I’ve stumbled upon a trick to sautéing that seems to work better.
Maybe this is obvious to everyone else but to me it was news and I just sorta randomly found it this fall while playing around in the kitchen and trying things out.
Old method that I used all my life: First high temp (to get the stove top & frying pan hot) than medium temp.
My new method, instead: First high temp (a little shorter time than before) then medium temp (a little lower than my old method’s medium temp) and then after a while a little higher than my old method’s medium temp.
So on a 12 step stove, I’m going 12, 5, 8 instead of 12, 7. More of a U-curve in temperature than the old L-shape.
This is great both for frozen stuff (thaw it out a bit on the lower temp (although, climate pro tip if you have the foresight: thaw it out in the fridge) and then fry it on the higher temp) and for stuff like fresh mushrooms (let them start to loosen up on the lower temp and then fry them on a little higher temp.
Goes for fresh veg too. The higher temp at the end makes things go a li’l faster and gives more of a Maillard reaction, the lower temp early on makes it so that you don’t burn it or wreck it until it’s ready and the water starts coming out.
I usually cook without oil and this has made it much easier. Things would burn early on but the shorter time at highest and the lower temp for the mid time is making all the difference.
(Also, with both methods you need to stir&flip a lagom amount. Too much and it won’t get maillard-y, too little and it’ll burn and stick even on the lower temp.)