How to Properly Preheat a Pan: A Chef’s Guide to Better Searing & Less Sticking

You can have a great recipe, quality ingredients, and a beautiful pan, and still end up with pale chicken, soggy vegetables, or half your dinner stuck to the bottom of it.

Sometimes, the problem starts before the food ever hits the pan. You didn’t properly preheat it.

Preheating a pan sounds like one of those tiny cooking details that shouldn’t matter much. But in a professional kitchen, controlling heat is fundamental. The temperature of your pan affects browning, sticking, texture, cooking time, and how evenly your food cooks.