No matter what the recipe says don’t be afraid to add more oil to a sauté pan that looks dry. Here’s why.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 adamcantcook | 2021-10-27 11:30:09 |  16,190 Views |
When should I add oil to the pan?
Serious Mealtimes / Vicky Wasik
In any recipe that calls for sautéing it’s quite likely that the instructions will include a step or a warning about ensuring there’s enough fat in the pan at all times. Our recipes often emphasize the importance of adding more oil if the pan seems dry; Daniel makes this explicit in his recipes for Chicken Marsala and Osso Buco and Kenji mentions it in the description of his Eggplant Caponata recipe and in his Huevos Rancheros recipe.
It may seem like throwaway advice but it’s crucial to proper browning and even those who should know better ignore its necessity. Just this weekend while throwing together a quick lunch for a friend I made the mistake of letting a pan of aloo tikki get too dry. I forgot to add more oil after flipping the seasoned potato burgers and while the first side browned beautifully and evenly the front side turned out a little uneven and about half of the burgers lost bits of their crust to the bottom of my skillet.
