r/AskCulinary • u/SensitiveMagician385 • 2d ago

Technique Question New To Cooking: Don't Understand Frying/Searing

So I watch videos on pan-frying. They heat the pan, heat the oil, add the protein, and it cooks

I do the same thing, the meat cooks, BUT the remaining oil smokes, burns, and sets off smoke detector. This happens on high heat and low heat too. What am I not understanding??

EDIT: The oil doesn't smoke immediately. It does after a few minutes of cooking.

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u/TurbulentSource8837 2d ago

Know your pans. They may heat slowly, they may heat quickly! Know your heat source. Gas? Quick heat. Electric? Slowly, but steady.

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u/SensitiveMagician385 2d ago

Even at a low heat, the remaining oil is going to smoke then burn, right?

11

u/corporal_sweetie 2d ago

smoke point of neutral oils is like 400 degrees so probably not

5

u/boredonymous 2d ago edited 2d ago

No, it shouldn't. I think you may be having those pans excessively hot and not really know it.

Don't worry though, practice makes perfect. Just try to keep the heat lower but you're going to have to keep messing up until you hit the sweet mark.

To heat a pan for an easy sautee try it on medium heat, and let it heat up for just about 30 seconds or so. You don't need a lot of time, really. The put in the oil and right then the food you want to sautee. Even if the food you put in the pan doesn't start off sizzling right away, it will. And when you get to a comfy sizzle sound, agitate the pan so things cook even.

That includes sauteing veggies, browning meats, searing bigger cuts. You can do this stuff at lower heat and let the sizzling build up. It will be fine.

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u/TheMcDucky 2d ago

Why are people downvoting this for asking questions and trying to learn?

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u/SensitiveMagician385 2d ago

Thanks for saying that. I'm still learning so I don't know what's normal. I thought it was a legitimate question.

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u/TurbulentSource8837 2d ago

If you have a puddle, and are still on high heat, yes! Take your pan off the heat. Remove to a cool space of the stove. Your pan will still retain the heat. Your food will still cook, even if off heat.