Pan Frying

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?

The best olive oils do not tolerate heat very well at all, unless highly refined. Grape seed oil is one of the best oils for sauteing. Sunflower oil is refined and also good for sauteing, and neutral flavoured like grape seed oil, but without the same health benefits. If you are going to add your good extra virgin olive oil to your cooked food, do so off the heat, as a flavouring agent, much like you would lemon juice. Hope this helps.

Ok! Thanks! Things are starting to fall into place, especially as I watched the rest of the lessons in this section. I looked at that chart "Smoking point of oils and fats" and I was wondering, will their smoking point affect knowing when to put the ingredients in? because the video said that when you see the first wisp of smoke, put the ingredients in. Will some oils not smoke? Or will some oils smoke too much because they were not meant for that high heat?

sorry for belaboring the Olive Oil point to death but i wanted to clarify, is "pure olive oil" another term for refined olive oil? from what i understand of pure olive oil, it's a lower-grade olive oil that's been made edible through refining so i was wondering if that's what you meant when you refer to refined olive oil.

thank you

Excellent extra virgin olive oil does not tolerate a lot of heat. Adding it to hot liquids is fine, but a very hot pan will denature its flavor profile and health benefits. Processed olive oil is fine for sauteing, actually with a high smoking point. Grape seed oil, I find, is fantastic for sauteing: it's neutral, doesn't denature as much as other oils, and healthy. Sunflower is pretty good too. Add the very good olive oil after the pan comes off the heat directly on the food, the same way you would add a squeeze of lemon, salt or pepper. Hope this helps.

When they market olive oil as "pure" without any indication of x-virgin olive oil or first or cold pressed, it's then a fancy word for refined olive oil. It's not just a lower grade of olive oil, but a much lower grade at inflated prices. Again, I wouldn't touch those oils. With olive oil, I want both its flavor and health benefits, so I'll pay for the real thing and use it appropriately. Hope this helps.

LOVED the water test, worked brilliantly. It was quite a revelation to me. Any insight into testing for the proper level of heat for other types of pans? Ie. Cast iron, non-stick etc.

Glad you liked the water test, I still use it myself. As for other types of pans the water test does not work the same. For cast iron I usually just flick some water on the pan, when it seems hot I go for it. Just keep in mind that cast iron does take a bit to heat up and it stays hot for a long time, even when you adjust the heat.

As for non-stick, it should never really be used on more than medium-ish heat, so I don't really do the water test with this one, as I am not worried about sticking or it being too hot.

Hope this sheds some light on the subject for you. Good Luck!

Apparently it's a pretty good oil to use (source: wikipedia). So it's goodbye to cooking with olive oil. We've used olive oil forever.

Hello,

first of all: Good job! I really like your site! Just what I as a young home cook was always looking for.

Well, my question is, whether this water-test also works on non-sticky pans or just on stainless steel?

Greetings from Germany,
Florian

The water test is only good for stainless steel pans Florian. Most non-stick pans should not be used on high heat (as stated by their manufacturers).

While non-stick pans have many advantages, they are not the best pans for making pan sauces or when you want "sucs" which is most of the time. This is why professional kitchens are stacked high with stainless steel.

Thanks for the great lessons!

Up until now I've been using an old non-stick pan that I inherited when I got to college. Now I'm living on my own and I really enjoy cooking, so I'd like to get a good pan to start myself off. Do you have any advice on shopping for a good pan? I think I'd like to get a stainless steel pan but whenever you look around at them they always list features that sound a little bit like marketing fluff - i.e., aluminum core, layered steel, etc. Any recommendations on a good, high-grade stainless steel pan for a novice cook?

A couple of things that indicate a quality stainless steel pan. First, its weight. Make sure it has a thick base, whether it's sandwiched with aluminum or copper. Make sure the pan has some weight; the heavier, the better. The sides should be relatively thick; thin sides will mean some scorching when sauteing. Finally, all metal handles are usually better than plastic ones. Again, the heavier the handle, especially if riveted rather spot-welded, is usually a sign of better craftsmanship. There are many brands that fit this description, though some are much pricier than others.

A quality pan will last a lifetime. Hope this helps.

Apparently has the highest smoking point of all, around 520°F. Does anyone on Rouxbe have any experience with this type of oil?

I have used avocado oil (because of the high smoke point) and it was pretty good. The only thing is it does add a distinct flavor to the food.

I still prefer grapeseed oil to cook with because it is so neutral and then extra virgin for finishing. But it's worth trying avocado oil for yourself.

Hope that helps!

First of all, I want to say your website is terrific. I'm saving to become a permanent member.

I have one question. I'm shopping around for a 12" AllClad skillet. I noticed that I could get one of their covered frypans for a much better price ($30 less). Can you tell me the difference between a French Skillet and a Frypan?

This is a tricky one because now-a-days they are often interchangeable...or the names are used incorrectly. Often people refer to a frypan to any pan that will fry something...be it a skillet or a frypan.

The main difference between the two is that a French skillet usually has deeper sides while a frypan generally has a more gentle-curved sides. Either would likely be a great all-around pan to use.

Hope this helps! And thanks for the nice comment, have a great day!

I can't believe I've been cooking for 20 years and didn't know of or understand the simple concepts in this lesson. I'm almost embarassed. I've also been stubbornly sticking (LOL) to usnig non-stick pans and now I see that stainless steel has many good points aside from the health aspects, to recommend it. My only regret is that my new house has a ceramic cook top stove in my dream kitchen. Sheesh. I am not a fan of the ceramic top because of the way they heat up, turn off, and heat up again. Maybe next year there will be a gas stove in my future.

Don't be embarrassed by not know this. Most people do not know this. This is why you're here :-)

How would you suggest testing the heat level of a carbon steel pan? I use mine for pan roasting and quick saute's, but sometimes it gets too hot, too quickly.

Unfortunately the water temperature only works for stainless steel pans so you will have to revert to a few other more traditional key indicators.

For pan searing or pan frying:

- sprinkle a bit of water in the DRY pan (just from the flick of a wet hand), it should make a very quick sound and evaporate almost instantly. Warning: don't do this if there is any fat in the pan (dry pan only).

- add oil and look for the shimmering (legs) as shown in topic 4 of this lesson

- look for whisps of smoke, should just start to smoke. If it's smoking too much, take off heat. If really smoking, start again.

- add ingredients (top 5). Learn the sound of a properly tempered pan. You can hear it in most of our videos when we pan fry as we take great care in capturing the sounds you should be listening for. Auditory cues are very important to cooking so it just takes practice and soon you'll be able to control temperature just by listening.

Hope this helps.

An infrared thermometer might be suitable for measuring temps in other pan types... a little bit pricey, but seems like it could be rather useful.

What is the difference between Pan Frying and Sauteeing?

http://rouxbe.com/community/forums/7/topics/645

Does anyone know what surface temperature in a frying pan would equate to the 'mercury ball' stage?

Depends on the olive oil. Personally, I reserve Olive Oil to making sauces and dressings... especially the Extra Virgin.

For most pan frying I use either Grape Seed or just plain old Canola Oil. Great smoke point on Canola, good robust taste and will pan fry just about anything you can get your hands on.

There's no need to buy expensive oils for frying, as your seasoning and sauces carry most of the flavor.

If I have to cook multiple batches I often get oil burnt on the pan which leaves dark brown stains. Do you have any tips cleaning this? I tried the baking soda and detergent trick in the Drill-Down section but it's not very effective for burnt oil.

I generally just scrub it with the rough side of the sponge, but I'm afraid this will scratch the surface long term.

Hi Vina,

We use oven cleaner to clean our pans at Rouxbe. Simply spray them in a well-ventilated area. We often put them in a garbage bag and let them soak over night. Once scrubbed and washed, they come out nice and shiny. However, a pan with stains on it means you've put it to good use, which is a good sign. A good stainless steel pan will last a lifetime, even if it discolors. There is a bit more information on this forum thread. Hope this helps!

Corn starch and a little water and distilled white vinegar. Let it sit for about 10 minutes after you apply it over the pan and then simply wash/rinse off.

I've decided to buy a stainless steel pan and visited couple of local hardware stores. (I live in Finland) As, I've learned they sell only all kinds of non-stick pans or cast iron pans. For some reason I don't seem to find stainless steel pans in hardware stores.
Do you have and ideas where can I buy good quality stainless steel pans in Europe?

I would suggest that you either ask your local kitchen store (if there is one) or else phone your favorite local restaurant and ask them where they buy theirs. There must be a restaurant supply store in Finland and most often they sell to the public.

Other than that you could always order them online. Here is a link to some stainless steel cookware on Amazon.

Thank you for your reply.
I have another question. When buying a frying pan what size I should pick? I have and electric stove (as in Finland no gas stove is used. It has 4 iron circles on top. Should I match the size of the bottom of the frying pan with the biggest iron circle on top? Or the frying pan can be bigger regardless of the stove iron circle sizes?

The size you buy depends on what the pans are being used for and how many people you normally cook for. This is why most people have more than one fry pan - ranging in size from quite small to quite a bit bigger. So to answer your question, no you do not have to buy them to "fit" the ring on the stove top.

Great questions and even greater answers.
I've learned a lot just by reading what everyone's saying and my pan frying skills have already improved.

Mike

So I use grapeseed oil for high heat cooking, but noticed that your recipe for Warm Salad Niçoise with Salmon called for cooking in olive oil. It says to heat to medium high heat which I did but the oil did smoke a bit. I went ahead and used the olive oil as I figured there was a reason for it. I guess my question is this: are there times that olive oil should be used for pan frying due to the flavor? Or should I just go ahead and substitute grapeseed oil whenever I will be cooking on medium high heat? And then add olive oil at the end for flavor if needed?

In the Mediterranean they cook with olive oil because it's abundant, and traditionally any dish from the very south Mediterranean will always have oil. But that's a cultural thing. You can definitely control which oil you wish to use. Your question is actually brilliantly answered by yourself, Rylla. And that's the beauty of having a good idea how ingredients work, you can substitute to your liking without compromising flavor, even if traditionally it goes outside the box.

When my pan is heated to the 'mercury' ball stage and I add butter, the butter tends to smoke / burn, but if I add the butter before this point, eggs tend to stick in the pan. I prefer cooking eggs w/ butter over oils. How do you guys deal with this?

Basically it could be the heat, the pan and or a combination of both. I suggest watch some of the lessons on How to Cook Eggs, in particular Part 1. this will answer all of these questions for you and then some. Cheers!

Hi Rouxbe team. I hope you are all enjoying your holidays. So I have two questions. First, is it better to use a non-stick skillet (as opposed to stainless steel or cast iron) to fry breaded proteins, or should the breading not make a difference? I was noticing that the crust was burning before the chicken was cooked. Second, I am having a hard time pan-frying the second batch. They always burn before they're cooked through. Do I need to do anything to the oil, sucs, or heat? Thanks for all your great help.

