I turned the element on max and let the pan heat up for like 3 minutes then I put some canola oil in it and the oil started smoking like crazy. I took it off the heat and covered it because there was too much smoke and I thought it would start a fire.
What the fuck, this isn't like those youtube videos at all.
What am I doing wrong?
I'm trying to make a stir fry, I thought you needed high heat for that?
Put the oil in the cold pan you dummy then you can turn it down/take it off once it smokes
Thomas Williams
You want your ingredients to sizzle when they enter the pan. This signals that your pan and oil are hot enough to start caramelizing the natural sugars which adds depth of flavor to your meal. (The difference between microwaved chicken and grilled chicken)
Heat beyond that, (moderately-high, even, sustained) is essentially useless.
Cooking with electric elements can be less intuitive for judging how much power you are dealing with.
You have to become familiar with your stove and how fast is can heat things up.
A good test for the 'right high heat' would be to get your fingers wet and flick some water into the pan. >If the water sticks to the pan and then boils off it is not yet hot enough. >If the water bounces off the pan and floats around on a bubble of steam( leidenfrost effect) it is hot enough. You want to dance on that line.
Side note: A general rule is to heat your pan then add your oil/fat, never adding oil/fat into a cold pan. You did this but you might want to start with a smaller amount of oil. Some to keep things from sticking and to quickly transfer the heat of the pan to the food. If during your stir fry you want more you can add it a little later.
Hope this helps.
Jason Torres
it shouldn't smoke at all
unless you like the taste of cancer
Henry King
>Put the oil in the cold pan you dummy then you can turn it down/take it off once it smokes bullshit
the youtube videos say not to do this
Gabriel Hall
>need pan and oil/grease to be hot >but not too hot >food touches the pan >scorches >sticks fucking god damn every time. There's no happy medium between the 4 and 5 setting on my stove top.
Noah Jackson
And this is why electric hotplates are garbage.
Adam Powell
Why is cooking so hard?
I basically burned my stir fry?
Are you really supposed to add that much oil to it?
Am I supposed to turn the heat down?
It doesn't cook right/taste as good with the heat down right?
fuck
Isaac Gonzalez
It's a learning experience friend.
If you're using an electric stove and have it set to "high" chances are this is going to burn just about everything.
My old stove putting the dial about halfway was perfect for 99% of what I cooked. Get comfortable with your stove and oven settings.
You shouldn't be adding too much oil to your pan for a stir fry you want to saute not deep fry. veg, season and toss toss toss. If you're doing meat I typically put in a separate pan and add all together at the end but if you want to do it your way go for it.
Alexander Ward
>If you're using an electric stove and have it set to "high" chances are this is going to burn just about everything. Okay. But a month ago I was on Veeky Forums and everyone said you can't cook stir fry unless you get to to really high temperatures. Temperatures you can't achieve on a electric stove.
>You shouldn't be adding too much oil to your pan for a stir fry you want to saute not deep fry. I kept having to add more oil It came out all oily but the vegetables actually tasted stir fried instead of cooked/steamed. Can I still get that stir fry taste on medium settings?
>veg, season and toss toss toss. What seasonings do I use for stir fry veg?
>If you're doing meat I typically put in a separate pan and add all together at the end but if you want to do it your way go for it. That's what I did.
Jaxon Rodriguez
I'd recommend peanut oil for stir frying as it has a higher smoke point than canola.
Also, when you say "burnt", do you mean solidly burnt or charred around the edges? If the latter, then that's fine.
In my experience, you're not really trying to cook the vegetables, only a quick heat-through. You want to make sure that your vegetables have been cut up into mostly uniform sizes so they all cook at the same rate.
What recipe are you using exactly?
Julian Turner
For carbon steel, you can put the oil in at any time. It doesn't really matter, but it is important that the oil is hot before you throw anything else in, so I recommend putting it in cold (most of the time). For a stir fry you want medium high heat. You'll have to play around with your range to figure it out. For mine it's medium, but at work it's cranked all the way. Throw your shit in when it's hot, and keep sauteing or stiring it to prevent the oil from reaching smoke point.
