There's nothing quite like a delicious steak or juicy chicken fresh off the pan. It can be heavenly, especially if you've got your favourite sides and sauces ready to go.

But the problem is that the meat sticks to the pan too often, no matter how much oil you put in it. Worse, it burns because the pan is too hot.

So how do you get the perfect sear without it burning or sticking? Mike, a Chef at Detroit 75 Kitchen in Michigan recently shared a tip with his social media followers.

According to Chef Mike, all you have to do is add a few drops of water to your pan first. When the pan is hot enough, the water will evaporate in one spot. This means it's not ready yet.

Chef Mike shared a technique to avoid meat sticking in a pan. Credit: @detroit75kitchen/TikTok

But when you see the water spreading out and hopping around the pan like 'mercury', it's finally ready to add a bit of oil and start cooking.

Mike suggests using water to test the pan's heat before putting oil to avoid a mess. Add your meat to the pan and start cooking! The chef mentioned that you’d want to reduce the heat after the oil to maintain the temperature rather than letting it rise.

And when you're finished cooking, all that will be left is a delicious dish and NO leftover residue in the pan. It's that simple!

The social media post garnered mixed reactions from users.

Some are praising the chef for sharing the technique, saying, ‘This is actually a good tip for beginners!’

While other users are debating that the tip doesn’t work for all pans, as the chef claimed.

One user said, ‘Maybe not the best for ALL pans.’

‘Do not do this to cast iron or ceramic coated cookware. It will crack’, another user warned.

Other viewers sought advice from the chef in the comments section. When asked what pan he recommends, Chef Mike answered, ‘Really depends on your budget and what you cook the most. A lot of commercial kitchens go with stainless steel because of their durability.’

When it comes to cooking oil, Chef Mike suggests that we use a ‘high smoke point oil like avocado’.

You can watch the full video here (Please note that this video contains expletives.):

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Key Takeaways

• Chef Mike from Detroit 75 Kitchen shared a simple water hack for checking if a pan is hot enough to sear meat.
  
• He advised waiting until the pan is hot enough so that it will form into little beads that dance across the pan when water hits it.
  
• Chef Mike also cautioned against using oil to test the pan's heat as it could potentially create a mess if it is too hot.
  
• The trick received mixed comments from viewers, with many considering it a good tip for beginners and some expressing doubts on the applicability of the tip to other types of pan.
  

Members, are you willing to try Chef Mike’s tip? Or do you have other cooking techniques that you could share? Let us know in the comments!

 

[Penny4]

It definitely works. I do that, as I only use all stainless steel pans/saucepans for my cooking.

 

[Bridgit]

I make my own spreadable butter - 500gm butter + 250ml good Virgin Olive Oil ( light taste) and add 120 ml of odourless coconut oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Soften the butter and add oil and salt in a high sided bowl and mix with a stick blender - use short bursts until mixed ( don't over do the mixing) and I finish off with a quick mix with a spatula and pour the butter into a 500ml tupperware container with a good seal - this mix actually doubles what you started with so you need 2 containers.
I have German made copper ceramic frypans and they do stick no matter the hype. Instead of oil or dry I use a knob of butter and work it over the base when hot and then turn back the gas to medium and add what you are cooking - meat never sticks and has a lovely flavour and it is quick and easy to make a sauce or gravy with the residue in the pan. I do the same if I am using my big stainless pan or the wok.

 

[Veggiepatch]

The heavier the pan, the better. It may take a little longer to heat up but the heat is more evenly distributed. Stay away from those aluminium pans that aren't much thicker than foil.
I use butter or a good olive oil for frying which imparts a great taste.

 

[freedy50]

What??
What's so good about that? I always put drops of water in a pan when I'm heating it so I know when it's hot enough to put the oil in and start cooking.

And if he needs to swear just to explain something then I wouldn't take any notice of him anyway.