Cooking basic proteins can be a pretty tricky if you aren't a seasoned home cook. If you aren't constantly monitoring your skillet and adjusting the stove top knob for temperature, or flipping at *just* the right time, you're going to end up with overcooked meat.
We've all been there– sawing through a leathery steak, choking down dry, stringy chicken, scraping the pan for that tasty layer of crispy salmon skin. Then, there's that sticky situation of getting that delicate salmon skin stuck to the pan.
Don't worry, we've got you covered. With a few Cue Tips from the chefs at Hestan Cue to help you through your next pan-seared steak, scallop, or fish:
- Pat down your proteins with a paper towel, making sure they are super dry before you put them into the pan.
- Use and oil with a high smoking point for searing at high temperatures to avoid smoking out your kitchen. Check out the Cue Cooking Oils Guide for a smoking point chart.
- When cooking steak, it's important to use an oil with a high smoking point, try oils like grapeseed or canola and learn more in our science of searing post.
- When cooking salmon, don't try to move the filet before the skin’s proteins have coagulated and browned. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself scraping the pan for that crispy layer of skin.
- When cooking scallops, it's important to brine with a 30-minute soak to release the water and avoid rubbery, pale scallops.
- Use canola oil when pan-searing as an all-around searing oil due to its high smoke point and neutral taste.
- For extra flavor, baste periodically when searing the other side of your protein. This allows you to cook from all sides in less time through the magical heat conductive capabilities of fat, resulting in a tender yet perfectly browned proteins.
These tips work for any skillet, so get cooking! Avoid the guesswork with precise time and temperature control for cooking and searing using Cue. You'll even get an alert when it's time to flip it, so you don't have to worry about when. Try Cue today.
Got any tips and tricks for pan-seared proteins that you can share with the Cue community? Let us know in the comments!
