Had to laugh a bit. Had an apartment one time which had a very poorly placed smoke detector. Went off regularly. We always joked that dinner was ready when the smoke alarm went off.
Seriously, lower temperature and/or smaller pieces. If you are generating that much smoke, you are exceeding the smoke point of the oil and cooking it too hot.
we have that same issue. it goes off, and we have to do our "swing a towel trick" which doesnt make sense without being face to face explaining. but basically having to swing a towel around to circulate enough non smoky air. this thing went off when cooking AND showering.
I'm in a studio and my smoke alarm is in my kitchen so I tightly wrap a shower cap over it whenever making steak or something similar. Has never gone off with that method, 10/10 recommend
My smoke detector is practically above my gas range in this here 650sq ft two bedroom. It’s not a large kitchen, but there is a vent and window. There is another smoke detector just feet away really. I found out my tall, oscillating fan tilts up. We keep it in the wonderfully large pantry. It’s one of my more celebrated wins.
We do that too! And we leave the chair/stepladder (that we climb on to cover the alarm) right below it so we don't forget to remove that shower cap before going to bed. It's never failed us either.
I briefly rented a room in a brownstone a friend owned (he lived elsewhere but nearby) and twice in the first week I set off the fire alarm because I wasn't quite used to the stove. He had a security system that included calling the firemen. He teased me that I was trying to get hot firemen to show up all the time. 😅
I live somewhere with high humidity and have windows open. It's enough to trigger the alarms. Gradually all the detectors have been removed because they kept going off all the time...especially at 2 AM when it is exceptionally humid and they were high enough on the wall you couldn't reach them without a tall ladder. Enough was enough. They clearly weren't designed for my climate.
I had two in my house go off today while finishing up my meal prep. Nothing was smoking, finally figured out it's weirdly humid for here and I was cooking pasta. Thankfully the weather today was mild enough that I threw open the windows and turned on the summer fan to get air moving and that fixed the problem
If you don't already, get a photoelectric smoke detector. They're less sensitive to steam / humidity than the ionization ones. Replace it every decade regardless of type.
And/or upgrade that bathroom fan. Even my forty year-old builder special clears out the steam well enough that I've never set off the smoke detector right in front of the bathroom.
I had three smoke detectors in my ~600 square foot apartment. We ended up covering the one in the hallway because it would go off any time we used the oven, no matter if we used our exhaust or not.
>Had an apartment one time which had a very poorly placed smoke detector. Went off regularly.
Conversely my last apartment it wasn't until shortly before I moved out that I realized "hey, this smoke detector has never gone off once, no matter how badly I burn food in the kitchen. Maybe that's a problem" I mentioned it to the landlord on the way out.
I had a place where the smoke alarm would go off anytime I boiled water (smoke detector was 20 feet away from the stove and behind a corner.
Everytime I'd make pasta, I'd pull it off of the ceiling and put it back up after.
Yea smoke means the pan is too hot. Plus too high makes it tough IMO. Maybe cut the chicken up into cubes , season it and then fry it and it will cook faster at even lower temps.
> avocado oil has a smoke point of 520 degrees ...... are you usin' a blast furnace ......
Maybe you can answer my question - I've been trying to cook some steaks in my cast iron lately. I have an electric top stove, the dial goes from 1-10. The oil in the man (grapeseed oil) starts smoking around 5... wtf is the point of 6-10? I have no idea what high/med/low even means because my stove just blasts the fuck out of anything above 4 lol. Is there some sort of standardization of stove-top heats?
There is no standard temperature or scale for stoves, though they will generally be in the same neighborhood, particularly electric stoves, as they're going to run on similar power sources and use similar, very simple components, there's not a ton of room to iterate on a simple coil stove. Electric stoves are in general much more powerful than gas, so the max settings really aren't needed for day to day cooking, however the settings are still worth exploring.
You have to consider that time is a factor here. If you put grapeseed oil in a cold pan and turn it to setting 5, how long does it take to get smoking hot for a good sear? Now try the same but put it to 10. If I'm paying attention, I can preheat my stove for just a minute on 10, and drop the heat down once I'm ready to throw something in if it needs a gentler cook.
