karen_roberts4•2d agoProlific Poster

Stop overcrowding the damn pan when searing meat

I keep seeing people cram 4 chicken thighs into a 10-inch skillet and wonder why they get steamed instead of browned. You need at least an inch of space between pieces or you're just making sad, gray chicken. Has anyone else noticed this becoming a trend on cooking shows?

3 comments

3 Comments

cora8631d ago

Right? It drives me crazy watching people basically boil their meat in a crowded pan and then act surprised it tastes like a wet paper towel. At that point just throw it in the oven and call it a day, save yourself the disappointment. Cooking shows love to cram everything in for the shot though, makes it look fast and flashy even if the food comes out terrible. I swear half of them couldn't get a proper sear if their life depended on it. Are people really that scared to cook in batches or do they just enjoy the misery?

the_nathan1d agoTop Commenter

The worst is when they dump mushrooms in with the meat too. Then you get gray meat AND slimy mushrooms, double the disappointment. I blame those one-pan meal videos that act like overcrowding a pan is some kind of cheat code. @cora863 if people would just do two batches it takes like 3 extra minutes and actually tastes good. But no, they want that instagram aesthetic of a full pan sizzling even if everything steams instead.

grantmartinez16h ago

Had a buddy who tried that one-pan shortcut with mushrooms and ground beef. Said the whole thing came out looking like literal vomit and he just stared at it for a minute before ordering pizza. Learned his lesson real quick though, now he does two batches and actually gets some color on the meat.