What does the cold pan vs hot pan experiment test?

It tests one variable: pan temperature at the start. The idea is that chicken thighs seared in a preheated pan brown better and release more cleanly than ones started in a cold pan.

15-minute experiment

Cold pan vs hot pan

Why chefs wait for the sizzle.

The idea

Chicken thighs seared in a preheated pan brown better and release more cleanly than ones started in a cold pan.

The one thing you change: Pan temperature at the start

You need

Two chicken thighs or two slices of mushroom
A pan
Oil
A timer

Steps

Put one piece in a cold pan with oil, then turn on the heat.
Heat the pan and oil before adding the second piece. Stay at the stove, because hot oil spits.
Cook both for 4 minutes. Compare the browning and how easily each releases. Chicken must keep cooking until it reads 74C inside, so wash your hands after raw chicken and do not taste it before then.

What you should find

The preheated piece is deeper brown and lifts easily. The cold start piece is paler and sticks.

From the app

Cook this with Chef Fizz

Step-by-step mode with timers, in the free app.

Get the app

The science behind it

Preheat pans and ovens fully

Steak, fish and vegetables dropped into a cold pan heat up slowly with it, leaking juice instead of browning. A pan hot enough to sizzle on contact browns…

Read the explainer

Track it in The Lab

Run all 40 experiments in the app, note what you tasted, and unlock the lesson that explains it.

Download on theApp Store