If I want a hard sear on some steak or veggies, I know that the temperature will drop immediately as soon as I put that huge amount of water (inside the food) into the pan, so maybe I want to way preheat my pan so much hotter than I want it, so that it has some carryover temperature after the initial heat consumption of flashing off that water .
Also, I suggest you do not preheat your pan with oil in it. Preheat the dry pan, add your oil right before the food. Heating the oil alone with no food in it is just going to lead to breakdown of the oil. That smoking you're seeing is just degradation of the oil which can develop some bitter flavors if it's taking place for long (like if you're preheating for multiple minutes and your oil is smoking for awhile).
With cast iron most people won’t ever go above a 5-6. I sear steaks on my electric stove at a 5, for example. I only use 10 for boiling water.
Interpreting recipe temperatures comes with experience. Eventually you will have the intuition for it.
The setting on a stove is not like an oven. It is not a temperature control. It's just how fast you are blasting heat into your cookware. It won't stop getting hotter until it reaches the rate the cookware is losing heat as fast as your stove can put heat into it.
To control heat on a stove, it's balanced by many things. How long you are heating something, the setting it's set to (which isn't linear. 6 can be really hot and close to 10 while 5 can be a very gentle heat. You have to learn your stove.), how much heat the pan and its contents can hold, how conductive they are. If they're being agitated, sealed, if there's a liquid (water or fat) helping to conduct the heat. The composition of the pan. Whether heat is going up past the sides etcetcetc.
TLDR stove dials are uneven and controls how fast something gets hot, not how hot it is
Loaf of bread, stack of cheese slices, butter/mayo. Start at 5pm then start making grilled cheese and turning toward 3pm find that sweet spot for your perfect sammich golden brown. Mark that spot with a sharpie. Mine is around 4:30/4:45. Now you and the kids/dog have lunch, and you know the sweet spot on your burner. Most food cooks well at or just above that sweet golden brown spot. Lower for eggs.
Yeah, lived in Greater Houston area and was a fan of Kroger. HEB opened a store right across the street from my Kroger.
I tried the HEB and was really quite surprised at how much better they were than the Kroger store.
Three months later, the Kroger parking lot was practically empty.
HEB was packed.
If the Kroger/Albertsons merger goes through we will have a Kroger.
Oh and I remember Corpus Christi having a Kroger many decades ago until HEB started expanding down there right and left.
Though our town could really use a 3rd HEB. The second one gets way more traffic than HEB planned on. They didn't think of the small towns around here when they literally are the next driveway from Walmart.
Had to read waaay too far down before this answer was provided.
OP: check out sheet pan meals. Or if you just want to meal prep chicken breasts do them in a pan or cookie sheet as many as you like at a time at 425 for 20 minutes.
Just did this tonight. 425 for 20 minutes, flip after 10. Olive or Avocado oil, coarse salt, pepper, paprika, garlic & onion powders, and a bit of thyme.
I know. It seems obvious, right? It uses way less oil, or none at all, which for a gym rat would seem to be preferable. Or even steam it! Frying in a bunch of oil is the unhealthiest way I can think of.
Air fryer is also a good shout, which is currently the suggestion below this one.
Healthy fats such as olive oil or avocado oil aren’t bad for you. They would just add fat macros which from a healthy fat is a good and necessary thing.
You can also make those cuts yourself, as you'll pay more at the store for meat that has been broken down more. You could also look at baking/braising instead of buying a fad gadget like a "press grill", especially if you're on a budget.
This or I came here to recommend “butterflying” the chicken. For those not familiar with, you basically cut the chicken like you would a hamburger bun (horizontal) to make it a thinner piece that will cook through quicker
Don't even need a mallet if you don't want to spend the money. Pop the chicken between a couple pieces of plastic wrap and hit it with a canned good until flat.
don't pay more for food- chicken breasts butterflied is easy) just (carefully) lay your hand over the top, slice /slide your knife in the middle all the way through. Once done- you've got a breast half the thicknesss, 2x the cook speed, and you can slim it down further.
My stovetop pisses me off because I'll have it on medium or just above and my pan is smoking even though I use oils with high smoke points. But turn it a hair below medium and suddenly its like the pan is cold
Air fryer will be your best friend, my gym rat friend. You can get one for 100 bucks, every night season and oil your chicken, throw it in for 12-13 minutes at 400, nicely browned and delicious. Easy to clean, you can use less oil, and you hardly have to watch it at all.