Hi Robert,

When frying breaded foods, for the best and even results, they should be shallow-fried. Shallow-fried means that when the food is placed in the pan, the oil will rise half-way up the food. This means you're using a lot more oil in comparison to pan frying.

Like you experienced, pan frying with a thin layer of oil will likely burn the breading before the food is cooked through. If you use enough oil, the food will be cooked through and the breading nice and golden. Frying in the proper amount of oil will also help to prevent any bits from burning and remaining in the oil, so second batches aren't usually a problem. If there are any burnt bits, you'll be able to scoop them out before adding the second batch.

Hope this helps.

Here are two recipes where we bread and shallow fry chicken Chicken Parmigiana and Southern Fried Chipotle Chicken

Is there any way to lower the calorie count of doing this? I *love* the deglazing - but I am trying to shrink the size of my waste.

I cooked chicken breast with a sherry deglazing that was beautiful and delicious. I am curious if I can shave down the calorie count on it though.

Though I have to be honest - since I started working on the lessons the *quality* of my food has gone up. But we are eating *less* - I suppose because I am plating it and not really cooking any "extra."

Make sure to pour the fat off before you deglaze, this would make it quite calorie-wise. You can also deglaze with things like chicken stock if you like.

Also keep in mind that if you are cooking "real" food at home you are already on the right path to eating better. Happy Cooking!

I have always wondered what type of vegetable(s) Vegetable oil comes from and it appears that it is Soybean oil. What type of oil is it considered? It seems to be neutral flavored and doesn't seem to have a low smoke point. Is it a suitable substitute for Grapeseed oil. BTW I think this site is very impressive and think you guys are doing a GREAT job, I am really getting a lot out of it. Thank you. DJ

You are correct that apparently a high percentage of vegetable oil comes from soybeans; however, vegetable oils come from various plant sources and can consist of different blends of oils (which can be both good and bad).

For more information see this post on Chowhound and another article talking about good and bad fats. Also here is more info from Wikipedia.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of different opinions out there that seem to change with the wind, so it's best to do your own research and choose what works for you. We generally prefer to use grapeseed oil for frying over soybean or other blends of vegetable oils. Hope this helps.

I was wondering if you could recommend a pan sauce or two for pan frying fish fillets. I tried making a muinerre sauce with some tilapia fillets and it was way too greasy, perhaps the butter did not brown enough? I was trying not to burn it under the impression it would become bitter. I also tried another tilapia fillet,this one fried in an aluminum fry pan as opposed to nonstick with the first. I geglazed the sucs with some white wine, reduced it, added some chicken broth, reduced again,took off heat, swirled in some butter, squeeze of lemon and some pepper. Wasn't bad but not great. BTW both times I dredged the fillets in flour, didn't really have a problem with the fillets sticking in aluminum pan. Thank you.

The list of sauces that you can make are endless. You sound like you were on the right track, but just keep in mind that you will not develop many sucs when pan frying fish. I would keep experimenting. Also you might find it helpful to watch (and practice) the Pan Sauce Lesson and the Pan Frying Lesson. Also the Beurre Blanc Lesson would be very helpful, as these sauces are typically served with fish.

Here is another thread that also talks a bit more about this.

This Cilantro Vinaigrette also happens to go very nicely with tilapia. Hope this helps!

I have tried to do this twice with chicken and I am having troubling results, the first one I was cooking whole breasts and I was having problems getting them done in the center. I ended up burning all the sucs. The salt and pepper seems to make the sucs burn easier.

The second time I was trying the quick chicken with tomato compote. Even though I had cut my chicken into medallions I was still having trouble cooking them through. It is really frustrating since I don't want to be cutting into my meat all the time to check if it is done. I tried using a instant read thermometer but when I try to use that it always ends up over done. I have used several different thermometers. Should I be cutting them in half length ways to prevent this and only use visual signs that the chicken is done?

Hi Justin,

Few suggestions. First make sure that you season the chicken (meat) before adding it to the pan. I am sure that you are doing this but just wanted to check because loose salt and pepper in the pan can burn.

Secondly, it sounds like your pan is simply too hot. You should be able to cook an entire chicken breast, thick cut of steak, etc. all the way through without burning. So once you get the pan to the right temperature and add the meat, turn it right down to low / med low. You should only hear a slight sizzle sound during the cooking process after the you first put the meat in the pan. If you are on an electric stove, you might even have to take the pan off the heat for 30 seconds to a minute to let the pan cool a little as electric burners do not cool off that quick.

Thirdly, protecting the sucs, particular if you want to make a pan sauce is important. If the pan is really dry (e.g. not much oil), it will burn much easier so feel free to add a bit more oil if the surface is too dry.

Note: thin cuts of meat will cook a lot faster than thicker cuts of meat so you can often leave the heat a bit higher. In fact, if you want a nice brown color, you will need to keep it higher. But thicker cuts will be in contact with the surface of the pan for a longer period of time, giving them more time to brown.

Try this and let us know how it goes. Practice makes perfect. Trust your instincts. There is a bit of art to this buy once you begin to read the indicators, you can adjust heat and cooking times much easier (e.g. burning, go lower. not browning, turn it up.)
Joe

Is there any consequences for adding oil when you already have a protein product in the pan? If it is drying up.

Better to add a bit of oil while pan frying than to let the sucs burn. Just don't over do it - trust your instincts and you will be fine. Cheers!

What if you want to fry something in butter in a stainless steel pan? When should you add the butter/how hot should the pan be?

Lately I've been trying to fry up sliced apples/pierogies in butter (since I prefer the butter flavor to oil), but whenever I try it in a stainless steel pan the food always sticks.

You can use butter, but there is a greater risk that it will burn, since you need to heat the pan over medium-high heat to properly heat it. To prevent the milk solids from burning, you can use half oil and half butter or use clarified butter, which has a much higher smoking point. Cheers!

No wonder I seldom pan fried anything, I always got mixed results that were usually bad. I grill a lot, but I must say since this lesson the grill is a bit jealous of the fry pan. Thoughts on peanut oil?

Peanut oil has a high smoke point, which is why some people really like it. It just comes down to personal choice, some chefs love it, some do not.

For more on the "which oil to use" discussion, I would read through this thread. Here in a permalink to where the discussion seems to take off. Cheers!

Can you suggest any vegetarian recipes for practicing pan frying? All the ones suggested in the practice section are non-vegetarian. (I'm not sure if you'd ever pan fry vegetables, but tofu, seitan or similar vegetarian protein products perhaps?)

PS: The last sentence of the first paragraph in the practice section seems garbled, "Note how long it take with you’re the heat source (electric or gas) you are using [...]" ?

Chris had asked about the temperature of the pan at the mercury ball stage. I was also curious. The phenomenon of that little ball of water flying around the pan is caused by the Leidenfrost effect and generally occurs at around 160 °C (320 °F) for water in a frying pan.

I put my stainless steel pan in to the oven for, say 1h, and it turn into a slightly darken color. No mater how hard I cleaned, it is still slightly yellow
Do you have any suggestion on cleaning it?

There are many discussions on this in the forum already. Here is a link to one of the previous threads on "Cleaning Stainless Steel Pans". You can also type in the word "stainless" or "cleaning pans" in the search bar at the top right of the page and then click on the "Forum Discussions" tab. Here you will see a few more threads and a variety of ways to clean stainless-steel pans. Cheers!

To be perfectly honest I am not sure if I can suggest things to practice pan-frying for a vegetarians. You can fry things like tofu, vegetarian wontons or gyozas, certain cheeses and even vegetables but you will not achieve the same results and/or sucs etc. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help in this department.

As for the question in the practice it has since been fixed. Cheers!

I wonder if the water test can only be achieve when the pan reach a specific high temperature (no matter the heat is medium or high)
or it depend on the heating that the temperature of the pan at this rate would be either medium or high

You can learn some more about the physics behind the water test at Wikipedia, search for "Leidenfrost effect". Note that, as the Wikipedia article explains, "The temperature at which the Leidenfrost effect begins to occur is not easy to predict. [...] As a very rough estimate, the Leidenfrost point for a drop of water on a frying pan might occur at 160 °C (320 °F)." Any case, AFAIU it depends on the temperature of the surface of the pan, not on the rate of heating; but the faster you heat the pan, the more easily it will get to the temperature where the Leidenfrost effect no longer occurs.

I don't understand where "flouring" comes into this, if at all. My habit -- just from imitation of my memories of my mother cooking -- has always been to flour cube steak but not to flour anything else when pan frying. (My mother floured chicken, also, but that was for frying with much more oil...Crisco shortening, actually.)

I vaguely had the idea that the flour was sort of a breading. I notice, though, that most instructions call for shaking it off pretty vigorously such that hardly more than a dusting remains. Does this have a role in reducing the moisture to enhance browning?

I am planning to do some pork chops tonight and, for some reason, see them as more of a candidate for flouring them some other meats. I want to make a pan sauce, too.

So should I flour my chops or any food that is pan fried in a minimal amount of oil with the intention of making a pan sauce? Thanks.

Flouring meat before browning can help to thicken an eventual sauce (i.e. cubed beef for a stew), but the sucs and browning will not be as good if you were to just sear the meat plain (refer to the lesson on Stewing in the Cooking School). Flour can help to seal in moisture during cooking, but when cooking a stew, that's not the point, since it is the cut of meat that provides the moisture and it is ultimately slowly cooked in a liquid. Flouring does have a place and can work well when pan frying certain fish.

We do not recommend flouring the pork chops if you plan to make a pan sauce. You will develop better sucs and flavor if you don't flour the meat. If properly cooked, you don't have to worry about sealing in any moisture and there are other ways to thicken the sauce as shown in the lesson. Hope this helps! Enjoy your dinner :)

Any advice on how not to burn the sucs from the first batch while cooking the 2nd? If I could I'd just use a larger pan, but it's not always an option.

You shouldn't have a problem with burnt sucs with a second batch. The most important thing is to monitor the heat. Make sure there is enough oil in the pan. Sometimes I place new pieces of meat over areas that might appear to be getting a bit dark (also when I flip each piece). The moisture will prevent the remains from burning. Make sure to monitor the heat and you should be good to go. Cheers!

Thanks, Kimberley, for your wisdom on flouring. I ended up doing a Garlic-Thyme sauce for my chops. Neither the chops nor the sauce were real special, although the pan-frying went very nicely...they browned up prettily and honored me with some nice sucs. Watching the little water ball, I got the pan hot enough for once!

