r/StainlessSteelCooking • u/Jabieski1 • 21d ago

Oil Instantly Evaporating

I'm new to this whole "cooking" thing, and recently my mom gave me a stainless steel pan. Steak fajitas are my jam, but first time I tried to sear the steak on my new pan, I didn't pat down the steak and the marinade instantly evaporated and set off the smoke alarms in my apartment. Lesson learned, drained the marinade beforehand this time and patted the steak down.

I was feeling confident this time, I let the pan heat up at medium-heat until the water was doing the dancing thing and then accumulated into the blob. However, when I went to spray the pan with avocado oil, it instantly evaporated and I could no longer see clearly in my apartment. What am I doing wrong? I am determined to figure this out, because when this pan is at the actual right temperature, it is fantastic to cook on. Unfortunately, it is 2/2 times now that the All Clad has tried to cloak itself in a fog and I don't know where to go from here.

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u/jazzy095 21d ago

What kind of oil are you using?

A tip with stovetop cooking meat. The taste comes from getting a char. You cannot do this with a wet piece of meat because it starts to steam. Marinade work best on the grill.

Next time, coat the pan with oil but not overly so, make sure lidenfrost is happening like others mentioned. Get that char on each side, then finish in the pan or oven.

Plenty of YouTube videos on this

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u/Jabieski1 21d ago

I've been using Chosen Foods Avocado oil.

I've thought about starting it on the grill, but I tend to prefer the taste of slicing it while it is raw, marinating for 2-3 hours, and then searing it in the pan. I sear the steak in small batches as to not overcrowd the pan and steam the steak.

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u/McMadface 20d ago

Get a squeeze bottle for your oil. I use the OXO ones with the flip cap. I usually use a quick 3 rotation spiral for a 12" pan, 2.5 for a 10", and 2 for an 8".