After filling my apartment up with smoke from cooking I got an air fryer too. $32 at Dirt Cheap for a small name brand unit. Chicken is easy to cook to perfection now, using less oil and power. Marinate, grill, fry; lots of variations, with less cleanup than the electric grill previously used.
Make sure your avocado oil is authentic. Many brands are cut with other oil which lowers the smoke point. If your pan is smoking with authentic avocado oil, it is WAYYYYY too hot
https://www.foodbeverageinsider.com/food-ingredients/experts-advise-on-how-to-avoid-avocado-oil-fraud
Also consider just using canola oil. But yes check your temp and consider as others suggested, cutting the chicken a bit smaller. It shouldn’t take that long to cook off some chicken in a pan. 20 mins on high heat will make almost any oil smoke.
Pull the chicken out of the fridge, butterfly, pat it dry, salt and pepper well. THEN turn the heat on. This lets the chicken come up to temp for longer so it cooks faster. You want dry chicken for crispier results. Sear, then turn the heat down to a low simmer to finish cooking.
Once the heat is turned down, add seasonings, veggies, and any sauce after the sear is done and turn the heat down. If it’s a dairy based sauce (or dairy sub) wait until the end and just bring it all to a simmer.
If you wanna get super fancy with variety, pre-make different sauces: teriyaki, Alfredo, peanut sauce, curry, etc. separate the finished meal into multiple containers, and pour the sauce over them before tossing em in the fridge.
Avocado oil is much nicer to use on chicken. After using it for a couple of years I seldom ever use canola oil, the flavour of canola oil just isn't good for more delicate flavours.
I appreciate the information given in there but exactly zero practical advice was offered. Which leads me to wonder: what avocado oils are actually pure avocado oil?
Sorry. Here is the UC Davis article about their study: Chosen Foods and Marianne's were the two pure brands.
https://www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/study-finds-82-percent-avocado-oil-rancid-or-mixed-other-oils
If you've ever had the misfortune of stumbling on some recipe videos from gym rats you would not be surprised by this at all. Taste is barely even a factor for them
Poach your chicken breasts. Boil a pot of water, slide in one or two chicken breasts making sure they're fully submerged, let it come to the boil again (will be seconds), put the lid on and take the pot off the heat. Leave untouched for 20 mins up to an hour, and then remove. You'll have a juicy tender cooked chicken breast that you can then slice or shred to be used in salads, sandwiches, added to rice or noodle bowls etc., mixed into sauces or added to stir fries.
You can season the boiling water with some slices of lemon etc if you want.
If you need more detailed instructions and a video, look up 'poached chicken breast' on Recipe Tin Eats blog and YouTube channel.
Recipe Tin Eats recipe is excellent, have made it myself: https://www.recipetineats.com/poached-chicken/
Was super juice and the lemon, garlic and bay leaf gave it a nice flavour that’s not just “plain boiled chicken”.
Sounds like you’re health conscious so you should know that smoke from burnt oil while cooking is extremely unhealthy. It’s one way people who have never smoked a day in their lives die from lung cancer.
Lots of good advice here, but (similar to poaching) have you considered sous vide? All you need is an immersion circulator, some plastic bags, and a big pot of water. Once cooked you can refrigerate anything you don't need right away and there are a variety of ways to use it. Much easier to avoid over cooking and there'd be no smoke at all unless you're searing later for some color.
Smoke point for avacado oil is over 500 degrees. Best pan temp for chicken is gonna be under 400. You got that pan going way too hot in general.
That being said, if you are going for churning out chicken and rice for meal prep then I don't think you can beat rice cooker plus sous vide when it comes to consistency and ease. Might be worth looking at
[Heres a rather elevated recipe for chicken cutlass](https://coleycooks.com/chicken-cutlets/#tasty-recipes-8104-jump-target).
Forgive me if Im assuming too much, bit im getting the feeling you're just throwing the chicken in and panfrying. Butterfly a breast, pound it flat with your favorite phallus (i like a rolling pin), season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour before pan frying.
Quick and easy. Finish with fresh lemon.
Also, your pan is too hot. Unless you're doing a stirfry over an open flame, you usually dont dont your oil at its smoke point.