Could I ask about splatter screens? I am sure that commercial cooks would scorn such a thing but since home kitchens don't come with ceramic tile floors with built-in drains and people paid to clean the place every day, well, splattering grease is a bit of a problem. But when I tried a splatter screen in the past, I felt that it was an impediment to air flow and caused a bit of a steam bath in my pan, which is not a good thing. So I threw the thing away. Now, though, I am getting antsy about grease splatter again and wonder if I acted too impetuously in tossing the thing. In your opinion, is this a useful device? I'd really like to limit the splatter but not at the expense of interfering with what I am trying to accomplish in the pan. I'd be interested in anyone's views.

Glad to hear you had good success with the sucs and pan frying. It takes some practice to fine tune a pan sauce, so keep at it.

I sometimes use splatter screens. At home, I have a ceramic top stove and can't stand all the grease splatters that occur. It always seems that after I clean the house all day I wind up pan frying something that same night! Argh!

I have a few mesh screens, but I don't think they are very effective. I still wind up with fine specks of grease everywhere. I haven't had a problem of them causing steam - maybe yours was so fine that that happened? A bit of grease is just the nature of cooking I guess and makes the meal at the end worth it.

I guess it's part of your mise en place too - have a sink full of hot, soapy water and keep your work areas clean while you're cooking. You'll have less cleaning to do by the time dinner is over. Cheers! :)

Thanks for your stoic advice, Kimberly. I'll try to let it go without obsessive zeal to "engineer" a complete solution, a tendency I have that is not always helpful ;<)

Today I used my brand new Allclad saute pan to pan fry some boneless skinless chicken thighs. It took some patience on my part to wait until the water did the mercury act, but it worked beautifully!! I've never been able to cook with stainless steel pans, and now I know it had everything to do with properly heating the pan.

One thing though. I had to turn down the heat quite a bit to get the 'easy sizzle' while the chicken was frying. On one hand it was good I think because the sucs didn't burn, but the meat was in the pan for quite a while and just would not give me the 'golden crust'. My first thought is to turn up the heat, but I also don't want to burn anything. Then I was thinking maybe I should leave them in longer, but I also had to braise them for a while after I didn't want to overcook the chicken.

I ended up taking the chicken out without a crust so that I could do the veg and braise, and the meal turned out delicious. BUT, succulent as the chicken was, there was no crust on it.

Am I just not patient enough? What do you think, higher heat or wait longer?

Patience and practice. Adjust and monitor the heat next time. You can have the heat a bit higher at the beginning to develop the crust, but can turn it down after a bit to prevent over cooking the food. It all comes down to practice, repetition and experimenting with adjustments. Keep at it. Cheers!

Thanks Kimberley, my wife said I could use more practice (she would too right :)). It never occurred to me that the heat would vary while cooking. I'll try more heat at the start next time.

If you have two batches you start out high, turn it down, take out batch #1, turn it back up for batch 2 and re-adjust? So we're looking for a really aggressive sizzle to start each batch for the crust and then you turn it down to cook?

Pan frying and cooking in general is all about monitoring the heat. Constant readjusting and using all of your senses (eyes, ears, smell) will help you fine tune these skills. There are no strict rules, as ingredients will differ - you just have to develop a sense of what is going on in the pan and keep making adjustments. This is where practice practice practice comes into play. Cheers!

Found the crust! I am so happy :) I used slightly higher heat like you said, and it developed just fine. It came out a tiny bit overcooked, nothing that a little practice can't fix. This weekend I got lots of chicken. It is fun when you start getting it :) Thank you for the encouragement.

For pan sauce I sauteed some minced onion, added some chicken stock, some balsamic, some honey and a little ancho chili powder. Served with some rice and corn, and everyone was happy. My kids gave it a 7 and a 10 (!).

Great job! Keep up the good work. Watching a video and actually cooking are two very different things. This is why we encourage people to practice. With cooking, repetition is where you learn. It takes time to understand the heat of your stove top and what is going on in the pan. As you know, there are many things to watch for to obtain the best results. A month from now...even a year from now, you will have a much deeper understanding of pan sauces and how all of cooking intertwines, so keep at it! Cheers!

Hey Rouxbe,

I really like the water test and have gotten it to work brilliantly on gas ranges. However my college apartment, where I am now, has electric ranges. I seem to go from the sizzle bubble point (too cold) to too hot without ever getting to the mercury ball stage, but electric is hard to work with as you can't just heat and cool quickly. Hence, I was wondering if you recommend pre-heating the pan for a few minutes on a low heat and then gradually increasing it while conducting the water test.

Best,

Michael

I use an electric stove, I heat the pan pretty slowly on 4-5 on my stove.

Its also helpful to be using a good pan, I used to use a crappy stainless steel that took forever to heat and cool so I often went from under heated to over heated.

Now I'm using some tri ply pans (Cuisinart multi clad pro) and its much easier to keep a pan at the proper temp.

Definitely give it a try. Monitoring the heat and making adjustments with the heat source is what cooking is all about. There's no harm in slowly heating the pan to get it to the proper temperature. You may just have to wait a bit longer. You're on the right path though - just keep practicing and you'll get the hang of the heat and the type of pan. Cheers!

I was not able to perform the water test to the desired ball stage on my all clad saute pan. I had the heat on medium high heat the first time and then I tried it using medium heat. The water formed bubbles and evaporated, while I kept waiting and testing and I did not see a single ball like it was shown on the video. Was it because of the pan or the heat setting ? Thanks, Sheela

I have All-Clad stainless-steel saute pans and am able to perform the water test. If the water bubbles and evaporates, the pan is not hot enough. Let the pan heat slowly over medium or medium-high heat - this can take a few minutes, depending on your stovetop. Be patient and keep adding a bit of water until the ball forms. Cheers!

My pan-frying is getting better but I have major issues deciding when chicken breasts are done through... Are there any guidelines on this?

At the beginning, until you are familiar with the time it takes to cook through, the best way to tell is to make a small cut into the thickest part and take a peek inside. Also, touch the breast during the cooking process to begin to understand how it feels as it becomes more cooked. It just comes down to experience. Thicker pieces will definitely take longer than thinner, pounded breasts. And keep in mind, as the chicken breasts rest, they will continue to cook a bit more from the carryover cooking. Hope this helps. Cheers!

If I preheat my pan to mercury-ball temperature and then add oil to "legs" texture, food won't stick...but adding delicate foods at that temperature will instantaneously destroy them (eggs are one, but not the only, example). If I cook those foods starting at a lower temperature, they stick and are destroyed.

I've watched the eggs lesson and understand the "just buy a nonstick pan" sentiment, but let's assume I have a flock of exotic birds living directly above my stove (or I'm in someone else's kitchen and they only have stainless). How do I cook delicate, heat-sensitive foods without them sticking in stainless steel?

You can cook with stainless-steel over lower heat; however, you will need to use plenty of fat to prevent sticking.

More fat = less sticking...but depending on the food, its weight, surface texture, etc., it can still stick. There are so many variables...from the pan's quality to the heat source, and even the type of food being cooked, that it is hard to give a definite answer. So, I guess the answer is: test out some eggs. You will likely need to use a lot more fat to prevent them from sticking. Cheers!

While waiting for a response on here, I decided to be proactive and experiment on my own. A dozen eggs and a lot of elbow-grease and Barkeeper's Friend later, I think I've got it!

I use All-Clad d5 Stainless pots and pans. I tried all different combinations of temperatures, fat types, and fat quantities.

First, I tried adding the fat with lower initial pan temperature; egg stuck. Tried adding egg and fat together; egg stuck. Tried cooking at extremely low temperature without heating pan first; egg stuck. Tried adding egg at mercury ball temp without cooling; egg vaporized and floated about the kitchen as a fine mist.

After inhaling my breakfast, I finally tried the following:

1. Heat pan to mercury ball.
2. Add cold oil and allow to warm up.
3. Reduce heat down to a temperature that won't instantly vaporize an egg.
4. Add said egg (I had warmed my egg to room temperature as well).
5. Thrill as the surface is slicker than nonstick, somehow, and there's absolutely no sticking!

It seems that there's something magical about heating the pan to mercury ball stage first, and then adding the cold fat, even if you then reduce the heat. I guess the adage "hot pan, cold oil, no stick" has merit!

Experimenting for yourself is the best way to learn. Nice work Rob! Thanks for the notes and feedback. Cheers.

how too,I always end up soggy skin,even though I keep pouring the fat off at regular intervals

Make sure your pan has been properly heated. You might also want to check out the technique in Step 3 of this recipe to see how we have pan-fried duck breast. Cheers!

When cooking in batches is it accpetable practice to add more oil when the oil is deplenished? I have been doing this and it does not appear to affect the sucs.

It's actually important to do this. If the pan gets dry, the sucs can burn. Typically though, fat rendered from the meat will keep the pan moist with oil but you are right, add it a bit if needed.

You can also move the meat around in the pan to the drier spots to keep these areas from drying out and burning the sucs.

Great work on watching the indicators and reacting during the cooking process.

Is there any real benefit (in terms of cooking) to using expensive stainless steal cookware as opposed to a cheaper stainless steal cookware?

Cookware that is of high quality will heat evenly and have less hot spots, which is why good cookware is often easier for many home cooks to use. That being said, most restaurants do not use expensive cookware. Once a cook understands how heat transfers through the pan and how to apply the proper amount of heat to the food, they can get away with using cheaper cookware. The most important thing is to understand the difference between pan frying, sauteing, and sweating for example and master these techniques in order to obtain consistent results (see the Cooking School for all of these lessons). Hope this helps!

Is it better to fry delicate fish in a nonstick or will stainless be ok? I think I've mastered the water test and heat control with the stainless.

Andy you may want to watch the lessons on Pan Frying Fish and Cooking Fish Fundamentals, as we go into quite a bit of detail about this subject. Cheers!

first of all, thanks for this great lesson! i did some research and found out about seasoning pans. what type of pans can you season and how would you do it properly to ensure that meat does not stick? thanks

There are many pans that can be seasoned. Here are some links to other discussions on Rouxbe regarding woks, cast iron, and carbon steel. Hope this helps. Cheers!

can you season a pan directly on the stove? i read somewhere that you can but i just want to be sure? how much oil do i have to add to the pan when i season it? thanks

Yes you can, on low heat with a thin film of oil, and a lot of elbow grease. You'll have to sacrifice a rag too.

that method will work with stainless steel right?

I don't know your pan but I do know that I have stainless steel pans and I have never (nor do I need to) season them. I just heat them properly...add the oil and they are virtually non-stick. Cheers!

which pan is better for getting a nice color on red meats like steak, pork, duck etc? and also, is it common in restaurants to use non-stick for delicate meats such as fish?

This is great,i'm learning a lot,thank's for the education,everything is wonderful,very well set up,THANK'S too the chef's.

Every time i pan fry red meat i burn the sucs. The first warning I get is my oil starts smoking right away (no wisps of smoke) but i know my pan not too hot because i use the water test and add the oil immediately after the meurcury ball appears. This does not happen with my chicken.

