Stovetop Cooking

Updated 2 January 2021; Posted November 21, 2019

Read the Recipe

Most of my cooking is on the stove top.

So the very first thing I do in stovetop cooking is to read or think about the recipe, so I know what I am going to do. I need to know what ingredients and cooking methods are going to be used so I can pull out the right pots, pans or skillets. And so I can prep my stove.

But in all I have read and learned about cooking, we do not generally talk about how to actually use the stovetop well. So I thought I would put together some tips and tricks for better stovetop cooking.

But keep in mind, even the best stovetop and cookware cannot make up for inferior ingredients or poor cooking technique. Start with the best and learn how to use the tools you have, and you will end up with good food.

Gas or Electric Stove Tops?

One safer + One More Controlled

Electric stovetops are a safer heat source, but takes more time to get hot or to adjust heat. So here are some electric stove top tips:

• If something is to be boiled and then moved to a very low simmer, consider using two burners set to the different temps, and then just move your pot from one to the other. It takes too long for electric burners to cool down to what is needed.
• Electrical coils can cause uneven heat distribution. So, use pans that can even out the heat naturally, or occasionally simply rotate the pan a bit.
• Preheating a pan before adding oil becomes important since it takes a while to get to the appropriate temperature.

Gas stovetops allow the cook to control the temperature to a finer degree and is really important when using a wok for stir-frying.

• Still preheat pans before adding oil, but keep an eye on smoking for it is easy to heat up too high and ruin the cooking oil.

Gas Problems

I prefer gas just because I can better control the heat. However, there is a matter of safety with gas that is not the case with electric. If we find ourselves becoming more forgetful, I am going to switch to electric.

• Once we left the house and did not know the gas burner was on, but had no flame. Luckily we returned home after a short grocery run, but when the door was opened two things greeted us, our dog and the smell of gas. My spouse ran the dog outside quickly and I went to the kitchen to check the stove and open windows. We were close to killing our dog due to forgetfulness.
• Another time we were doing a very low simmer and after we ate and went to bed, did not notice until hours later we had left the burner on that very low setting. It was only taking the dog out in the middle of the night, and seeing the small flame in the dark, that keyed us into the issue.

Kitchen Fire Dangers

Fire Safety

Too many accidents happen with stove top cooking due to people leaving their house with the stove still on. In fact, National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) reports that based on 2014-2018 annual averages:

• Cooking equipment is the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries, causing 49% of home fires that resulted in 21% of the home fire deaths and 44% of the injuries.
• Two-thirds (66%) of home cooking fires start with the ignition of food or other cooking materials.
• Clothing is the item first ignited in less than 1% of these fires, but clothing ignitions lead to 8% of the home cooking equipment fire deaths.
• Ranges or cooktops account for three-fifths (61%) of home cooking fire incidents.
• Unattended equipment is a factor in one-third (31%) of reported home cooking fires and over half (53%) of the associated deaths.
• Frying dominates the cooking fire problem.
• Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day, the day before Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas Eve.

Here are more general stovetop safety tips for home cooks:

• Personal protection means no loose clothing, pull hair back, roll up long sleeves, remove loose jewelry, and wear an apron (for another layer of protection from grease and hot foods).
• Check the oven to make sure nothing is in there before you turn on.
• Do not leave flammable things near your stovetop. This means pot holders, wooden utensils, cookbooks, open bottle of scotch, etc.
• Train your young children, and pets, to avoid counters and stove tops, better is to stay out of the kitchen when frying or cooking splattering foods (like porridge).
• No burner should be on that does not have a pot or pan on it, but also never leave an empty pot or pan on a heated burner.
• If you need to cook something overnight, use a slow cooker, not the stovetop.
• If deep fat frying, do not get distracted, pay attention to what you are cooking.
• Keep your stovetop clean, for food and grease residue can ignite and cause a fire.
• Keep a fire extinguisher, baking soda and lids within reach, to help put out fires quickly.

Okay, okay, one story.

Over 20+ years ago, I was frying some food and received a phone call from someone I was dating (now my spouse). As we talked I wandered into my little library, and forgot about my cooking. Next thing I heard was the kitchen fire alarm. I hung up quickly, and ran into a kitchen on fire (a little KOF pun).

I quickly turned off the flame, put a lid on the skillet, and grabbed the kitchen fire extinguisher, spraying everywhere. Finally I managed to put the fire out without having to call the fire department. I figured out later that the oil evidently got so hot in my cast iron skillet, that it melted the plastic cover of the stove hood light, and the cover fell into the skillet, caught fire, and set off the cabinets near the stove.

OMG it was hell trying to clean up that fire extinguisher mess and it cost me a fair amount to repair the cabinets and other fire damage. By the way if you see my kitchen now (above), there are no wooden cabinets next to the stove because of that fire.

