When pan searing, why does all of my oil keep disappearing?
So it seems that every time that I pan sear something, any oil I have in the beginning seems to be gone about half way through and it turns into me dry searing whatever I am cooking.
My guess is that I have the heat too high and the oil is evaporating or burning off.
Is there a simple way to know when the oil is hot enough to pan sear but not so hot that it burns off?
Best Answer
If the oil is of too low temperature, it'll have a tendency to get soaked up by the food you're preparing or get evaporated together with the water that's leaking out, so that's where it's disappearing. (Some vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, ... tend to soak up oil like sponges regardless of the temperature.)
To test whether the oil is hot enough, I always use the empirical method:
- slice off a sliver of whatever you're going to sear
- throw it in the pan
- if bubbles start forming: oil is hot enough
- if not: throw away sliver, rinse and repeat
Works for anything you're going to sear!
Having said that: Don't be shy on the oil: it doesn't just sear, it adds flavour too!
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Why does oil disappear from pan?
Simply put, your oil isn't hot enough. If you add vegetables to cold oil in a cold pan and then heat everything up, your veggies (or just about anything else) will soak up the oil. Heat the oil in the pan until it starts to shimmer and a drop of water sizzles, dances and disappears.How do you stop oil splatter when searing?
Kitchen Kersplat: Tips to Reduce the SplatterWhy does oil go everywhere when I cook?
As water lands in the oil and evaporates, it expands into a bunch of tiny droplets, which leads to the splattering effect we all know and dread. For extra protection, blot your ingredients dry with a paper towel or cloth before you start cooking. Place a splatter shield or screen over your cooking surface.This Secret Trick Will Stop Splattering Oil Forever
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Answer 2
A method to test if oil is hot enough, is to hold a piece of wood into it and see if bubbles form around the wood. This is typically a good method for when there's a good layer of oil in the pan or when frying.
You may also drop a droplet of water into the pan and see how violently it reacts. This sounds a bit ambiguous I know, but when a strong sizzle occurs, you know it's hot enough. But please, don't use this method if you're cooking on fire, only for induction/ceramic.
Otherwise, I strongly recommend you to buy a simple thermometer to test the temperature. Let me explain why: It's very unlikely that your oil is evaporating. It depends on the type of oil you use by typically oil will start to vape around 230+ Celsius, and when this happens you are creating unhealthy situations. You would want to prevent that, hence why a simple cheap thermometer may be wise.
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