If your oil smokes profusely as soon as it is added to the pan, your pan is likely a bit too hot.It shouldn't smoke a lot. Make sure you are ready to go with all of your mise en place so as soon as you see that first mercury ball, you're ready to go.

Taste the sucs. Sucs sometimes look a bit darker from red meat than white meats. If they are bitter, yes, they are burnt...so you need to adjust your heat downward during the cooking process. If they taste fine, it just might be the color difference. Cheers!

OK, I've now gotten pretty good at frying in my stainless steel skillet -- I now understand how to preheat, when and how much to oil, etc. However, the other night I needed to brown some ground beef to put in (homemade!) pasta sauce. I figured I'd use my skillet, and preheated and oiled it properly. Problem is, the beef stuck to the pan as I tried to break it up. It occurred to me when this happened that, due to the nature of browning ground beef, I can't really let it sit to form a crust since I need to break it up as it cooks. Is there a better technique for this kind of thing? Would this have been an occasion for non stick, since I didn't need any sucs? Should this be done perhaps a lower heat? I was able to scrape the beef off the bottom of the pan as it cooked, so it turned out ok, but I was just curious whether there might be a better way to go about it. Thanks.

Good questions Joseph. Sounds like you managed okay but here are a few things to take into consideration for next time.

First, make sure the meat is completely thawed if previously frozen (which I am sure it was) and then break the meat up before you put it in the pan. If the meat is not broken up it will cook in the shape that it was initially formed.

I think in your case the heat may have been too high, like you said, Next time cook the meat on a lower setting (somewhere between low and medium is usually good). If the pan is too hot the meat can either stick or start to form a crust, which one generally does not want when cooking ground meat. Higher heat in this case will also cause more shrinkage. You can also use a non-stick pan if you like...I often do.

Once you start cooking the meat, keep separating any chunks with a spatula and cook it until you see the water evaporate from the pan. Then drain the meat if necessary using a colander and continue on with your recipe.

Hope this helps - cheers!

Thanks. So does this mean that in this case I do not need to first preheat the pan to "mercury ball" stage?

The "mercury ball" stage is a good way to preheat the pan. Once the pan has been properly preheated then turn the heat down and proceed. Cheers!

Hmmm. I have the same problem and Kimberly didn't get to the heart the problem. How do you prevent the sucs from burning - not how do you tell if they are burned, Obviously, too high temperature will do it, but the balance between temperature too high and temperature too low to sear properly is tough. Should I add extra oil if it looks like the sucs are browning and heading to burn before my meat is seared? Should I add a touch of wine or water to cool it down?

You prevent the sucs from burning by monitoring and adjusting the heat. This takes practice. By all means, if the pan is dry, add a touch more oil. It is useful to even take the pan off of the heat source to cool it down as well.

Adding a touch of water or deglazing liquid will lift off the sucs. This is best done at the end of the browning process. If the liquid is added too soon, you'll wind up steaming the rest of the meat and you won't get a nice crust.

If you haven't finished browning all of the pieces and you're sucs are at risk of burning, it is better to deglaze with a bit of the liquid, scrape up the bits and pour the reduced deglazing liquid into a dish and set it aside. Wash the pan out and start over with the rest of the meat.

By controlling the temperature and turning it up and down during the process, you shouldn't have to worry about burnt sucs. Cheers!

Hi!
I'm totally new to (and really getting into) cooking. My hubby gave me a subscription here for my birthday and I'm SO excited. I'm seriously starting at zero and I've already learned so much on here! (both the lessons and the discussion threads after) Thank you!

All I've ever used pretty much has been non-stick coated pans. Can you expound a little on why the stainless steel is better? I'm not interested in sucs as I'm vegetarian and that seems to be the biggest reason for using them mentioned... I also saw you shouldn't use them for higher heat cooking - why is that? I would love to hear any info you can share...

thanks!

Welcome to Rouxbe! Yes, stainless-steel will help with the development of sucs, but also, if you cook foods over higher heat, you can brown/caramelize them (even if your vegetarian!)...browning adds flavor. Proper pan frying is a must-know technique no matter what your diet is.

Generally, non-stick is not recommended for high-heat cooking. Many manufacturers even recommend to only use non-stick over medium to medium-high heat at most. Cooking over high-heat with non-stick pans will reduce their shelf life. The pan will likely not last very long and will need to be replaced more often. Once the coating begins to bubble or flake, it's time to get rid of it.

If you type in "non-stick" in the search bar at the top right of any page, you'll find plenty of forum discussions on this topic. Cheers!

Thank you so much Kimberly! great info, and I will check that link out, too.

Hi, I'm new around here, and having an absolute blast using these tips (my wife is enjoying it as well)!

My question is about tempering meat before pan frying -- can this only be done with steak, or can/should I do this with other meats as well (for example, pork chops or chicken breasts)? I made pan-seared ribeye steaks the other day that I had tempered in the oven for 20 minutes, and they came out beautifully, so I was wondering if I can temper other meats in a similar manner.

I imagine I would need to temper for less time, since the cuts are smaller and have less fat; would it be best to simply make sure that they have been out of the fridge for long enough to not be "fridge-cold", or are there any hazards in bringing pork or poultry to near room temperature before cooking? Thanks!

Good call. You can temper any meat, but chicken and pork are more prone to contamination so should temper for less time and at least with a film of oil to protect it. The best is to temper in as short a period as possible, so for chicken and pork the bagged and in hot water method right before cooking works best.

I want to congratule all of Rouxbe Staff and for this fantastic way of learning. Regarding my doubt, I just want to know what is the main reason for Non-Stick pans doesn`t retain sucs as stainless-steel? Thank you.

Glad that you are enjoying Rouxbe :)

Since many manufacturers do not recommend using non-stick for high-heat cooking, it can be harder to get the temperature up there to create nice caramelization. Also, it is harder for the sugars from meats and other ingredients to stick to the non-stick surface. Hope this helps! Cheers!

When covering the meat after frying or cooking, on some videos you cover it with alu-foil and prick it with fork or tear the foil, on some videos you cover it with alu-foil but don't prick it or tear. What's the difference?

It does not really matter as long as there is some air circulation. The holes help to create more air circulation, which is especially important if you have something with a crispy skin or crust. Cheers!

I've just started using an induction hob and was wondering, what sort of temperature I should be using when pan frying and also when just sweating ingredients?

This is the thing about cooking. No matter what the heat source (electric, gas, induction, etc) you just need to look for the indicators and what is happening in the pan.

If pan frying, use medium to medium-high heat and perform the water test. If sweating, use low heat. Monitor what is happening to the food in the pan. You want color with pan frying and no color if you are sweating ingredients.

It's about getting acquainted, practicing and constantly adjusting the temperature to obtain the results you want. Test it out with some chopped up onions or something. See where the temperature needs to be set for them to get good color and what low setting you need to be on to sweat. It might be helpful to review the lesson on "How to Sweat Ingredients" as well. Cheers!

Hello Rouxbe Experts,
I love your classes! I purchased my first real pan today and used the skills learned on the Pan Fry Course. IT WORKED PERFECTLY!!! I love you guys! Now I want to make sure I care for my pan properly. I was able to wipe it clean just like a non stick pan, I was so proud I didn't burn it. Yeah! But I noticed it has a sort of white water stain look. I boiled water in it and wiped it down again but it still looks like I should do more. I am afraid to mess it up... it was a real splurge for me. So I look forward to your expert advise on care. Thanks again.

Here is a thread that was started a while back on this subject. Good luck with your new pan. May you enjoy many great meals with it. Cheers!

I love using the stainless steel, but I also have a collection of cast iron (my grandmothers), so I'd also like to keep using them, especially for red meat. The problem is, I have a hard time telling if they are at the right temperature since I can't do the mercury ball test on them. Too often, they're too hot. Is there a more efficient way of testing before pouring the oil in and having it smoke?

Yes, cast iron is too porous for the mercury ball test. It just comes down to practicing and knowing your heat source. If you pour in the oil and it smokes because the pan is too hot, wipe it out, cool off the pan slightly and try again. Hope this helps!

I have to say that learning the fact that proteins stick to the fry pan because the pores in the fry pan grab the meat as they warm up has been a revelation to me! I LOVE cooking with stainless and not having my food stick!

Last night I experimented and was amazed that I was able to fry some left over rice in my wok, which although not stainless I was still able to successfully use the "Mercury Ball" test on, and I cooked a huge batch of fried rice with absolutely no sticking, and no burning! That was a first for me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Is the temperature for the pan frying the same whether you have a gas stove or an electric? I have the latter and was wondering if I need to use medium heat also. Thanks for the lesson.

The key thing is that the pan reaches the correct temperature as indicated by the water test, whether using gas or electric. This preheating can be done at various temperatures - medium, medium-high etc. the higher the heat the quicker you will get there. I would recommend that you give the test a try and see how it works for you. Hope this helps. Cheers!

I am often faced with the dilemma of what to do with excess oil. Either oil left over from pan-frying, or oil that needs to be discarded because I got the pan too hot and smoked it!

I'm happiest with soaking it up with a paper towel and discarding it with the regular garbage, but sometimes there is just too much oil for that. So, I've tried having a tin can on the counter and pouring the hot oil in there. (kinda ugly.. and I don't always have a tin can available.)

I've tried reusing an empty oil container, but they are plastic, and hot oil will melt the container. And regardless, at some point I still have to throw out the container full of used oil.

I've tried throwing it into the garden (it is "vegetable" oil after all!) but that just doesn't seem like a good thing to be doing. :-(

Any suggestions?

This lesson on pan frying was my first lesson. I took the quiz first and got 18 out of the 24 correct. In spite of that good grade, I really did learn a lot from this lesson especially how to prevent my meat from sticking to the pan. I never thought about the fact that it might be doing that because the pan was not at the right temperature.

Also the above comments about grape seed oil reminded me to get some. I used to use it when I could easily get it at some of the the wineries near my previous Virginia home. I recently noticed that my neighborhood grocery here in TN carries it, so will be getting some tomorrow when I shop and start using it again. I am really looking forward to trying some more lessons.

Quality frying oils, such as grapeseed, even refined olive oil (which has a much higher smoking point than extra virgin) can be used a few times before discarding, but only if shallow or deep frying, not pan frying. If you have a lot of excess oil from pan frying, you are probably using too much oil. Nevertheless, don't reuse that oil as it is probably too contaminated with burnt bits of food. Cool in the pan then discard in a large container. When that container is full, take it to a recycling depot. I would not throw it with your compost.

