What is the reason my veggies cook unevenly?

What is the reason my veggies cook unevenly? - Person Holding Sliced Vegetable

Today I sauteed some onions and in some spots they were caramelizing nicely while in others they were slightly burnt.

Anyone knows who could be the possible culprit? I am betting on the frying pan but I wish to get some second opinion before buying something fancy.



Best Answer

Let's see how to GUARANTEE this undesired effect happening (if you do/have all or most of the things on the list):

-Unevenly cut onions

-Onions from different varieties mixed

-Pan very hot

-Not frequently stirring (or saute throwing)

-Thin bottomed pan on a hob plate with low thermal mass and weak heat coupling (glass ceramic or electric coil would be best, induction or gas in the middle since they couple harder, massive electric might make it hard)

-Bent bottomed pan on a massive electric hob plate

-Too little oil, leading to part of the onion being waterlogged and thus kept cool, part lying straight on the pan

-Stovetop is out of balance, leading to oil pooling on one side and being unavailable on the other

-Sugar in the pan

-Underestimating how much salt changes water evaporation and accelerates browning

If a couple of these conditions match, try making less of them match.




Pictures about "What is the reason my veggies cook unevenly?"

What is the reason my veggies cook unevenly? - Assorted Spices on Brown Wooden Table Beside Red and White Textile
What is the reason my veggies cook unevenly? - Variety of Vegetables
What is the reason my veggies cook unevenly? - Cooked Vegetable on Pan



Quick Answer about "What is the reason my veggies cook unevenly?"

Everything Cooks Unevenly Since smaller pieces cook faster than larger pieces, your vegetables will cook unevenly if they're all different sizes. The solution: No matter what cut you settle on—sliced, diced or chopped—make sure everything is roughly the same size.



Why are a restaurant's vegetables so much better than homemade ones?




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Maarten van den Heuvel, Engin Akyurt, Pixabay, Sebastian Coman Photography