Kitchen Stovetop Safety

Use Fume Hoods

Whenever I am using my stovetop I turn on the fume hood. For me it helps the air to stay clean (when I roast jalapeno peppers especially!), keeps the steam away from the kitchen and food I am working with, and prevents my fire alarms from going off in the house.

But do not be afraid of steam or smoke, and thus cook on too low of heat. Use the fume hood to keep the air clean and cook at the temp required for the dish. Open a window if needed. In short, use the right temp for what you are trying to cook.

If frying, add a splatter screen, and the combination will keep your kitchen grease-free, and limit steam and smoke.

Heat Pan, Add Oil, Then Cook

Start by placing your skillet on the heat and let the pan itself get hot. Then add oil and let it get a bit hot too. Only then should you add food. Why? You do not want your food to just sit in oil, as that allows times for the food to suck up oil and makes the food taste awful.

You want the moisture in your food to steam out in hot oil so that your food fries on the outside and steams on the inside. This way the nutrition of the food is intact and there is a crunch and additional flavor on the outside. You know the oil is right when you add the food and it starts to sizzle, if there is no sound and no bubbles around the food, pull it out immediately and let the oil heat up more.

Hot Food to Cool + Fridge Food to Warm

In general, I never take food directly from the fridge and into a skillet or pan. I let the fridge food sit out just a bit (~20-30 min) so that it is at, or close to, room temp before I start cooking.

If you practice Mise en Place the first thing you do with cooking is to gather all the items you need to cook with and then wash and prep. Usually this takes a bit of time and my food is at room temp by the time I am ready to start cooking.

The flip side is to not put hot food immediately into the fridge, let hot food cool down close to room temp and then lid the container and put in the fridge or freezer. Why? Because hot food generates steam and if you lid it too soon your container of food will also contain water.

But, also do not let hot food sit out for more than 2 hours max or you can introduce bacteria. Remember the The food danger zone, or bacteria breeding zone, is 140F (60C) to 40F (4C.) 

Wash + Air Dry Veggies, Herbs, + Fruit

Part of prepping the food is making sure it is dry before you start cooking. So as part of my Mise en Place practice is to wash and air dry all the veggies, herbs, and fruits first, and then continue my prepping.

If you toss wet food into a pan you have heated with oil, you are going to cause a massive volcano of spritzed hot oil and create the opportunity for fire or burns. Not only is it dangerous, but also the food can be affected negatively too. So if frying at a high level, make sure your food is dry.

I only add wet greens (I am assuming because they were just washed) to a pan if I want them steamed. Then I use a bit of hot oil, add the wet food and immediately cover with a glass lid to steam.

• This is the technique I use for pot stickers, fry the bottom in a little bit of oil on the bottom of the skillet, then when ready I add some water and lid quickly.
• I Also do this with greens where I fry some onions and garlic in a bit of oil, add the greens to wilt, then add a bit of water and lid turning off the heat as the greens continue to steam.

Overcrowding Steams, Does Not Fry

Too often we cram everything into one skillet to help cook faster. What happens in this case is that the steam released from fried food winds up steaming the layer of food on top of it. So you wind up steaming your food rather than frying it. Thus food becomes soggy and not crunchy, and food cooks unevenly.

To properly sauté food you need to put enough in the skillet that there is a little bit of space between each food item. Cooking in batches is what is taught to home cooks. Yes, it may take a bit more time, but the result is a better meal.

Overcrowd Stovetop

On my stovetop sits a tea kettle and my cast iron skillets as shown above. So those items take up 2 of my 5 burners. I want my work space clean, so when I cook on my stove top I remove everything and keep my utensils and lids on the side, off the stove, on trivets.

So practice stove top hygiene, as one blogger wrote, and keep your stovetop clutter free when cooking. Keep it clean (clean up spills immediately) and make sure all handles are pointing inward to prevent accidents. Given we are in earthquake territory, I tend to also put my hot oil skillets on the back burners.

Do Not Play With Food

Again, one of the other issues new cooking students experience is how to deal with the equivalent of a kitchen’s “pregnant pause.” In a conversation there may come a time when no one is saying anything, and some of us wind up with a very strong urge to say something, anything, to fill in that pause. The same condition often occurs in cooking.

Once you place food in the skillet many of us want to use our utensils to play around with the food by moving it every so often. But what is best is to, STEP AWAY FROM THE STOVE and let the food cook undisturbed.