Thanks for the lesson on pan frying. I always had trouble with burning or tough meat. You really helped me. I have been making so many mistakes in pan frying. It was interesting and easy to understanding. Thank You

As someone who has been cooking for a long time, I founds the whys helpful. I sometimes get in a hurry with all the running grandkids here and there. This helped me see that I must take the time to do it right. I rarely eat the meat I cook so I never noticed. This was very useful.I just hope my husband notices.

It is amazing how much this simple lesson has affected the taste and texture of my pan fried food. Everything is much more flavorful and juicy. Not to mention I no longer have the problems of the meat sticking to the pan. I am now much more likely to enjoy a healthy chicken breast because I find it both easy to cook and a satisfying and delicious alternative to eating out. I am really getting a lot out of this website and I really enjoy my time in the kitchen.

I learned some things from this I did not know,it is amazing what a few simple changes in the way you cook will change the whole look and taste of the food.

Like Leigh, a few posts back, I tried re-heating a rice-based Chinese meal in a "properly" heated and oiled stainless wok. Not a single grain of rice stuck to the pan. I was tickled that cleanup was such a breeze. Next time I'll try it in my old carbon steel wok.
I've only recently signed on to Rouxbe and am thoroughly enjoying it.

Amazing......I can't believe I now know how to heat a pan properly...Hopefully no more sticking of meat...What a great lesson...I can hardly wait to try boneless, skinless chicken breasts..
Thanks
Joanie Byrd
Fresno,CA

Ok let me start by saying thanks for a well tought lesson. I myself went to culinary school in San Fransico and to be honest we were not tought this particular lesson in such great detail. May have spent the same time on the lesson but not nearly the same details.

I just finished trying the correct procedure for heating a pan and browning lamb shanks. Wella!!! The meat did not stick...It's the first time I have ever browned meat in this pan and the meat did not stick. Beautiful. What a great lesson...My husband also enjoyed watching the water bead up float around the pan at the correct heat.
Thank you so much for this wonderful lesson.
Joanie B

Very excited about my first lesson of pan frying... I watched the video lesson and it kept my attention the entire time... In fact, I tested 100%,so the information stuck with me... Cannot wait for my second lesson...

Do you have any helpfull hints for pan frying with electric? It is hard adjusting heat..

I unfortunately am also stuck with using an electric stove, so I can empathize with the problem. The biggest problem of course is how slow the electric stoves are to respond to adjustments. I begin by setting the stove to medium high and heat up my Stainless Steel pan to the mercury ball stage. Once the proper temperature is reached, I turn down the heat a little, and lift the pan off the burner, add my oil, and test for whiffs of smoke and legs on the oil. The burner cools down much quicker without a pan on it, and the pan stops getting any hotter. Once the oil looks right, I return the pan to the burner, add my meat and listen for the proper sizzle. If too hot, lift the pan off the burner for a few more seconds, adjust the burner if necessary, and try again. Listening to the sizzle seems to be the key, and the quickest adjustment to heat is made by lifting the pan off the burner until the sizzle is right. You'll quickly learn the levels on your stove that will maintain the proper sizzle.

I will try this way tonight.. I don't really pan fry much anymore because of the problems with electric, I bought a nuwave oven and I cook 98% of my meat in it. But I don't get SUCS with it...Which SUCKS...lol

Wow! I was very impressed with how informative this lesson was for me! I was always unable to pan fry until now. Nothing turned out correct. I can't wait to start a new lesson! I do however, have a question for you. Foods have been burnt in my stainless steel pans. Food seems to stick all the time in the same spots. Is this going to continuously cause me problems? Do I need a whole new set?

Hard to say whether you need a whole new set of pots and pans. Did you try using them with the water test? Are they super thin? Perhaps you might just want to slowly start add a few new pieces here and there but again, without seeing your set it is hard to say. Cheers!

I learned a lot. I even took notes! Great lesson, I hope to try this out over the weekend!

about this site sooner would have saved me money. I had purchased an expensive stainless steal cooking set. Every time I cooked with it, everything would stick to the pans no matter how much oil or butter I used. I never knew about waiting for it to heat up and not using slightly frozen meat and smoothering in huge gobs of marinade. So I was so mad one day that I threw the cooking set away. Thinking it was the pans fault. So kind of sad that I threw them away. Knowing that it was me and not the pans I bought. I actually thought I knew a lot about cooking, but going through these lessons. I figured not so much. I even had a chef knife I never used cause it looked intimidating so I always used a steak knife to cut everything. So just basically wanted to say I wish I would have known about this site earlier it would have saved me a lot of heartache.

Fabulous lesson on pan-frying! I have cooked for years with cast-iron, but was so inspired by your demonstration that I ordered a gorgeous All-Clad frying pan. The care instruction sheet was a bit of a shock. It says, "Add oil, butter or margarine to the cold pan, just enough to cover the bottom surface" then "Preheat the pan over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then add food for cooking." I have never NOT pre-heated a pan or wok. I called the company and said surely this must be an error. The employee said they recommend the cold pan because of the danger of sputtering butter. Do you think this recommendation was to protect them from lawsuits? Have all of you who cook with All-Clads preheated the pans the way Dawn demonstrated?

I'm recommending this site to my sister who is a committed foodie. She has eaten well in Vancouver and is very interested in your school Great job!

I just took the plunge and preheated the pan over medium heat. First water test was already at the mercury ball stage. I added my oil and browned beef for stew. At the lower heat, there was very little spattering. I was quite amazed. Great sucs too.

Hey! This is crazy cool. Great lesson. I earned a great set of stainless steel pots and pans from my work recently and I always thought you heated up the oil while you heat up the pan. I have already learned so much! Can't wait to watch some more videos and profess my new techniques to my family and friends.

So I went off of advice I read on the internet without double checking and bought a low smoking point oil by mistake and burned the oil when I added it to the pan. I've having a lot of difficulty cleaning the yellowing burned oil marks off the pan. Any advice on a better way to clean it?

You may want to search the forum for this as there are a few threads on this subject that have already been started. Here is a link to a thread called "cleaning stainless steel pans". Hope this helps. Cheers!

Yippee!! For my birthday present, my amazing husband gave me a subscription to Rouxbe. I'm a first-time student, just discovering your site tonight. I devoured the Pan Frying lesson (discovering I didn't know as much as I thought I did) and cannot wait to learn more. This online format with impressive interactivity is going to be perfect-o for me with my more-than-full-time schedule. As a training professional, I'm very impressed with this learning format. Well done, Rouxbe!

Now for my first question. While I do own a couple stainless steel fry pans, most of my cookware is Chantal. Will the 'stainless' cooking techniques described in this lesson translate to my Chantal cookware?

Second: I'm a little overwhelmed with the learning choices. Do you have curriculum(s) that would provide a suggested sequence?

Can't wait to get started. -Birthday Girl

Hi Carolyn,

First, if it's the stainless steel pan from Chantal it should work. Give it a try. This company also seems to sell other pans, at least according to their website, so to see check which ones you have and also be sure to check the manufacturers products and care section.

As for how to get started, go to the FAQ here, and there is a question and answer in the third section that should help get you started. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to email us below with the contact us link at the bottom of any page.

Cheers,
Joe.

Just finished my first practice with Chicken Marsala. Served with buttery mashed potatoes and sauteed Swiss chard with garlic. Mmm, mmm good!!! I'd really like to make this for a special group meal but one person is in recovery. Can you suggest any substitutes for the wine? I guess it will no longer be Chicken Marsala, huh? Well, consider this a general question for pan sauces that call for alcohol. Any guidance in using wine substitutions? And yes, my next lesson will be Pan Sauces :) ** I'm having so much fun **

-Carolyn

Yes, you are correct. Substituting something for marsala will change the dish and it will no longer have the unique flavor associated with this type of wine. Here is a site that offers some substitution suggestions for wine. You can use other ingredients, but keep in mind it will completely change the dish. Sometimes when a dish calls for small amounts, you can get away with it...but when it is such a vital part of the dish, it just won't be the same. Cheers!

I'm looking at a "lite" recipe that calls for using non-stick cooking spray to sear pork in a skillet. I have heard that these sprays can ruin a non-stick surface, but I'm wondering whether it's ok to use on stainless steel cookware without damaging it. If so, are there any adjustments I would need to make to the pan frying method -- such as using lower heat, or spraying the pan at a particular point? I'm concerned that heating the pan to mercury ball stage may be too hot for use with cooking spray and that it will break down too quickly, burn, and/or create a film or discoloration in the pan. Honestly, I'd prefer to just use grapeseed oil, as I'm not a fan of cooking spray. But, still, it would be good information to know. I spent a good deal on my cookware, and would not want to ruin it with something like this. Thanks!

We do not recommend spraying pans with cooking spray. Cooking spray is generally reserved for spraying on cold pans (such as cake pans, muffin tins, cookie sheets or even roasting pans).

When pan frying it can burn very quickly and even produce a sticky film on the pan, which can be extremely hard to remove.

If you follow the steps in the pan frying lesson you will see that very little oil is needed to produce a non-stick surface. Alternatively, if you are trying to "go ultra lite" then just use a little less oil and perhaps grill the meat rather than pan fry it.

In the end though, I say this...you are keeping things healthier just by cooking the food yourself and if you lead a healthy life style then a little bit of healthy oil should not be a problem. Hope this helps. Cheers!

Thanks, Dawn. That's pretty much what I thought, too, but I see this "technique" so often in "cooking light" cookbooks, I thought I'd check it out with some experts before using it on my good cookware. I'm not "fat-phobic" like so many Americans these days, but I thought maybe I was missing something. Grapeseed oil it is, then!

This was an excellent lesson that is starting to shed light on why just having the recipe does not mean that you will get the same results. The videos were great but when I cooked tilapia tonight I forgot that the water sizzling and evaorating quckly was a sign of getting hot but not quite there. I kept turning the heat down and ended up with some sticking. Then I came and rewatched the video and found out what went wrong. Excellent. I'm looking forward to learning more!!

My bottle of olive oil doesn't tell me how much heat it can with stand. So then is it not made for cooking? Should you always use olive oil? What about stuff like Criso?

We use mostly grapeseed for sauteing as it has a high smoke point and it is also neutral in flavor. For more information on this subject, you may want to read through this forum, in particular the answers from Chef Tony M. as this has been a very popular question/discusssion. Cheers!

Great News I cooked chicken stripes for a salad . Never stuck on the pan and was a beautiful brown color and had great taste. Thanks for the lesson. Love the little water ball.

I'm just a beginner, so I thought all you do is let your pan heat and then and the oil then the ingredients. I figured this method is used for all kinds of meat. My eyes have really been open.

I have been cooking for over 46 years and never knew proper pan frying or how to test for the correct heat in a stainless steel pan. Thank you.

I enjoyed the video on Pan Frying but unfortunately I have electric and not gas in my kitchen. Any rules to live by when pan frying or cooking in general with stainless steel and electric ranges?

