When cooking pork chops (or anything) in a pan with oil - how do you not burn the food? We've tried everything

Lowering the heat, turning frequently, etc. To not burn them, it takes forever since you're constantly turning the food. On the Food Network, you constantly see them cooking in oil on the pan and the stuff never burns - what's their story?When cooking pork chops (or anything) in a pan with oil - how do you not burn the food? We've tried everything
If you really have tried everything, then my only guess is that your pan isn't as heavy as it ought to be. Thin-bottomed pans communicate very fierce heat to food and often burn them, which is why nobody dry-fries anything in a wok for longer than about 30 seconds.





The guys on the Food Network are professional cooks, they're trained not to burn things. Never mind about them. Get yourself a heavier pan - something made of cast iron, for instance. And experiment with the heat. You want the food to brown, not burn.





Also, I hope you're using olive oil in preference to other oils, and extra virgin in preference to ordinary olive oil. I know it's more expensive but otherwise you might as well use butter, for all the good it's doing you. (Incidentally, butter is much healthier for you than margarine.)





Putting a lid on something frying in a pan is insane, by the way, unless you like your pork chops steamed rather than fried. It also increases the temperature and dries out the food much quicker.When cooking pork chops (or anything) in a pan with oil - how do you not burn the food? We've tried everything
Do you have thin skillets or something? To cook pork chops or chicken a long time in a skillet does take forever, relatively. I take about 45 minutes to cook either. After browning on both sides, lower the heat, add a Tbsp of water and cover. Perhaps that will help.
begin with high heat for about 3 min...then reduce heat to med.high 4-5 min. ...then low or simmer til golden brown wait about 10 min bfore turning the meat over on other side...this works for me..meat is thoroughly cooked and tender...yummy
Heat your pan with oil.


Place the pork chops in the pan.


With heat to med-high...brown both sides, turning once.


Put the LID on it and, turn the head down to med-low at least.


The lid will keep the steam in the pan to help cook the chops, and they will be moist too.
I always use medium heat. Do not constantly turn food especially if you are trying to brown something.


Very seldom do I ever use high heat.


I use high heat to bring water to a boil or to stir fry only.
A cast iron skillet works beautifully for frying. I don't really understand what it is you are doing to burn your fried foods though. I preheat my oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat to about 350-375 degrees. Frequent turning SHOULD NOT be done when frying. Research the item you are frying and you will know exactly how long to fry it on each side. I often fry pork chops and I fry them 5-7 minutes per side, only turning them once.
The key is to make sure that your pan is to heated to cooking temp. When you see that the oil is fizzing or when you splash a drop of water and it sizzles then your pan is ready for you to put the chop in. Don't put too many chops in at a time because the more items in the pan the lower the temp of the oil will become. Cook on a medium heat til golden then flip onto the other side til golden. Remove from pan drain and then place in a preheated oven of 350 F for 5-10 minutes depending on your oven and the inner portion of the chop will be cooked.


I have done this with fried chicken as well. Cooking it until golden and crispy and placing in the oven for remainder of cooking time.


Bacon can also be cooked in the oven at 400 F for 15-20 minutes and you will have beautifully cooked crispy strips w/o having to stand over the fryer to do it.
You may need to use a heavier thicker stainlees steel or iron skillet.Put a lid on as soon as brown and the steam created will finish cooking the pork chop, steak, or whatever.
Don't cook the food on high heat to begin with.





Heat your pan to medium to medium high. Drizzle a bit fo oil or use PAM.





Place seasoned pork chop in pan and cook for 4-6 minutes. You want to cook it mostly on one side and flip it only once. Same with burgers and steaks. When you do flip, it should only have to brown the other side and it should be done. Check for doneness by pressing it with your finger. If it is firm, then it is done. If is soft and mushy, it is not done. It takes some practice to get this down, but once you make few and check for doneness you will understand the whole firmness thing.





If you still have problems, it may be that you need a heavier pan. Really thin bottomed pans always burn food.
coat your pan with the spray on cooking oil (PAM etc) rather than pour oil into the pan. Use the cooking oil (1/4 tsp) to mix your spices up in to make a rub for your chops. Cook on medium heat for 3 minutes on each side then finish cooking in the oven at 350F for 45 minutes (that's the secret they don't show or tell you about)