Question about searing scallops in a busy kitchen

I watched a cook at the station next to me try to sear scallops in a cold pan with oil already in it, and they just ended up steaming and turning rubbery. It happened three times during the dinner rush last Friday. Why does everyone forget to get the pan screaming hot first?

3 comments

3 Comments

caleb26221d ago

Man, I feel your pain on this one. You can't half-step scallops and expect them to come out right. The trick is to get the pan wicked hot before anything goes in, but also pat those scallops bone dry with a paper towel. Any moisture on them turns into steam and ruins the sear before it even starts. If smoke is a concern, use a high smoke point oil like avocado or grapeseed and just work fast. You can always start the pan hot and turn it down a hair once the scallops hit, that keeps the smoke manageable. The real problem is rushing and skipping the prep, which sounds like exactly what that cook was doing.

nancy4751mo ago

That cook might have been trying to avoid the oil smoking up the whole line. In a packed kitchen during the rush, a super hot pan with oil can set off alarms or just make the air awful. Sometimes you take the hit on a few rubbery scallops to keep the whole station moving and the air clear. It's a bad trade, but I've seen it happen.

karen_west591mo ago

Okay but how often does that actually happen? I've worked in some busy places and a little smoke never shut us down. It sounds like an excuse for not managing the heat right. If your oil is that close to smoking, you're already pushing it too hard.