Sort of the same really, things just take longer and the heat source is obviously less responsive. For many more discussions on this search (at the top right of each page) for "electric", "gas" or even "gas vs. electric" and you will find many more discussions on this same subject. Cheers!

I did a search for "electric", "gas" and "gas vs. electric" prior to writting my intial question and found nothing. Thanks.

The key thing is that the pan reaches the correct temperature as indicated by the water test, whether using gas or electric. This preheating can be done on a gas or electric stove at various temperatures, medium, medium-high etc. the higher the heat the quicker you will get there. I would recommend that you give the test a try and see how it works for you. Hope this helps to clear things up for you. Cheers!

@Chris C. You will find comments on this topic just a little higher up on this very thread.

@Chris C. -- When searching for a topic, make sure that after the search results are displayed (Default is the RECIPE category), you select the FORUM DISCUSSION tab on the results page. For instance when you do a search for "electric", the results page initially shows nothing found in the Recipes category. Switch to the Forum Discussion tab, and you will find about 100 hits over two pages.

I have always been using Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Pan Frying in our non stick pans whilst proudly thinking that I am making a healthy choice decision.

Anyway today after viewing the lesson I went and bought a SS pan did the water test, added the Olive Oil, set off the smoke detector alarms, stained my brand new pan and upset the wife with smell of burnt oil all through the house.

I then went back to view the video and straight away realised I should have been using high temperature smoking oils for frying all these years.

So it looks like another good reason for me to have subcribed to Ruexbe.

The pans in a plastic bag with oven cleaner, the wife is spraying air freshener all over the place and grapeseed oil is on the shopping list.

The beauty of stainless steel is that it truly is stainless. There are plenty of cleaners available to bring back the brilliance of your SS cookware. Oven cleaner is not one of them! This has been discussed extensively on other threads so I won't repeat it all here. Do a search for "Cleaning Stainless Steel" on the Rouxbe Forum Discussion tab, and you'll be directed to several great threads.

Thanks Leigh, I just gave the pan a rub over with some non scratch ceramic stovestop cleaner and this removed the stain. I then polished with some SS cleaner and the pan looks new again. But I will check the thread you mention for the proper cleaning solution.

Glenn M: I stand corrected. I just followed my own advice and found the thread where ROUXBE staff states that they do clean their SS cookware with oven cleaner (outdoors mind you!). Please accept my apologies for misleading you.

I found that the oven cleaner removed the burnt fat coating ok but did not completely remove the brown stain. The polishes however got this stain off.
Not burning the pan in the first place seems the way to go :)-

I have a "Jamie Oliver Italian Series" fry pan that has probably gotten a bit over heated in the past. There is a brown stain in the middle of the pan.

Food always seems to stick here in this pan so I thought whilst I am investigating pan frying I would try and fix this stain.

So far I have soaked and scrubed the pan with baking soda but the stain has not shifted.

Is this time for a new pan or can it be fixed?

Sounds like it's likely time for a new pan. Cheers!

I know that I need an oil that has a higher smoking point but what type is best? Should I use one that has a subtle flavor or something bolder? Thx.

This website is the best! One look at the video about pan frying and I was hooked!

There are plenty of comments in this thread on this topic (read above). Also, there is a drill-down attached to Topic 4 of this lesson called "The Smoking Point of Fats and Oils". We generally use grapeseed, but you can use any of the oils that have a high smoke point. The choice is up to you. Cheers!

Hello there,

I was wondering if it is possibile to bread the chicken ahead of time and store it in the fridge before frying it up in the evening? Would it turn soggy? Is there any way to do this? Thanks!

For the best results, it is best to bread chicken and/or any other foods just before frying. Cheers!

I've got a couple of boneless chicken breasts marinading in olive oil, lemon, rosemary, tarragon, salt and white pepper as I write. I had thought about pan frying it but now I wonder if I will just end up burning it because of the olive oil marinade.

I then thought about searing it a bit and then sticking it in the oven to finish...

Then thought about just sticking it in the oven.

What do you think? Thanks in advance!

Jim, I see nothing in your marinade that will burn as long as you watch the temperature in your pan. What you have used is not all that much different from what I would coat my chicken with prior to pan frying anyway. I vote for the pan fry. Just follow the instructions in the pan frying lesson, and you'll do fine.

Thanks, Leigh. I'm loving learning from Rouxbe but it is making me a bit more cautious...which is a good thing. I was just afraid that the olive oil might burn. A tiny bit of knowledge is a fearful thing. ha!

This, like all I've gone through, is a great lesson.

Thanks again.

i want to pan fry pork stakes. can i do this without a lot of oil and flouering them first?

For the best color, it is best to fry the steaks using just a bit of oil as shown in the lesson. If you introduce a starch (the flour) as the coating, you will need to use a bit more oil to prevent the flour from burning. Cheers!

Last night I tried to pan fry some pork chops but was unable to get the skillet to the "Mercury ball stage" after trying for about half an hour. The pan was either too hot or too cool. I was using a Revere Ware stainless steel skillet that has a copper bottom, and I'm wondering if the skillet itself is a problem. Has anyone used Revere Ware pans for pan frying, or is anyone familiar with copper-bottom skillets? If so, is it simply a case of the novice cook (namely me) needing more practice or are copper-bottom skillets/pans like Revere Ware more difficult to use? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I don't have Revere Ware, but I do have copper bottom stainless steel pots and pans and they work fine. The copper bottom is supposed to provide better heat transfer, so perhaps your stove is the problem? It may be missing the "sweet spot" where the temperature is just right.

Thanks Leigh S. I tried again and was able to make it work. My stove has a larger burner on the front right and a "standard" sized burner on the front left. The front left burner worked much better, and the pan didn't take long to get to the correct temperature. Now I can try making pan sauce...better review the lesson again to avoid a disaster!

What oil would you perfer people to cook in. We would typicaly use canola oil.

Deanna, I learned the hard way that extra virgin olive oil is NOT a good choice because it smokes badly as soon as it hits the skillet. A friend of mine recommended checking the smoke point of the oil first. Unrefined olive oil has a smoke point of 320 degrees, which probably explains why it set off my smoke detector (whoops!) Refined canola oil has a smoke point of 400 degrees, which is around the middle of the pack as far as cooking oils go, so I'm betting it will work at least fairly well. The following website lists the smoke point of oils: http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/collectedinfo/oilsmokepoints.htm

There is also a Drill-down (tip and technique video) attached to this lesson (topic 4) called "Smoke Point of Oils and Fats" that provides more info on this. For even more info you could search "oils" or "smoke point" (search is at the top right of each page) and there you will find many discussions on this very popular subject. Cheers!

Using the concepts of this lesson, I was able to get a restaurant quality sear on my tuna steaks the other night. My best attempt at searing fish to date! Thanks!

Thank you so much for the tips! Very easy to understand and help ful/

I have an All-Clad Copper Core 12 inch frying pan. I am not sure if my stove is the problem, but I have to heat my pan for a long time (and on pretty high heat) to get the mercury ball to appear. The instructions for my pan say I should only preheat it on medium heat for 1-2 minutes, however this method does not produce the temperature you recommend. Can you suggest anything?

Manufacturers often recommend lower temperatures, for various reasons. With that said, we do not want to go against what the manufacturer states regarding your pans. But for me, I often use higher heat, I just slowly heat the pan rather than cranking it up to high from the start. Hope this helps. Cheers!

Just out of curiosity, why wouldn't you heat the oil with the pan and look for the fingers and wisp of smoke to determine temperature? Is adding the oil once hot purely to prevent burning the oil in the event the pan is heated too quickly?

If you heat the oil with the pan, the oil will come to smoking point, around 400 F˚ BEFORE the pan's base is hot enough. The pan needs to be heated way above 400 F BEFORE the oil is added to prevent sticking once food is added. Again, this only applies to metal pans (with teflon pans you CAN heat up the oil with the pan).

Michael, do both for a test, for all pans are different. I always say it's best to experience the difference and effects first hand.

Im going to buy, for now, 1 decent stainless steel pan. For an all purpose use is it better to get a shallower pan or a deeper one. The ones used in the lesson look like the deeper type?

The pans we use are pretty standard. Any pan between 2 to 2.5 inches high will work fine. Cheers!

My first experience pan frying was 4 chicken breasts. I had several challenges I could use some advise on. 1. The sizes were not the same and cooking times were different. Is it crazy to flatten the breasts to the same depth? 2. I was able to get a nice golden brown result...at different times...with medium size pieces and a low sizzle. How long should the cooking process take? Approximately? I thought it took forever.

Cooking times is probably one of the most asked question in any cooking class. Before I respond, let me answer your first question.

1. You almost answered your own question which is what we all want to strive to do in the kitchen so congratulations. Yes, you can lightly pound out medallions of chicken so they are all uniform in size (depth). This way they will cook evenly. If they are not, don't hesitate to pull out the pieces from the pan as they reach doneness (common practice).

2. Re: cooking times... (without trying to sound condescending) you have to cook until it's done. When you cook in a pan, you are looking for a good sear and color to the meat/fish you are pan frying. If the meat is relatively thin, you will need higher heat (increased sizzle) to achieve this golden brown color. If the meat is quite thick, you must reduce the heat as the meat will be sitting in the pan longer to cook through. If you cooked it at the higher heat, it would get too dark or burn. So as for time, it will vary based on the thickness of your ingredients, the type of pan, and even the type of stove. So you have to leave 'cooking times' behind you and start looking and listening for the key indicators that will tell you when it's ready to turn up/down the heat, flip the ingredient or take it out of the pan. And this level of skill is within your reach (and anyone's) with some observation and, as one of our instructors always says, with patience, persistence and most importantly, practice.

Eat chicken for a few days varying the thickness and temperature of the pan each time you cook and you'll nail it forever. Good luck.

Joe.

What is the proper temperature for Tin lined copper pans, should they be heated in the same manner as stainless pans and will I look for the same reaction to water introduced in mercury test? I have read that they dont reccommend heating them empty as they heat very quickly. By the way I think the website is great. My copper saute pans range in thickness from 1.5mm to 2mm in thickness and are all tin lined.

I use copper pans and pots at home, which is all I have. First, you must understand that copper is best used for soups, sauces and stews. When you want a quick saute, they can also be used, yet the old ones in tin can actually "blister"on too high of a heat without any oil or fat . The ones coated with stainless-steel (or nickel in my case) are fine to use as explained. Hope this helps! Cheers!

Do you reccomend that I not use the Tin Lined copper saute pans for a pan Saute and pan searing and maybe just use them for pan frying and sweating vegetables due to the higher temps needed for saute and searing? It seems they were designed to saute due to their shape and copper thickness and it would be a shame to not be able to use them for that purpose. I have read in earlier posts here that the pan has to rise much higher than 400 degrees in order to saute and according to someone that has relined some of my copper pans the Tin melts at 460 degrees. Do you have any idea how hot the saute pan gets at the stage that the water will reach the mercury stage? I have stainless pans also and can use them if need be but would like to be able use the copper pans . Thanks again.