Meat, for example, when put into a hot skillet with hot oil, will often stick to the skillet. Let it be, for once it is cooked it will release itself and you will then be able to flip it over. Constant agitation of the food will prevent a good sear, and may tear where it is still stuck; thus reducing its flavor and visual appeal. Once the meat has been cooking, carefully try to lift a corner with tongs and if it comes free easily, flip. If it sticks, leave it alone. Again it will let you know when it is ready.

Understanding + Cooking Heat

Recipe Instruction

Remove From Heat: means you need to physically remove the pan off the heat source and move the pan to a room temp place (a trivet, non-heated burner, or heat-resistant countertop).

Turn Heat Off: this instruction is telling you to turn off the heat immediately, but leave the pan where it is to continue to continue to cook via the residual heat. I will do this often with rice and cereals or grains to keep them warm while I finish other items.

Use Correct Heat Level

This is a hard one for me, as I tend to cook hot (and drive fast). The truth is, however, not all food should be cooked on high heat. Learn how to understand what a simmer Vs boil mean, or what medium Vs high heat means.

Choose the right heat for the job at hand. Milk, for instance, should never be heated on the stove top on high. Eggs should be cooked on low or medium, never high.

Off Burner Cooked Food Still Cooks

Remember there is a carryover heat within the food itself. This is the fact that food continues to self cook even, when not on heat or in its cooking pan. Usually this only lasts a few minutes, but those minutes can matter.

To quickly cool veggie food for example, I tend to not dump those veggies into an ice bath, instead I take the food out of the pot and place onto a cooling rack, placed within a baking sheet pan. You will be able to see when the steam stops and the food is cool.

This is true for meat as well, which needs time to cool and set.

Kitchen Stovetop + Tools

Burner Size Matters

Different sized burners exist for a reason and is generally ignored by most home cooks. The different sizes are for different sized pots and pans, and some are differently heat rated. Check out and learn the particulars of your stovetop by reading the manual that comes with the new stove.

What we forget is that our stove is the main cooking tool we use to make the food we serve. Keeping it clean and well functioning is critical to the food we make.

Using Proper Cookware

You need to have the proper cookware for the foods you are cooking. It is hard to stir-fry in my cast iron skillet, a wok is the proper tool. So here are some general guidelines I use for my stovetop tools.

• I mainly use stainless steel (my wok is carbon steel), ceramic, and cast iron pots, pans and skillets.
• My utensils are often wood or wood handled, rubber or stainless steel.
• My knives are expensive.
• I try to have quality over quantity.

Non-Stick Cookware

I have a few non-stick but do not use them as much. Poor quality non-stick tools will show up in your cooking as unevenly cooked food, scorched food, and ugly plating. Cheap non-stick tools can lose their coatings and become dangerous (any non-stick pots or pans that have loose coatings should be tossed.) Non-stick pans give off a different type of heat that works for eggs, pancakes and the like but cannot be heated to a hot temp due to their off gassing (usually I do not heat up these pans much past 400F).

Cookware Lids

I always prefer glass lids for my pots so I can see what is happening. A pot of boiling or braising foods needs to be watched, so get rid of those steel lids and get glass. This ability to see into the pot can prevent over boiling and a stove top mess, and prevents running out of liquid before the food is cooked. It can also help you know when foods are done.

Learn enough about your pots, pans, skillets and utensils to use them properly. But also how to wash them properly. I have instructions on cutting boards and cast iron skillets. Read up on best cleaning techniques for your stovetop tools.

Cooking Techniques Have Their Own Tools

Use the right items for the cooking technique you are going to follow. If making a long cooking soup use a soup pot or slow cooker. If frying use the frying pan best suited to the job. If you are crisping chicken and then want to put it in the oven use a cast iron skillet. To make a crepe use a non-stick skillet with curving sides. For sauces or gravy use a pot or pan with sides deep enough. Use a steel wok to handle high heats and pick the bottoms that fit your stove.

Oil, Seasoning, Flavors

Finally just a few top tips on cooking:

Use the right oil for the job. Olive oil works for sauteing. Rice Bran Oil works for deep fat frying. Peanut oil works for stir-fry. Avocado oil works for frying too. Do not cook with quality EVOO, Sesame or Walnut oil, save those for drizzling or salad dressings. Animal fat, butter, and ghee are also used for sauteing, frying, and confit.

Do not rush caramelizing onions. Do not misunderstand, sautéed  onions are great. But meltingly caramelized onions are fantastic.

Salt water enough for the food you are cooking. Salt your water and taste it, it should taste like the sea for pasta. (By the way if you have to break pasta so it fits into your pot, you are probably using a pot too small. You need a large pot and lots of water; use 5-6 quarts of water per pound pasta.)

Most people add garlic too early. The smaller the cut of garlic (mince or smashed) the later in the cooking process it should be added. Do not cook to burn garlic, you want the flavor released through gentle heat.

–Patty

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