What is pan frying? Techniques and pan-fried dishes that you should know

If you have ever eaten dishes that use the pan-frying method, you will recognize the speciality of this cooking method. When the food is sautéed in a reasonable way, the right technique helps the dish to keep the excellent freshness that other methods are difficult to achieve.

So what is sautéing that has such great effects? Let’s find out the details of the pan frying method with Tnhelearning.edu.vn so that it can be processed into many delicious and nutritious dishes for the whole family.

What is pan frying?

Pan-frying, also known as “sear” in English, is a very popular way of preparing food and is loved by many people.

This is a method of cooking food at high temperature in a short time, using a shallow pan and a very small amount of cooking oil and fat . The heat of the stove through the bottom of the pan and the grease will make the food cook evenly.

Pan-frying helps to keep the natural delicious flavor of food

The pan-frying method is suitable for soft and watery foods such as beef, pork, chicken fillets, fish fillets, and tofu, vegetables, and fruits. The special feature of this method is that it is possible to cook food evenly but still retain the texture, moisture, flavor and nutrients inside.

The main factors to have a delicious pan-fried dish

Cooking oil

Although frying does not use a lot of fat, it is still one of the things that have a great influence on the dish.

Olive oil is the best choice for frying

Vegetable oils such as peanut oil or grapeseed oil can be used for frying. However, for the dish to have a natural flavor, extra virgin olive oil is the most suitable choice.

Pan

You can hardly finish a sautéed dish without a suitable pan. A standard pan can cook food evenly in a short time, does not produce harmful substances during processing and is easy to clean after use. Therefore, you need to choose a pan that meets the following conditions:

Need to choose the right pan to sauté

– The pan must have a heat-retaining effect.

– Made of materials with good heat distribution such as aluminum, copper, …

– The inside of the pan must have a good non-stick effect, such as stainless steel,…

Condiments and sauces

The characteristic of pan-fried dishes is to retain the inherent natural flavor of cooking ingredients. Therefore, the use of spices is quite limited, only using a little salt and ground pepper to marinate before processing.

Sauces are usually fruit sauces or have spirits or wine as the main ingredient

In addition to spices, fruit sauces or sauces from spirits, wine are also used to increase the attractiveness of sautéed dishes.

Temperature and time

No matter what dish you cook, temperature and cooking time play a very important role. When using the pan-frying method, these two factors are even more focused to ensure that the cooking ingredients after being cooked still retain their natural sweetness.

Attention should be paid to the frying temperature and time

With sautéed beef, you need to use high heat to cook 2 minutes first . Then, you return to another surface, lower the temperature to medium and continue cooking for 2.5 minutes to complete. Thus, you will get perfectly cooked beef, red inside and brown outside.

Standard pan frying techniques

Food of the right thickness

To ensure the ingredients are evenly cooked in the right amount of time, you need to cut the ingredients into pieces of the right thickness for the desired doneness . The thinner the material is cut, the faster it cooks and vice versa.

The thickness will affect the doneness of the meat

With beef, you need to cut about 1.5 – 2cm thick if you want the meat to be thoroughly cooked. On the contrary, if you want a part of red meat outside brown, the thickness of 3-5cm is the most reasonable.

The heat of the pan

One of the most common mistakes made by beginners who are just starting to cook sautéed dishes is skipping the preheating step . This is an important step to having a delicious pan-fried dish. You need to keep the heat high so that the pan heats up quickly and then lower the heat to medium when the pan has reached the required temperature.

There is a trick to tell if the pan is hot enough. You put a few drops of water in the pan, if the water boils and shoots up like a small ball, it is hot enough.

At this time, use a towel to wipe off the water, add a little oil, coat the pan evenly and quickly add the food to be pan-fried. You need to do it quickly to avoid burning food.

Do not move food much

High temperature when sautéing can make you worried, afraid of burning food. However, unlike regular fried foods, when frying, you should not move the ingredients inside. You should only move and turn the surface when they are cooked.

Limit moving food while frying

Moving back and forth will slow down the cooking process. Instead, when you feel that the pan is too hot, the food is cooked too quickly, or you see smoke coming up, you can lower the heat or turn off the stove to prevent the food from burning.

Determining the ripeness of food

Depending on the wishes and taste of the person making, there are many criteria to determine whether a dish is ripe enough or not. You can observe, smell, test the elasticity and firmness of the food. If you’re extra careful, you can use a thermometer to see if the food is hot enough.

The maturity of the food depends on the preferences of the eater

When the dish is cooked, do not rush to enjoy it immediately. Pan-fried dishes after being done should be left out and rested for about 2 minutes before using . In this way, the meat will be even, the fresh water will be released, avoiding steaming.

Note to have delicious pan-fried dishes

In addition to the cook’s technique and the factors mentioned above, to have a delicious pan-fried dish, you also need to note a few things as follows:

Do not use butter to replace cooking oil : You can use vegetable oils for frying, using butter instead of cooking oil will cause the dish to burn.

Do not use iodized salt : Iodized salt will affect the natural flavor of the dish.

There are a few things to keep in mind to have a delicious pan-fried dish with the right taste

Do not use a small pan to saute many ingredients at the same time : This method saves time, but affects the pan’s temperature, causes fresh water to flow out, and food does not have the right color and taste. .

After the pan is hot, quickly coat a little oil on the pan and then add the food : In this step, if you hesitate, the oil is too hot, it will burn the dish, but the inside is still raw.

Let the meat rest for 2 minutes after frying : When the pan is finished, do not rush to place it on a cutting board or plate, leave the meat on the rack for 2 minutes. Thus, the fresh water inside will spread evenly, the surface will shrink and avoid steaming.

Delicious pan-fried dishes that are easy to make

Pan-fried ocean tuna

Pan-fried ocean tuna

Tuna is a seafood extremely famous for its freshness and nutrition. Pan-fried ocean tuna dish combines the deliciousness and freshness of tuna with the sweetness of asparagus to create a dish that is both delicious and extremely healthy.

Pan-fried salmon with honey lemon sauce

Pan-fried salmon with honey lemon sauce

Another seafood commonly used in sautéing is salmon. Different from the traditional pan-fried salmon, the pan-fried salmon dish with honey lemon brings a richer flavor, preserving the freshness of the fish while adding the sweetness of honey and the freshness of lemon.

Pan-fried bacon with ginger onion sauce

Pan-fried bacon with ginger onion sauce

Bacon is the most delicious, tender meat that is loved by many people. Pan-fried bacon with ginger onion sauce not only retains the softness and fatty aroma of the meat but also combines with the characteristic spicy aroma of onions and ginger, making the dish even more attractive.

Pan-fried chicken breast

Pan-fried chicken breast

If you are worried about your weight but love chicken dishes, try this pan-fried chicken breast. The delicious pieces of chicken breast are chewy, soft and rich, fragrant with the smell of basil, a little spicy of chili makes you love to eat forever without worrying about gaining weight.

Pan-fried chicken thighs

Pan-fried chicken thighs

Pan-fried chicken thighs is a perfect choice to make vegetarian meals more rich and delicious. The softness and characteristic aroma of chicken thighs are preserved when pan-fried, mixed with a few spices and other ingredients to create a unique and delicious vegetarian dish.

So Tnhelearning.edu.vn has helped you answer your questions about the frying method. Hopefully this article will help you better understand this cooking method, enriching family meals. I wish you success in making this dish!

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