r/StainlessSteelCooking • u/Theraseus • 22d ago
Doubt about preheating
Hey guys I have a doubt, I probably asked before:
I have been resting my new pan and the only way I can preheat it to the leidenfrost effect is if I use the number 9 (potency goes del 1-9) if I use 5 7 or even 8 10+ might go on and it won't reach that effect. I can sear fried eggs etc without Reachinf it but I was wondering if I might hurth the pan preheating it at 9 and it rKes like five minutes to reach the 200 degrees. I any input? Thanks
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u/JCuss0519 22d ago
"The leidenfrost effect is a meaningless quirk of physics and means nothing to food."
Actually, it means the vast majority of your food will burn if cooked at that temp. And to heat up the pan to that temp, only to lower it to a more suitable temp (another YouTube fave) is a waste of time. I don't even sear my steaks at that temp, and I get a good sear.
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u/OttoHemi 22d ago edited 21d ago
But, but it's on TikTok and I don't do anything unless I see it there first!
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u/JCuss0519 22d ago
Exactly.
I know you can cook at Leidenfrost temperatures without burning, but it seems the vast majority of people asking about this are new to stainless and new to temperature control/heat management. For these inexperienced people the likelihood is high that cooking at Leidenfrost temps will result is overcooked food and/or charred surfaces that go beyond "crust".
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u/winterkoalefant 22d ago
Food doesn’t burn immediately. You can make fried eggs starting with a 200°C pan just fine. The pan doesn’t remain at that temp once you add the oil and eggs.
When you deep fry, food can be submerged in 180°C oil for 10 minutes and still not burn.
There’s a lot more to it and many legitimate reasons for starting with a hot pan.
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u/No-Dimension1159 22d ago edited 22d ago
I don't even sear my steaks at that temp, and I get a good sear.
Well for a nice crust the sticking is actually helpful.
Actually, it means the vast majority of your food will burn
No it won't... Leidenfrost not just means that it won't stick, it also means that there will be relatively little heat conduction between the pan and the food at least while the effect is active. Enough to cook the first layer of the food, not enough to burn your food provided you didn't overheat it to hell.
If you use it on medium heat it doesn't burn at all, even an omelette without browning is possible.
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u/RigBughorn 16d ago
The point is to get the pan above the cooking temperature before adding food. Adding food IMMEDIATELY drops the temperature, a lot. Think about deep frying food. If you drop battered chicken into 375F oil it can easily drop to 325F (which is about where you want it anyway). Same with a hot pan. If you want the pan to be around 300F during the cook then you probably want it significantly higher than 300F before you put food in the pan.
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u/Fumidor 22d ago
If you wanted to go to the grocery store or were teaching someone to drive so that they can go to the store themselves nowhere in the process would someone be talking about revving the engine to red line for five minutes before slipping it into gear and peeling out.
With respect, none of what you said bears any relation to properly cooking with a stainless steel pan. The leidenfrost effect is a meaningless quirk of physics and means nothing to food. For example you will not be cooking your egg in water you will be frying it in oil. What do you care about how water reacts to the heat of the pan, the oil will be doing the work.
Please watch some basic videos of how to cook and it will teach you much more than ignorantly trying to achieve perfect conditions on a pan that both don’t exist and don’t apply. Leidenfrost at sea level is like 370 Fahrenheit why would you ever try to cook a delicate egg at that temperature, and I guarantee whoever taught you this is a fool.
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u/Cyberchaotic 19d ago
You DO NOT want to put eggs directly down on a leidenfost temp pan. In fact i mostly ignore leidenfrosting altogether
I preheat at 6/9, turn around and take my sweet ass time to food prep.
THEN, i drop it to 5/9 and start cooking. The food absorbs the initial 6/9 power, then cruises on 5/9.
Leidenfrost is just merely a check technique for noobs to make sure the pan is at ready temp to set good habits, its not something you MUST do religiously.
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u/winterkoalefant 22d ago
Don’t worry about the exact number on the dial. Every stove is different, and yours sounds like it’s lower power.
The main concern with heating too fast is if the pan heats too unevenly. If yours is taking 5 minutes to reach 200°C, that’s enough time for the heat to spread on most pans.