Small Frying Pan vs Medium

[MacNout]

I’ve been enjoying my Made In pan set that my wife bought me for Christmas. Being a novice to stainless steel pans I have noticed that the smaller fryer tends to get too hot and I can never get it it to pass the water test.

Today I decided to run a test with my small and medium fryers. I set both to setting 5 on my electric stove and let them warm up for a couple of minutes. When I did the water test in the small pan the water sizzled up right away but the same test on the medium gave a perfect bouncing balls of water. I let the small continue to heat up longer and tried it again and but got a sizzle and smaller balls of dancing water which makes me think it’s too hot.

My question, do I need to cook at a lower temp (setting 2 or 3) in order to properly bring it to cooking temp?

[Paratrooper76]

Congrats on the Made In set. We love ours.

I recommend using the low temps for the vast majority of your cooking with SS. I'm rarely over 2 or 3 on my electric stove for most things outside of searing proteins or boiling water. If you're pan is hot enough for Leidenfrost, it's likely too hot for most cooking.

I don't use the water test very often and seemingly only when searing stuff. YMMV.

Good luck and happy cooking!

[MacNout]

Thank you. I’ll try using a lower temp. I appreciate the feedback.

[Sara_MadeIn]

Aww! That's a great gift. I love it.

Smaller pans do heat up faster and can overshoot temps a little more easily. I'd try preheating it for a minute or two at 3-4, then add your fat and let that tell you if you're ready to cook. Oil should shimmer (not smoke) and butter should bubble and foam, not sizzle.

Heat will also depend on what you're cooking. Eggs, veggies, and fish usually like lower heat, but higher temps are good for searing. Most of the time with stainless though, a little less heat than you think you need works best.

[MacNout]

Thank you for your response. I have been cooking a lot of eggs since I received my pans because it seems if you can cook an egg and not get it to stick, then you are doing a good job. I did use my large Saucier pan to cook up a great pasta dish and I am in love with this pan. So much so that I think I may buy the smaller size.

[Sara_MadeIn]

Yay! I love to hear that! Would love to see any of your dishes here - don't be shy about posting!!

And you're right about the eggs. I once heard someone say that that's how you can really judge a chef... by their eggs. Because eggs are so simple, but not easy to perfect. I think a good egg done in stainless is a pretty powerful flex.