Saute question - browned flour in oil

[GA Home Cook]

I am learning how to saute in a new SS pan. It works great. Process - Drege chicken in flour and shake off excess (not sure about this), two TBlsp Veggie oil in the 12" pan on Med and saute about 3 minutes on each side. The chicken looks great, not burned, not stuck. But I am seeing brown flour (very dark browned) that gathers in the oil after sauteing. Questions - 1. Am I leaving too much flour on my chicken? 2. I want to make pan sauces, should I remove this? If I do, I throw away the oil with it. Is that OK? and just leave the fond in the pan?
Thanks

 

[jennyema]

Why are you using flour?

 

[GotGarlic]

You can make a pan sauce using the oil and flour in the pan. Add another tablespoon of flour to the pan and whisk till a paste forms. Whisk in a cup of liquid like milk or chicken broth and use a wooden spatula to scrape the browned flour from the bottom of the pan. Add salt and prpper to taste et voilà! You have bechamel or veloute.

 

[GLC]

Well, Georgia, this is one of those things where you get to choose your own preference. There's really no compelling reason to lightly flour meat you're going to brown. It doesn't brown "better" either way. It does have an effect. The flour brings some starches to add to the sugars that are involved in the important flavor-producing reaction during browning. But meat will brown without flour. They're a bit different. Flour also gives you a chance to add flavoring ingredients to the flour. If you are using the same fats in the pan to make a sauce, and the flour bits are too browned or burned, just omit the flour drenching. Which you like becomes you personal preference.

(I don't flour meat to brown it. My preference. I like to brown meat, not flour.)

 

[JanaAZ]

I am learning how to saute in a new SS pan. It works great. Process - Drege chicken in flour and shake off excess (not sure about this), two TBlsp Veggie oil in the 12" pan on Med and saute about 3 minutes on each side. The chicken looks great, not burned, not stuck. But I am seeing brown flour (very dark browned) that gathers in the oil after sauteing. Questions - 1. Am I leaving too much flour on my chicken? 2. I want to make pan sauces, should I remove this? If I do, I throw away the oil with it. Is that OK? and just leave the fond in the pan?
Thanks

I like to flour my chicken and saute it, too. Yes, you are probably leaving too much flour on the chicken. You will still get some brown flour in the pan, but I often take a paper towel and wipe it out of the pan.