Jason Cook
>I'd recommend peanut oil for stir frying as it has a higher smoke point than canola. Wouldn't that make it taste like peanuts?
>do you mean solidly burnt or charred around the edges? I mean it tastes like burned popcorn.
>In my experience, you're not really trying to cook the vegetables, only a quick heat-through. But I don't want them to taste uncooked and I also don't want them to taste steamed and soggy.
>What recipe are you using exactly? Nothing, just trying my own thing.
Charles Ward
Then why do asian restaurants cook at super high heats?
Doesn't it taste better at high heats?
Henry Watson
>Getting trolled on YouTube is the same as legal cooking advice
This board and it's posters really need to clean up their act
Joseph Williams
>But a month ago I was on Veeky Forums and everyone said you can't cook stir fry unless you get to to really high temperatures. Temperatures you can't achieve on a electric stove. From what is posted here daily it's safe to assume that most of anonymous has never been a chef let alone cooked in an asian setting. From what you said your pan was so hot it almost caught fire, what higher temperature would you be aiming for?
That being said if your oil is changing color and producing smoke you've made a mistake somewhere along the line. I don't think I've experienced what you're describing so a little more detail timewise would be helpful regarding the oil smoking. If you put a pan on the stove, turn the heat all the way up add some oil and wait, it's going to smoke. What I do when I cook is heat my pan, add my oil (I use sesame for stir fry but canola oil is fine too), rotate the pan and add my ingredients. If you're cooking say some sliced beef at high heat, it shouldn't take two minutes for it to be cooked. If you are cooking a chicken breast at max heat in pan full of oil that's probably going to cause a fire. Give us some more details to sort out exactly where you went wrong.
>I kept having to add more oil If your food is sticking or drying add a little stock. If you add oil to food that's being cooked its going to coat it and it will come out greasy and disgusting. Many stocks are very cheap and can be purchased anywhere. When you make a mistake cooking stock can fix a lot of problems.
>What seasonings do I use for stir fry veg? Whatever you want friend, the world is your oyster. I typically season my stir fry with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and one or two other seasonings depending on my mood.
Thomas Stewart
If we're talking about stir frying in a wok. The high heat allows you to cook dishes in 2 to 3 minutes, some even less than that. However it also helps ensuring the food has color and texture, but other things go into that. If you're washing your veg make sure you pat it down before stir frying, extra moisture will steam your food. Also don't overcrowd the pan for the same reason. Lastly, different meat and veg have higher water content which can sometimes bring about the same effect.
The most important thing you can do is keep trying new things until you find what works best for you and your kitchen
Kevin Gonzalez
>Give us some more details to sort out exactly where you went wrong. I don't know what else to say. But from what you said about it not having to be super high heat, then I'll think I'll be okay with cooking next time I do it. I'll try med heat.
>If your food is sticking or drying add a little stock. Why can't I just use water?
thanks
Jaxon Long
>Wouldn't that make it taste like peanuts? No. Pure peanut oil has a neutral flavour. Make sure you pick up pure peanut oil as some brands will use blends. Peanut oil is prevalent in Asian cuisine.
Julian Roberts
Use peanut oil it has i higher smoking temperature
Caleb Brooks
>>If your food is sticking or drying add a little stock. >Why can't I just use water?
it will make your stuff taste watery
it's not more complicated than that.
Aaron Cruz
most stock has msg and yeast in it, I can't eat that.
where do I get stock that doesn't have that in it?
David Clark
You can make your own by boiling bones
Grayson Stewart
Isn't that like iron overload?
Brody Young
Get yourself an infrared thermometer.
With stir fry in a cast iron you should add the oil AFTER it's hot and just before you add the rest of the ingredients.
