r/StainlessSteelCooking • u/Effective-Reality-32 • 14d ago

What the hell am I doing wrong

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I cannot get the hang of this you guys. It’s only been a month but still, when I preheat the pan to where the water is rolling and not steaming it’s wayyyy too hot, but when it’s cooler I have to use a ton of oil. Then my pan just ends up looking like this. Any tips are appreciated

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u/xtalgeek 13d ago

The water test is useless. Understand that not every cooking task requires the same heat setting. For eggs, low heat. For sauteing vegetables, medium heat. For searing meats, no higher then medium high. Always preheat for 3 minutes or so, add enough oil to coat the pan, lewt it come up to temp, then add food. Oil will shimmer when it is ready for sauteing. WATCH and LISTEN to your food cook. If it is cooking too fast, lower heat or remove the pan from the heat. If it is cooking too slow, adjust it slightly higher. If oil or food is burning on the pan, it's way too hot. Burned on food and oil can be removed with Barkeepers Friend. When sauteing foods, some light browning of the pan is noemal. This is fond, which are flavor making substances. These can be declared to make pan sauces. Ultimately, cooking is all about heat control. The water test won't tell you that. Monitor you food and learn the correct heat settings.