It really pained me when I went into the kitchen today and saw this lying by the sink.
So I decided that something had to be done, not least because I get sad when my frying pan is maltreated, but also because burning is something that we need to raise awareness about. It’s a serious problem. And it has to stop.
Here’s how.
1. PUT ENOUGH OIL IN THE FRYING PAN. There is an oh so happy medium between putting so much oil that you die a fatty death, and putting so little that you burn the pan and/or your food. Start with a little to be safe, but if it looks like things are starting to burn, add more and don’t just watch your (my) frying pan get destroyed.
2. IS YOUR HEAT ON TOO HIGH? It’s a common assumption that the highest heat on your hob is automatically the right one for anything you’re cooking. Usually it is, but if you have a gas cooker and you’re using one of the giant hobs for a small pan, it’s going to heat things up extremely quickly, making things burn before they’re properly cooked. So either change hobs, or turn the heat down.
3. CLEAN YOUR PAN PROPERLY. If you’re attempting to make a meal in a pan which you have previously used, burned, and not washed properly, all the little black bits are just going to ruin and burn what’s now cooking, even if you’ve taken heed of tips one and two. Pans can be sticky or a non stick, but they’re not deliberately burnable because that would just be bad business savvy, so have a good look at it before you use it. If it has ominous black marks on it, wash it up. I’d suggest using a scourer. If the marks don’t budge, then you might have to get a new one, but while I’m on the subject I’d like to add here that if you wash your frying pan up as soon as you’ve emptied whatever was in it onto a plate, you dramatically reduce the chances of burns drying up and sticking to the pan forevermore. Besides, its actually much easier and quicker to wash up straight away before it’s dried out. Your food knows that it’s being cooked, and it wants to leave your hot frying pan. Take pity on it. Wash up.
And that my friends, is how you stop burning.
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