Topic for discussion… I’m generally poor at using an appropriate amount of oil when cooking. If you use too little oil, the food tends to burn (not brown) and generally doesn’t cook as well or as fast. On the other end if you use too much oil the food ends up greasy. I tend to err on the side of too much oil, but I’d love to be schooled on how better to proportion the amount of oil I need in a pan when cooking something down.
It’s not just the fat, it’s also the heat. Know what you’re cooking and how. Some things will burn no matter what if the heat is too high, and some will get greasy if the heat isn’t high enough.
You can also get soggy/greasy food if there’s too much food in the pan, or if it’s a very wet food like mushrooms or a protein that wasn’t pat dry first. Liquid is your enemy; it will generate steam which will make everything go wrong.
If you’re using a small amount of oil and the food burns, your heat is likely too high. Very high heat is usually used for quick cooks like a stir fry, or to finish off a sauce. Try lowering your heat.
It’d help to know more about what you’re cooking and what your results have been. Then we can nitpick at you. :-)
look up what type of oil you are also using, for a good sear (proteins) or saute (veg) you want it to get to the “smoking point” don’t overload your pan, which brings down the temp & the item will absorb the oil
drizzle oil into the pan after it is heated, this also helps you judge how much you need
less for proteins, more for starch/veg
also you can add more as needed, and even baste or finish with butter!