Juan Ramirez
>most stock has msg and yeast in it, I can't eat that why do you hate flavor and health
Nathaniel Roberts
>With stir fry in a cast iron you should add the oil AFTER it's hot and just before you add the rest of the ingredients. Read the OP, that's what he did.
Cameron Bell
I've heard a lot of people say that your pan/oil needs to be smoking hot before searing a steak. Is that true? I understand you get caramelisation at lower temperatures, but surely it occurs quicker at higher temperatures, thus less risk of overcooking the steak?
Jose Watson
>pan/oil needs to be smoking hot before searing a steak just no. read an article or two about smoke point to know why this is a bad idea. a few tips: it'll taste burnt and will stink up your place because it starts to break down
Mason Lee
Depends on the thickness of your steak, the degree of doneness you desire and the heat. It is basically all about how quickly the heat soaks into your steak. The thinner it is the hotter your pan needs to be to get a good sear before you overcook it. YOu can even put it in the fridge before cooking to prevent that. It works vice versa too.. With very thick steaks some people even "reverse-sear" their steaks, that is they cook it sous-vide to 59°C for a hour or three, let it cool down and THEN put on the sear in a hot pan.
Hunter Sullivan
Asian restaraunts use Wok's, which are their own beast, and super high smokepoint oils
You're going to want something in the 450 range, most likely, so refined peanut oil is a good start.. Canola oil has a smokepoint of 400. Avacado and Rice Bran oil's are your highest smoke point (and also healthiest) oils
It depends what your after. The Maillard reaction begins to occur at 285 degrees fh. If you want sear marks, like from a grill, however, you want your GRATES (not the interior of the grill, this is important, the grates themselves) to be ~500 degrees.
The problem is he used CANOLA oil. He blew right past it's smoke point on a rocketship made of fuck you. There's no way his pan was turning red because Steel doesn't start to redden until nearly 950 degrees, but he was probably at 450-550. Canola smokes at 400
Parker Gonzalez
>There's no way his pan was turning red nobody said that?
Dominic Sanders
just look for one that doesn't have MSG. Most ones sold where I live do not have that stuff.
also, you can make your own.
Benjamin Martinez
>What am I doing wrong? Cooking with electric
>I'm trying to make a stir fry, I thought you needed high heat for that?
You do, and an oil that handle the high heat.
>Am I supposed to lower the temperature?
No. In fact, I am guessing you are anywhere the heat you need to get the wok hei experience you are looking to replicate
>How do you cook without starting a fire?
I think you need to start a fire. Something on the order of 100k plus btu's. Assuming you are going for chinese style stir fry you need an assload of heat. This requires specialty equipment. You wouldn't smoke ribs in your oven, would you?
That fact is that western range tops - electric or gas - are just not hot enough. And most residential kitchens are not well ventilated enough. Just buy a propane burner and carbon steel wok. Trust me, it is well worth it. You will amaze your friends. It is pretty cheap and easy to get into - like less than $100 if you already have a LP tank- burner around $50, 16 inch wok around $35, wok spatula, and ladle for a few bucks ate your local asian market and a palm fiber long handle scrub brush form your local hardware store for $5.
Hunter Bailey
>Put the oil in the cold pan you dummy then you can turn it down/take it off once it smokes Err. No.
"Hot wok. Cold oil." - Frugal Gourmet
OP, 3 minutes was too long, or you let the oil sit too long before adding food (two seconds?). You just got used to your stove. Learning experience. Try tossing some food into the oil immediately afterwards, it would have reduced the temp of the oil. Also try taking a pan on and off the heat, as you see is needed, think of your stove like a bunsen burger or blowtorch, waving your pan in and out of the flame, as you control the reaction. Timing is your problem. Stand there, and watch what is happening, hand on the handle. Be interactive.
You could also try peanut oil which has a known high smoke point, for stir fries.
