seans_potato_business
Senior Cook
Why do people put oil in a pan before cooking fatty foods when so much fat oozes out anyway and much of it often just ends up drained away?
I use oil because I mostly use carbon steel pans, and even if the food you are cooking is fatty, it will begin to stick before any of the fat renders. That said, I don't use a lot of fat - just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
I'll also add that I truly believe fat has gotten a bad rap over the years, and I'm not afraid to use it when I cook. Fat = Flavor.
Don't know about other people, but I don't add oil when cooking something fatty like a burger or chicken thighs for example.
Don't know about other people, but I don't add oil when cooking something fatty like a burger or chicken thighs for example.
Why do people put oil in a pan before cooking fatty foods when so much fat oozes out anyway and much of it often just ends up drained away?
I do bacon the same way. Otherwise, I use oil to get a good sear going.If it's all fat or nearly all as in a piece of salt pork/fat back, I start with a cool pan and let the fat render out as it heats. No extra oil needed.
Do you do that along with, or instead of, poking holes in the potatoes with a fork?Another story in that line of thought.
When SC and I married he would cut a thin sliver off of each end of the potato before baking. He said his late wife did it that way but he never asked why and she has nobody surviving to ask.
Since then, I've always cut off the pointy potato ends and I'm convinced it actually improves the baked potato. I assume it's the moisture venting out through the ends.
Anyway, give it a try and see what you all think.
Do you do that along with, or instead of, poking holes in the potatoes with a fork?
I use oil because I mostly use carbon steel pans, and even if the food you are cooking is fatty, it will begin to stick before any of the fat renders. That said, I don't use a lot of fat - just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
I'll also add that I truly believe fat has gotten a bad rap over the years, and I'm not afraid to use it when I cook. Fat = Flavor.
Me too
Why do people put oil in a pan before cooking fatty foods