauviel (copper)...just to name a few. What they all have in common is that they are all fairly heavy and good quality.

Here is a link to our store and all of these are ones that we would also recommend http://rouxbe.com/products?product_category_id=5 [http://rouxbe.com/products?product_category_id=5]

Hope this helps!

You mentioned that the pan needed to be sloping instead of at 90 degrees. That was a really good tip. What other tips do you have when buying pans?

The Mauviel Cuprinox 2.5mm 4.9 qt. Copper Saute Pan with a Cast Iron Handle and Lid is the very type of pan you suggested not to buy, because it's not sloping. (See:http://www.metrokitchen.com/product/M-6502-29?utm_source=rouxbe&utm_medium=link&utm_term=M-6502-29)

Or am I getting the instructions wrong?

Either stainless-steel pan is fine for frying (sloped or not). If you want to be able to easily toss food in a pan though, one with sloped sides is required. Hope this helps.

I found all your discussion on oils very interesting...but I have a few questions. Am I right that olive oil cannot be used for high heat cooking, but grape seed oil can? Is sunflower seed oil refined like grape seed oil? So basically, I should use sunflower seed or grape seed oil (refined) as my basis for sauteeing and then I can add olive oil (or another unrefined oil) for flavoring at the end? And what defines the end?