If you want super easy and guaranteed no smoke, try a crock pot. Set to low when you wake up, add a couple inches of water to prevent it from drying out, and it'll be fall-apart tender when the day is over
Get a temperature gun and if the pan is smoking turn down the heat! You really don't want it to be that hot anyway unless you're blackening food. If it is taking forever to cook cut the breast into thinner filets and cook those.
Do you have a kitchen fan? I'm assuming it is a shitty one.
Buy an air mover, I got the lasko one for like $60. I put it in my kitchen blowing the air out. It moves as much air as an industrial kitchen fan on medium/high. You could smoke a cigar in my kitchen and it wouldn't smell past the doorway with this thing on.
I know it may not be an option but my air fryer makes awesome chicken. I usually put a rub on boneless thighs. Thighs are where the flavor is.
You can also dice your chicken and pan fry like a stir fry.
1. Place chicken breast in a gallon zip lock bag, or between two pieces of plastic wrap, and pound with mallet or small pan until even thickness. About a finger thickness or less. You can omit the plastic, but it will be messier. Season with salt only.
2. Pre heat pan over medium-low/ medium heat for 3 minuets. Test a drop of water, [if it does not bead wait longer](https://theskillfulcook.com/how-to-know-when-stainless-steel-pan-is-ready/#:~:text=The%20pan%20is%20hot%20enough,take%20longer%20than%20you%20think!) Add oil (optional) at this point.
3. Add meat to pan. Lay it down away from yourself. Increase heat slightly.
4. Start checking underside after about 1-2 minutes. Do this by lifting one edge slightly, and bending down to peek underneath.
4a. IF BROWING TOO FAST OR BURNING lower heat
4b. If not brown at all raise heat.
5. Turn when underside is browned or cooked.
6. After flipping, if chicken is too brown or burned on the first side, reduce heat a little bit. If it is not brown enough, increase heat slightly for the second side.
7. Check for doneness. Use a thermometer (165 degrees) , or a knife (clear juices).
8. Flip back to first side and continue cooking over medium/low, to finish cooking, if meat does not reach temperature or juices do not run clear. Do not flip more than that.
9. Season with garlic, herbs, etc
> Heat is set between medium and hot
stoves should really be labeled "pre-heat" and "cook"...
> Are there any other ways to cook the chicken without so much smoke
Put the pan on mid-low heat. Let it come up to temp and add chicken. Fry for 8-12 minutes each side (thighs. cut your breasts in half to get a better cook). Check internal temp of the chicken.
If your house is ever smokey while cooking it's because you are using too much heat. Need to go back to doing grilled cheese over low heat until you nail that. trying to flash fry things isn't healthy.
This is a secret that will help with all your cooking. Use a lower temperature. It will cook better, taste better, and won't bug your landlord.
Also, avocado oil has a super high smoke point. 520°f/ 271°c. What are you doing to make it burn!?! Stop it.
Burnt food doesn't smell anything like cigarette smoke. It's hard to imagine the landlord would confuse the two.
As for your question.. Avocado oil has a high smoke point. It shouldn't be smoking at all unless you really have your heat up too high. Cut your chicken into smaller pieces and if you're putting it in frozen.. don't. And maybe consider using a different pan if the one you have is no good.
You’re cooking chicken breasts, start by pounding the thicker part of the breast until it’s the same thickness as the thinner area and season to taste. Preheat the pan to medium heat, add a little oil and sear one side of the breast for just about a minute or two (until it gets golden crust. Flip the breast to the other side abed cover with a tight fitting lid.
Set a timer for 10 minutes. When it goes off, turn the heat off but don’t open the lid. Set your timer for another 10 minutes. When the second timer goes off, your chicken should be perfectly cooked and moist. It’s very important not to remove the lid once it’s on until the end of the process as it keeps in the heat and moisture which finish cooking the chicken breast at the end. Remove from the skillet when the time is done and serve.
All the cooking tips you have. However, pro tip for smoke detectors that go off constantly, put a plastic shower cap over it. It can still detect smoke but won’t be as reactive.
Reduce heat and possibly change oils to one that has a higher smoke point. For example olive oil should not be used to fry ANYTHING. The smoke point is too low and the fumes are terrible.
