I give up, I need remedial cooking assistance (sauteing chicken breasts)

BlochWave

I can do some basic cooking things and usually can follow directions well enough to produce edible things. For some reason, things aren't going according to plan when I try to saute chicken, and I have failed most miserably two nights in a row.

I wasn't following any specific directions, but I read up on some recipes and how-tos, and figured I had the concept down.

First try: I took my skillet, I added oil, and I turned the heat on to about medium. The first problem is all my oil retreats off to one side, and I can't really spread it around. So I added a boatload of oil until I had some coverage on the bottom, put the chicken in, and it starts popping and snapping pretty violently. I tried turning the heat down, but I had to basically kill it completely to make it stop going insane. It was pretty alarming. I ended up burning the hell outta one side, and undercooking the other, so I tossed it. It was an entire breast and wasn't really cooked through.

Second night: I figured the potential issues could have been that the breasts were wet, or I had too much oil. This time I drizzled in a little oil as instructed and thoroughly dried the breasts. I still couldn't really get the oil to cover the pan, but I figured screw it, I'd see how it turned out, and tossed in the chicken, which this time I had cut into much more manageable chunks. Same issue with the crazy popping, but only if I tilted the pan to let the oil actually reach the chicken. I decided to tolerate it since I figured the smaller slices would cook faster. This worked out better, but I was still very paranoid about doneness and didn't eat very much. Speaking of which, is it normal for there to be, like...a red vein or something? The meat looks perfectly fine and white, but like this:

http://i.imgur.com/BiGw9.jpg

Ok my phone obviously screwed that picture up and I have no idea why or how. The thumbnail version actually looks fine, weird. The part that doesn't look like its filtered is actually the part I wanted to show though, how lucky! How about those juices? I always hear they should be clear. Is........that clear? I mean, it's not red, which I guess is something. I'm quite paranoid.

Muse Among Men

Do you have one of those metal mesh lids like so?



these mesh lids catch the oil so you don't burn yourself, they are very handy and I can't imagine cooking without them.

Esh

That's totally fine. You won't get sick from that.

Put the oil in the hot pan and swish it around until the pan has a thin coating. Then add the chicken breasts. There should be a little popping but it should die down pretty quickly. If the oil is pooling, you're putting too much in or not coating the pan properly.

Comahawk

The key to saute-ing is high heat with little oil. There will be sizzling, that is basically the oil cooking the meat. Also, make sure not to overload your pan, many people do this.

This guy has a pretty good instructional video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTyV3JExDT8

Also, the advice of one of the Chefs I apprenticed under: "Don't be shy." In this case meaning, don't be afraid of the noise and just get in there. If you are worried about flame ups, have a lid the size of your pan at the ready. That way you can quickly cover the pan and suffocate any fire.

Good luck!

Essee

Yeah, put some oil in, let the pan warm a little bit, then tilt the pan so the oil starts to cover the rest of the pan. A little will actually go a long way, and you'll get used to how much to put in as you cook more. I've been told that I'm pretty good at making chicken when I cook this way, and I seem to remember I set the temperature at like 3-3.5 (on an electric stove) so it cooks at a decent pace without popping. I can't stand the popping either. When you first set the chicken in there (especially if it's been frozen) there will totally be popping, but just relax and let it go for a little while and it will chill out, and you can do the other side. Same thing when you let the oil pass the chicken; it'll pop for a bit but just try to relax about it. After the initial popping phase, you can go in there and start flipping things around freely. And yes, those lid things will work just fine too. Even if you get more used to the popping, those things will stop you from coating everything in grease (seriously, that gets ridiculous), so it's good to try to use one. I really can't stand the whole popping thing, but doing things this way has made it pretty manageable.

I also personally slice the breasts in half once the chicken is partially cooked, because it makes the end product more manageable, and as a bonus you expose what would normally be the center part of the meat so that you can be pretty sure each piece is cooked through without overcooking it. As you cook more you should get used to what "done" looks like before it burns, and then you can stop being as paranoid about doneness (I know I was, since I'm not a very experienced cook myself). Just takes some practice!

Druhim

The popping you describe is likely the result of having the heat too high. Especially if you're cooking a whole split breast, you don't want the heat that high because the outside will burn before the inside can cook sufficiently. Are you opposed to dark meat? Boneless thighs are easier to cook through without drying them out and are more flavorful (fat=flavor but that doesn't mean thighs are loaded with a shitload of fat). Since you haven't really done much cooking before, you're bound to make mistakes because you just don't have the experience to know how to tell when meat is done or what temp to cook something at. That comes with experience and will vary somewhat from home to home based on the stove/oven and cookware you're using. Better cookware also makes it easier because it will distribute and hold the heat better. If you don't cook much, you probably have a cheapass pan that doesn't hold heat well and distributes it poorly with some spots being noticeably hotter than others. I mention this not to advise you to buy new pans, just to be aware of this and realize you'll need to compensate for it and become aware of how your pan distributes heat.

Most importantly? Don't get frustrated when something goes wrong. Be fearless, keep trying, learn from your mistakes.