You can use the copper saute pan for sauteeing, yet I would not do the water test in a tin lined copper pot because that will be likely to be above the blistering point of tin, also many places relined tin copper pots with silver, works well however as with tin be carefull of overheating with nothing in it.
The water test is great as a beginner, soon you'll know when to add the oil so that oil gets to it's smoking point about 350-375 very quickly.

I have finally had the time to try the brown sugar and thyme pork chop recipe and use all of my newfound skills~! I did the water test on the pan and it seemed to go from taking forever to heat to too hot with nothing in between. We have an electric range. I actually made 2 batches due to the size of my pan, and this turned out to be a good experience to play with deglazing and pan sauces. I ended up cooking the meat for 2x as long as recommended (I think we had a thick cut) and I noticed that when I added the oil it immediately produced smoke and "legs" so I think the pan was too hot, even though I took it off and turned down the heat. I noticed I had enormous trouble keeping the temperature stable, my suc's came out a little scorched, but I had lots of them! The meat browned nicely on the outside but didn't stick (yeah) but the inside of the meat by the bone seemed rare - I rested the meat but they still had bloody bones, although the rest of the meat was fine. I did marinate for 4 hours and rested the meat before cooking, but not sure if I did it long enough. I made a pan sauce with chicken stock for the one pan and sherry with the other (we make our own sherry) it was delicious, even with the slightly dark suc's, and I managed to deglaze and prepare the sauce ok! I will follow some of the other suggestions for working with electric and it seems that both burners I have react differently, which makes it harder. I'll also keep in mind the ideas above for controlling temperature with suc's. Thanks so much, any more info to help would be greatly appreciated! Sorry for rambling ;)

It sounds like you are learning :-). It is important that students are not discouraged if things don't turn out perfectly the first time. The type of pan, heat source, temperature, meat, thickness, etc., all will have an impact on the way it cooks. You'll get it. And once you do nail it, realize that you'd have to figure out many of those things again if you were to cook in someone else's kitchen that uses a different heat source and equipment. By practicing over and over again and making small tweaks each time, you will get better and better no matter where you are cooking (this is how chefs have to learn to adapt).

Note that meat that still has the bone attached takes longer to cook, so you might want to turn the temperature down a bit to cook it slowly and evenly. If the pork was really thick, it might be worth while to test the internal temperature at the very center before taking it out of the pan and letting it rest. Also, it is a good idea to try the flip often method with thicker cuts (refer to the lesson on How to Cook Premium Steaks as this same information would apply).

The main thing is to keep on practicing and cooking. Each time you will become better and better. It sounds like you are on the right track though. Cheers!

Thanks, I did flip often, but didn't know where that technique was and I hadn't gotten to that lesson yet! I thought it may be a trial and error thing! Will keep trying, but I must say, the lessons made it so much easier~! Thanks for the suggestions!
Becky

I've had the same problem with too large chicken breast taking far too long to cook. I found an excellent suggestion under the recipe for Chicken Saltimbocca--one of the practice recipes in this lesson. Basically cutting a large boneless breast on an angle into three pieces makes them more even in size and thinner. Check it out. I'm trying the Saltimbocca tonight, but I've had good success using that technique with the Chicken Marsala recipe. Good luck!

is this a dish that I can mostly make before company comes and then finish when they get here? at what point would i stop....i'm always afraid of overheating the chicken and toughening it., yet I don't want to be reducing the sauce while people are waiting to eat. thanks!

Jo,
When the chefs are back, they may contradict me, but I would say this is not a dish to prepare ahead of time. It cooks up very quickly, depending, of course, upon how many pieces you cook. It's such an elegant and lovely dish, I'd hate for you to abandon the idea of serving it to company. If I were you, I'd do a test, cooking, say, one large breast cut into 3 smaller pieces (look at the Saltimbocca recipe for how to do this). Time how long it takes to heat your pan, cook the chicken, and make the sauce. If you have everything else done ahead of time--whatever rice or starch, steamed veg, salad--I'm sure you can figure out a time table and get the meal cooked and plated (or served family style) in an impressive fashion. Good luck, happy cooking and happy new year!

good advice...I like your idea to serve family style....I can have the other sides held in the warmer...and then everything hits the table at once.
thanks!

Great advice, Jo. With all of your mise en place organized, the cooking will take no time. Cheers!

A good while ago I bought my first stainless steel pan on a flea market; a sautee pan from IKEA that looked quite unused. After trying it out with chicken breasts with the water test and all, I was convinced it was a success. But lately, I've been reflecting on the problems I have been having with this pan. I'm having problems reaching a conclusion on what exactly is wrong here; here are the symptoms:

- Whenever I reach the mercury ball stage and add the oil, the pan immediately starts smoking profusely. I use an olive oil call kristal riviera from my local import store (I even found the homepage: http://www.kristaloil.com.tr/OliveOil.aspx )

- As a result of the above, I have usually had to add the oil and start cooking at a lower temperature, but at this stage I never get the mercury ball (I get the dispersing and evaporating small bubbles).

- When cooking at this temperature, I have never had a time where the meat doesn't stick immediately (has never been able to slide the meat around in the pan like you do in the video), but most of time the pan does let go after a while and I'm able to gently flip the meat.

- I have never been able to cook several batches without burning the sucs completely; in fact most of the time the sucs burn before I'm even done doing the first batch.

So I hope you see why I'm confused; the smoking points to me using the wrong oil, or a too high temperature. The lack of mercury ball and sticking meat points to the opposite: too low temperature. The problems with the sucs might be too high temperature? Or is the pan of the wrong type or low quality? What am I doing wrong?

Here's the pan: http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/133095/1/pan?h=4a9f82

I am a student too, try a higher smoke point oil like Grape seed oil instead of olive oil.

Harald, the olive oil is definitely contributing to your smoking problem. Use grapeseed oil if you can, or at least a high quality vegetable or cooking oil. I do cook on occasion with olive oil for the flavour, but only for low heat cooking.

It was a good idea to post some pictures of your pan. I can see by the stamp on the bottom of the pan that it is made from 18/10 Stainless which is what you want. I do notice that the handle is spot welded to the pan rather than riveted which would concern me, but that is certainly not causing your sticking problems. I can't see how heavy the bottom is, but from the pictures it looks like it is of reasonable thickness.

Retry your lesson practice preheating the fry pan to the water ball stage, add the grapeseed oil, and watch for wisps of smoke and confirm that the oil is forming legs. At that point, add your meat and adjust the temperature based on the sizzle you are getting.

If your sucs are burning, you are frying at too high a temperature. Once you have gone through the procedure above, you can turn the heat down considerably without the meat sticking... just be sure to maintain enough heat to properly sizzle as described in the lesson.

Cooking that second batch of meat without burning the sucs from the first batch has always been a dilemma for me, but I have had success by being sure to move the second batch around the pan a lot, to sort of incorporate the sucs from the first batch into the juices of the second. You have to keep the sucs moist or they will overcook.

My vote also goes to your heat is turned up too high. You need to have a stable temperature around the mercury ball stage, and it sounds like at that point your pan is still heating up more than that. I'd try either heating the pan up at lower temp (I usually go for medium to medium-high) or turning down the heat right when you get to the mercury ball stage, before you add the oil. It'll take a little while longer to heat up, but I think it might work.

Thanks! Just to let you know, all of you were right: it was both the oil and the temperature that was the problem. I tried with grapeseed oil yesterday, was optimistic when it didn't smoke immediately at the mercury ball stage, but I still got scared when it started smoking earlier than anticipated, threw the meat in and had it disappointingly stick to the pan.

So I think you were right in suspecting that the temperature was still on the way up when I added the oil, because when I today let it cool slightly to stabilize the temperature and then added the meat I was able to get the shimmering oil, and best of all a non-sticking pan!

I still find it just as challenging as before to keep the sucs alive while getting the nice crust though, so I still have practicing to do.

Will the water test work in the anodized pans?...I heated it up it seemed for a long time and it was really hot...i got some tiny balls but not one larger one.....I then put the evo in and it was smoking almost immediately...the chicken didn't stick.....am i suppose to be doing something different with this pan?

The problem is the EVO. Its smoke point is way too low. As you have observed, it will smoke immediately at the water ball stage. Try a different oil.

It also sounds like you might be overheating the pan. It shouldn't take a "long time" to get to the correct temperature.

I have calphalon one cookware. Is the water test reliable with this cookware?

Sue, if it is stainless steel then yes. If it's non-stick then no.

The purpose of the water test is to ensure that a stainless steel pan has reached a temperature that is hot enough to have closed all the "pores" in the stainless steel surface, and it works great... with stainless cookware.

With Calphalon and similar style non-stick cookware, there is no need to get the pan to the water test stage since it is already a non-stick surface.

That's the good news. The bad news is that the pan will not develop those delightful and flavourful sucs. Non-stick certainly has its place in the kitchen, but then, so does stainless. Do yourself a favour, and purchase a quality stainless steel saute pan or two so you have the best of both worlds.

My calphalon one isn't nonstick. It's hard anodized.

Sue, hard anodized pans are generally non-stick. The only difference is that they have a different type of surface layer than the old, teflon plated pans.

I have been an outdoor 'grilling' person all my life, Now that I have tried pan frying chicken breasts, in a good pan with extra virgin olive oil at a medium heat over a gas stove, so I could preserve sucs and make pan gravy, the breasts themselves turned out dry and tough. Did I cook at too high of a temperature? nothing burned and they were golden brown and only cooked for 8 min per side.

What should I check for to correct this result of tough meat?

If nothing burned, you are simply over-cooking the chicken breasts. 8 minutes per side sounds like a long time for an average chicken breast (but will also depend on the thickness). I would recommend cooking it for about half of the time next time (8 minutes in total) and then test the chicken by making a small incision in the thickest part to see if the meat is no longer pink and cooked all the way through. Always make sure to let the meat rest as well after cooking it. Also, with pan frying, an oil with a higher smoking point (not extra-virgin olive oil) should be used so it does not burn/deteriorate during cooking (see attached drill-down in this lesson). Practice will make perfect. Cheers!

Ken, I'd look at the class on brining. That can help chicken breasts a lot. Also, consider cutting cutting the breasts into smaller pieces and flattening them to about the same thickness.

As an aside, I'd consider using another oil with a higher smoking point like grape seed or canola. I'm sure there's something about these in this forum.