Henry Sanchez
Something like his. You can make a poor mans stir fry though at a lower heat and probably would be just as tasty. It's what I usually do since I don't have a wok, just a cast meme skillet. Otherwise oil splashes everywhere and it's generally awful
Jaxon Evans
>The problem is he used CANOLA oil. He blew right past it's smoke point on a rocketship made of fuck you. There's no way his pan was turning red because Steel doesn't start to redden until nearly 950 degrees, but he was probably at 450-550. Canola smokes at 400
So I should use safflower oil or something with a high smoke point for stir frys in my carbon steel pan.
Also I fucked up the seasoning on it and it's not non-stick anymore.
halp
I just want to cook like a normal person.
Adrian Flores
Asians use sesame (of course) oil and vegetable (canolas don't traditionally grow in asia) oil
Angel Sanders
>canolas Rape. Canola is made from Rape seed.
Mason Wilson
>canolas just call it rapeseed
its hilarious
Charles Torres
>ritualizing the maintenance of a tool
buy a goddamn nonstick pan and shut the fuck up
Jackson Torres
I mean enjoy the teflon flaking off or breaking down when you heat the pan up to the temperatures you need for good stir fry, I guess.
Brody Reyes
How in the fuck did you ruin the seasoning? I'm honestly impressed. Anyway, I just seasoned my carbon steel pan and its pretty easy. Just preheat your oven to 550 and rub a very thin layer of oil (I used canola) on your pan with paper towel. Then rub as much as you can off with a clean paper towel, then let it sit in the oven for an hour, then turn the oven off and let the pan cool in the oven. If you're in a hurry you can leave it in the oven at 550 for like half an hour and then just take it out. Even as few as 2 coats of this is probably enough for a good enough nonstick coating, I did this about 10 times (from unseasoned, mind) and my coating is as good as any teflon I've used.
Jace Price
>non-stick meme >I hate cooking
Grayson Cox
>How in the fuck did you ruin the seasoning? I'm honestly impressed. >Anyway, I just seasoned my carbon steel pan and its pretty easy. Just preheat your oven to 550 and rub a very thin layer of oil (I used canola) on your pan with paper towel. Then rub as much as you can off with a clean paper towel, then let it sit in the oven for an hour, then turn the oven off and let the pan cool in the oven. If you're in a hurry you can leave it in the oven at 550 for like half an hour and then just take it out. Even as few as 2 coats of this is probably enough for a good enough nonstick coating, I did this about 10 times (from unseasoned, mind) and my coating is as good as any teflon I've used. Okay
So I bought it "seasoned". and the seasoning wasn't that good.
So I tried to scrape the seasoning off with a brillo pad and then I did the same method you're talking about(using flax oil)
I only did it ONE time.
and it didn't work
should I do it more times?
Or should I use some chemical cleaner to fully get the old seasoning off before I try reseasoning it?
ALSO on your pan, when you fry an egg does it slide off with ease?
Are seasoned carbon steel pans better than non-stick?
Ayden Anderson
getting the old seasoning completely off is ideal yes but it's not necessary.
I fried some eggs on it when the seasoning was about half done and they did stick a tiny bit but once I got under them with a spatula they didn't stick at all. Haven't tried with the current seasoning job, I imagine its even better now.
I'd say personally overall the pan is better than a nonstick pan. You can heat it up higher, move it from the stove to the oven, and despite having lots of the advantages of cast iron, is much easier to work with. Not only is it lighter than cast iron, but because steel is less brittle the handle is an actually reasonable length so you can actually get some grip on it. I think in the future I'm gonna be recommending carbon steel over cast iron.
Noah Peterson
Also I'd definitely season it some more. If you're in a real rush don't bother getting the seasoning that's already there off, just season on top of it another time or two. Then just cook on it and eventually your seasoning will be as good as it needs to be. I'd probably refrain from cooking eggs and fish and other things that are prone to sticking until the seasoning has built up a little though.
Jonathan Foster
Use shortening coat the entire pan, put it the oven every time you use the oven... It will buildup a beautiful seasoning.
Dominic Cox
Don't wait three minutes...
Liam Adams
Electric stoves absolutely suck. Nothing beats a gas range.