Druhim

Also, I'll add that the video coma posted is fine, for sauteing veggies. That heat is way too high for a split breast though. Like I said earlier, something that big will burn on the outside before the inside is cooked. You'll need to experiment a bit with your pan and stove top to dial in what setting you should have it at (every stove top is different) to cook a chicken breast (or thigh if you try that next time, or a steak, etc).

Druhim

And hell, I'd recommend joining us in SE's cooking thread: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/167030/good-food-good-friends-and-actually-no-just-food-thread/p1

There's quite a few of us in there with a lot of combined cooking experience that can give you good advice. Don't be intimidated, we don't bite unless you ask nicely. So feel free to ask questions in there. The advice you get may be blunt, but it'll generally be solid advice.

Djeet

If the oil pools all to one side then that means the pan is not level. This could be from from the pan not sitting the burner level, the burner/grate not being level, or in my case, the whole oven/stovetop wasn't level. Itf it's a standalone unit there are usually feet threaded at the 4 corners of the base of the oven that you can screw in or out to level it. Alternately you could shim a side or corner until it's level. Otherwise you can just rotate the pan 180 degrees on a regular interval (30 seconds maybe?), which you'll probably have to do if this is built into a countertop.

BlochWave

Thanks for the replies! I am determined to learn basic cooking before I have a heart attack in my 30s!

I bet the stovetop isn't level, it is a standalone and very old (gas, by the way). I will see if it is adjustable when I get home.

Could part of my problem be that I am using extra virgin olive oil? I have read some opinions that it isn't good for sauteing because of the low smoke point (though I didn't have it smoking).

tech_hunter

If your oil is all pooling to one side you were probably using too much oil, also your stove may not be very level.

Most stoves have feet that screw in and out to assist in leveling. I would advise trying to get your stove as level as possible. It really helps when cooking, eggs, pancakes, and making omelets as well. Since you wont have to deal with your product retreating all to one side. Also as everyone else said just keep at it, you will get better with experience.

Comahawk

BlochWave wrote: »

Thanks for the replies! I am determined to learn basic cooking before I have a heart attack in my 30s!

I bet the stovetop isn't level, it is a standalone and very old (gas, by the way). I will see if it is adjustable when I get home.

Could part of my problem be that I am using extra virgin olive oil? I have read some opinions that it isn't good for sauteing because of the low smoke point (though I didn't have it smoking).

Yeah, olive oil is pretty terrible for sauteing. Buy some generic vegetable oil (it will likely be canola based), that stuff is dirt cheap and dead useful.

Terrendos

BlochWave wrote: »

Thanks for the replies! I am determined to learn basic cooking before I have a heart attack in my 30s!

I bet the stovetop isn't level, it is a standalone and very old (gas, by the way). I will see if it is adjustable when I get home.

Could part of my problem be that I am using extra virgin olive oil? I have read some opinions that it isn't good for sauteing because of the low smoke point (though I didn't have it smoking).

The extra virgin olive oil is part of your problem. Basically, "extra virgin" means that the oil is processed very little before it is bottled, which means there's all sorts of little impurities and other chemicals from the olives. This translates to delicious flavor in, say, a salad dressing, but it burns very easily under the high heat of a pan and creates unpleasant flavors as well as smoke.

Canola oil, peanut oil, and others are usually very heavily processed, so they're squeaky clean, have very little flavor, but don't burn until they get really hot. They'll be what you want to use most of the time you're cooking with oil.

Essee

BlochWave wrote: »

Could part of my problem be that I am using extra virgin olive oil? I have read some opinions that it isn't good for sauteing because of the low smoke point (though I didn't have it smoking).

Maybe for "sauteing," but are you looking to saute or just cook some dang chicken breasts in a pan? 'Cause I was using the same oil for just cooking it in some fashion, and it worked out just fine. I was only using it 'cause that's what my fiance bought though, so you can totally buy some veggie oil if you want. It's probably cheaper for the future. Edit: I don't think the low smoke point should matter if you're cooking it on medium-low heat... at least, I never had any problem with it.

Man, now I gotta fix myself some chicken later this week. I'm making myself hungry even though I'm already eating.

Druhim

Another likely reason for your oil pooling is that the pan itself is warped. This is very common in inexpensive pans as the metal expands and contracts as it heats and cools. Higher quality pans resist this much better.

I mention this just so you're aware, not to advocate buying an expensive pan right now. Try to avoid rapid temperature changes such as pouring cold liquids into a hot pan to reduce the extent to which it happens.

ceres

Essee wrote: »

BlochWave wrote: »

Could part of my problem be that I am using extra virgin olive oil? I have read some opinions that it isn't good for sauteing because of the low smoke point (though I didn't have it smoking).

Maybe for "sauteing," but are you looking to saute or just cook some dang chicken breasts in a pan? 'Cause I was using the same oil for just cooking it in some fashion, and it worked out just fine.

I was wondering this too. I use extra virgin olive oil pretty much exclusively to cook chicken breasts, but I'm just throwing a breast and some minced garlic in a pan. I don't know about this sauteing business.

Druhim

Olive oil is fine for sauteing chicken breast. If you're doing a whole split breast, it's big enough that you don't want the pan hot enough for the olive oil to smoke at all.