Yes, brining is a technique that can also be used to provide flavor and moisture to lean meats...but if the meat is overcooked, it won't make a difference if it has first been brined or not. It is not necessary to brine lean meats to keep them moist/juicy - it is more about properly executing and understanding the cooking method first. You can achieve very juicy, flavorful chicken breasts without brining. As a beginner cook, I highly suggest practicing cooking a plain chicken breast before adding another technique (brining) to the formula.

You are right that cutting the meat and flattening it into an even thickness can help to achieve even cooking, as shown in this video. This is very useful especially when chicken breasts themselves are very uneven in shape. Cheers!

Of course, Kimberley, you are right. I could have elaborated on that aspect better. Thanks for the redirect. :)

No worries at all. We always appreciate everyone's input and comments. Ken has mentioned that he is new to many cooking techniques, so I didn't want him to get too far ahead of himself. It is best for newer cooks to tackle one thing at a time so they don't become overwhelmed. Have a super Friday! Cheers!

Thank You Guys So Much.

This is a central issue with me as I move from 'outdoor cooking' to more civilized cooking. It was easy for me to tell when chicken was 'right' on the fire, because it would start to get smaller in size - then I knew it was done. Pan Frying is a little trickier, but with your help, and my review of everything on pan frying in this class, I'm giving it a second go. I bought Grapeseed oil as it looked like the best choice. I'm going to watch my timing and meat doneness more carefully. Chicken breasts that are done properly can be frozen for 'quick meals' I like to have on hand also.

Can I store the Grapeseed oil at room temperature like I do with Olive oil and vegetable oil?

Yes, you can store this at room temperature Ken.

Good luck with your next attempt. You might also want to try Michael's suggestion and try a few smaller pieces that are about the same thickness (just like in the lesson). Season them up (well - salt and cracked pepper), pan fry and then finish with a squeeze some fresh lemon juice, maybe a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and eat until you get it perfect. And, as Kimberley suggests, as with all meats, let them rest for a few minutes before eating or serving.

Cheers, Joe.

"eat until you get it perfect."

I like that!:- )

This is how I am doing it, using myself as the guinea pig on my own cooking.

Like you Ken, I loved my BBQ, and cooked everything on it. I still love grilling, but as you suggest, there is a certain gourmet status that comes with the flavourful, crispy chicken breasts coming off my stainless steel pans. The meals coming out of my kitchen are rivaling some of the best restaurants in town. (admittedly, its a small town!)

The lessons that made the biggest difference for me have been: (in order)
1. Learning how to sharpen and hone my own knives.
2. Learning how to properly prep stainless steel pans for cooking without sticking
3. Making light and dark stocks
4. Cooking with unsalted butter
5. Making clarified butter
6. Pre-making dark, blond and white roux
7 -- combining the above skills to make delicious gravies, roux-based soups, broth based soups and the full meal deal.

You may be your own guinea pig right now, but soon, your family will be praising the day you started taking these lessons.

Many thanks Leigh, I just ordered the 12" stainless steel Cusinart pan from the RouxBe store. Can hardly wait to get cooking with it. I'm going to keep your list above on my to do bulletin as I follow through. I also just completed the pan frying lesson and my, 6 pages of notes and I still missed two on the quiz. Moving to the stove does take some concentration and I'll tell you one thing I learned is the fancy French: "Mise en place" - or, have all of your ingredients ready and in place, which means "Being organized and ready to take on the task at hand." Wow this is good stuff, something worth being devoted to. Thanks again for this list Leigh.

I've promised myself to not be discouraged and give it a year at least before I take stock of my progress. I want to get pan frying right, and now comes another roadblock: Pork.

I have tried slicing a Pork steak into thicknesses like a piece of Chicken Breast, so that I can cook it more like Chicken. Using all the proper temps and procedures in the lessons, the pork turns out tough. Next, I tried poaching the Pork steak first (3" thick) starting with cold water to a boil with a Mirepoix of onion and garlic and skimming the surface of the water to remove impurities, then simmering covered until done (about 20 min.) Then pan frying just to finish the meat and build sucs to make a gravy. The meat is still tough.

Should I avoid working with pork for the time being, or is there a way to make it tender (like brining) that I need to try?

Thank you so much for your patience with me. I really am learning something but have nothing to show for it yet.

Ken,

Sometimes, it simply comes down to the quality of the pork. However, that being said -- YES! definitely try brining!! That's one of those "super" lessons that I should have had in my list above. Brining won't always make tough meat tender, but it will make it tenderer! and certainly juicier and more flavourful than the same cut that is not brined.

Two comments:

1. I really think that poaching pork is the wrong way to go. If anything, I would want to slow roast the pork in a 250 degree oven for a few hours. But before you try that, definitely give brining a try.

2. It seems to me that 3 inches is a little thick for a pork chop. I'd suggest 1" max, at least for the pan-frying lesson.

FYI, Juicy, tender chops eluded me until I discovered the full size pork loin packages at Costco. Costco sells Canada Grade AAA pork, (and I suspect similar quality in the States). When I get the loin home, I cut half of it into chops (some thin, some thick.) and I leave the other half intact to use as a pork roast. I'll cut up the jagged ends, and scraps to use for stir fry, sweet & sour pork, pork fried rice, etc. I shrink wrap the portions and freeze them for use as needed.

I have never been disappointed and brining makes the chops, and roasts even better.

Hi Ken, I totally agree with all of Leigh's suggestions. I always tell students that skinless boneless chicken breasts and pork chops are the most difficult cuts to cook. They have no marbling. In the old days we used to "lard" pork loins using a larding needle to "inject" some fat in it, so you can see it is not only you.

Brining is definitely the way to go, for pan frying. I would do the pork tenderloin instead, cut into 1" pieces and flatten to 1/2". You can also do thin slices of pork loin, breaded and shallow fry (wiener schnitzel-see the lesson on "Breading & Battering" for more information). You can also do the pork loin as a roast (brined) with the bones on (like a prime rib). Hope it helps.

I am on the edge of frustration with subjects like this, but you have pulled me out of it. Simply put: I'm here to learn.

I'll go to all of these suggestions in the weeks ahead.

Thanks guys,

I'm going to try this today. Question, should I use grape seed or olive oil? for chicken and steak which are preferred? thanks

Please refer to Topic 4 in this lesson. There is an attached drill-down called the "Smoking Points of Oils and Fats". Pan frying requires an oil with a high smoke point so you are free to choose one from the list. Cheers!

Well as simple as pan frying is, I followed every instruction and made chicken like the video perfectly. My first cooking ever without a train wreck. I see how much easier it is with having everything in place before starting.
I was able to attend to the fry pan 100% and the wife decided not to use barbecue sauce so that must mean I did it right. Thanks!

Nothing has been as challenging for me as pan frying the lean skinless chicken breasts or lean pork chops. I am learning to cook them less and don't worry about how many sucs I am getting. In order to try to understand doneness, I used the meat thermometer sticking the probe into about 3/4" thick pork chops after the second side was cooking. The temp only went up to 100º and I know doneness for pork should be between 135 and 145 if you like it well done. I would have overcooked it again if I tried for that temperature, so I just went by timing mostly and looks and the chops turned out best I have done to date.

Am I on the right track to cook the meat properly and don't worry if I am not getting a ton of sucs?

Ken..

Thanks for keeping everyone posted about your cooking exploits. It is always interesting to read your posts, and to follow along with your progress!

I always use a meat thermometer with roasts, but have never worried about it with thinner cuts (like chops) . Personally, I find trying to "time" my meat quite fruitless, as the thickness of the chops, the number of chops in the pan, the weather outside, and the mood I am in all seem to cause times to vary significantly. Checking the feel, color, juices and smell of the meat seems to be the most reliable. I am usually surprised at how quickly my pork chops cook. I think most of us are quite guilty of overcooking chops from fear of them being undercooked. I now lean toward taking them out of the pan what feels like "too soon", and letting them finish cooking under a tin foil tent,

To be safe, I will often cut into the thickest chop with a paring knife just to make sure the meat is cooked through, but my gut feelings haven't let me down yet.

I figure that I can always throw an undercooked chop back in the pan for a few minutes, but I can't reverse the effects of being overcooked.

...as for the sucs, I think you are exactly right. If you listen for the proper sizzle, and pay attention to what is happening with your chops of skinless chicken breasts, your sucs should turn out just right. As part of your mise en place, have a bottle of white wine nearby.

As soon as the chops are out of the pan, deglaze with the wine, and reduce. This will give you plenty of flavour just from the juices and the few sucs that you have, as long as they aren't burnt. I have learned one trick if I do happen to burn a few sucs (as long as they are not TOO bad... and that is, that by throwing some butter and fresh mushrooms and onions into the reduction, I can still end up with a terrific sauce. All is not lost.

Thanks Leigh, Your comments are exactly the right 'push' in the right direction that I appreciate so much. Nothing like having a 'friend in the business' so to speak. You have been there and done that for so much of what I am just beginning to experience. Making a nice Dark Chicken Stock this last weekend has me strengthened by that positive experience. I not only reduced with Sauvignon Blanc what sucs were in the pan from my 4 small pork chops, but added 3 cups of the dark stock and reduced to a sauce-like consistency. Your words are like gold to me at this point and I do appreciate everything you've said. Much Appreciation from my home to yours.

Ken

Ah, you guys are totally on it!
Nice to see the support from you both. Keep up the great work and thanks for being a great part of the Rouxbe community/spirit. Cheers!

Hello and thanks - I'm new to Rouxbe and way to old to be so novice a cook and yet...I have a number of calphalon pans - one definately has a non-stick coating, the others are black but don't appear to be coated with anything. So, would those still be considered non-stick? I have not found them to be! Sounds like I want to make sure I heat the pan so my oil has legs and a wisp of smoke - but the water test won't work right?

Thanks much for the basic, clear and simply laid out lesson on heating the pan. I bought some fresh chickens the other day (watched the video on butchering and have some practice yet to do) will try the pan fry tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

I've only been a student here for a few months, but already I am building a pan collection and am finding that different frying pans work best for different things. For the pan frying lessons, I am trying to faithfully use the stainless steel pans that are recommended and I have been going through all the difficulty of a beginner, cooking pork and chicken cuts too long and making them tough. It is taking me time to reach the balance and understanding, but you know, time put in gets reward out. The fact is I have lots to learn, but I'm way ahead of where I started now. Be sure to look back over your shoulder as you go along and count the progress. It is very encouraging to make progress. Oh, about the pans, Stainless steel makes more sucs which are the foundation of making pan sauces.

Hi Jayne, I think you are referring to the hard anodized pans that Calphaon sells. The water test doesn't work very well on these pans. Just make sure to slowly preheat the pan and get it nice and hot before you add the oil and food. Also, let the food cook a bit before touching it or trying to move it. These pans, as noted in Calphalon's description, are good for searing. It just takes some practice and getting used to how the pan heats up. Cheers!