The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

(Nandana) #1

This effect can be very useful in the kitchen as a
means for judging how hot a pan is if you don’t own
an exceedingly sexy infrared instant-read
thermometer like I do. Drop a bead of water on a
pan while heating it. If it stays on the surface and
evaporates rapidly, your pan is under 350°F or so—
a suboptimal temperature for most sautéing and
searing. If the pan is hot enough for the Leidenfrost
effect to kick in, the water will form distinct drops
that skid and scoot over the surface of the metal,
taking quite a while to evaporate. Your pan is hot
enough to cook in.

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