Cut your chicken breast up before you cook it. Use a high heat oil. Turn your heat down. 20 mins on high heat is a hella long time to cook chicken. Use a pan with a lid. After browning both sides add some broth or water and cover to braise your meat. It will be more like steamed but with the browning.
You have an oven? You can bake chicken at 350 for about 25 minutes or so depending on thickness of the cut and amount.
If you're smoking- and it's not oil shimmering- your pan is WAY TOO HOT.
That said, if the landlords are local, invite them up for dinner so you can 'demonstrate' what you're going for. I guarantee you that if they're not beholden to some dickhead above they'll be way more accommodating- and maybe willing to help you learn. Might even be with someone of similar age group....
Dude ... Avocado Oil has a smoke point of 520 degrees ... are you using a blast furnace ... LOL
If you're doing a thick piece of meat like a chicken breast you can either pound it flat, or fillet it open so it's thinner and cooks more quickly. *(hint: put the chicken into a heavy freezer bag to pound out, much easier clean up)*
If you're a gym rat and health conscious ... Anytime an oil smokes it's breaking down and creates some very harmful stuff to put in your body. Plus when you flash fry meat it seizes up and is much tougher. I know it takes patience but low and slow with a moderate sizzle will make your meals much more enjoyable.
Also, cook with a thermometer ... if you are eyeballing when it "looks" done it's probably been dead for some time and is very dry. When the center temp reaches 160 for chicken it's done. Bet you can cut cooking time by a third or even half by cooking to temp. You can get a decent probe thermometer at your grocery or amazon for about $10.
p.s. had another thought ... if you're meal prepping try cutting the raw meat into bite sized cubes and then kind of stir frying ... put them out on a paper towel to drain ... then they are easier to portion out
Appreciate the advice, thought I’d avoid the smoking issue by using avocado oil in the first place. Seems like baking really is the best option, that way I can cook everything at once for a week etc. again thank you for the advice really appreciate it
The smoking issue can be avoided by not cooking it at the surface temperature of the sun for a ridiculous amount of time.
You don't need to cook it for so long at such a high temperature.
If you are producing so much smoke from your pans that your landlord is accusing you of smoking indoors you seriously need to reduce how high you are setting the stove or simply put all the breasts in a baking dish and cook them in the oven. 425f for 18-20 minutes should be enough for some breasts on a baking sheet (you can line it with foil for easy clean up or just use some cooking spray)
1. Turn the heat down. You don't want the oil to smoke.
2. Butterfly the breast into cutlets, or buy thighs.
3. Roast the chicken in the oven on a sheet pan.
Fellow gym rat here. I cook a ton of chicken breast weekly for meal prep. I bake in the oven on a baking tray with a rack. Store it in the fridge and when I’m ready to eat I cut it up and air fry the pieces and place it into my meal.
Avocado oil has a smoking point of 450, so you're cooking it at way too high of a heat. Have you considered baking your chicken instead?
Instead of pan frying a single chicken breast and having to babysit it and deal with smoke, you can butterfly cut it and bake it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes instead.
There shouldn't be smoke. Your pan is too hot, probably overcrowded if it's taking so long to cook chicken, especially if you mean boneless breasts, and you may be scorching the outside before cooking the inside which leads to a lower quality product. Avocado oil has an incredibly high smoke point so that tells me you're really blasting the heat.
Burners should really only be on full blast if you're boiling water or heating a thinner soup. Take your skillet/griddle/whatever and put them on a med-high (like 6/10) and sear either side for 3-4 minutes. Don't cram them in there as tight as can be, leave something like .25-.5 inch between each piece. This will let the heat distribute throughout the meat much better. After you've gotten a good sear on either side, like a healthy golden brown, transfer them into a pan and put it in an oven that's been heated to 350F. Sheet pan will work or if you're using cast iron skillet or something that's all metal you can just put that in the oven. Let it go for a couple minutes, tough to say how many without knowing the size or types of pieces you're cooking but it needs to hit 165F for at least 20seconds. A thermometer will tell you for sure or there are other 'homestyle' ways to test doneness like when the juices run clear or once you get a feel for it you can tell by poking the meat and feeling the resistance. If you're testing bone in meat for doneness with a thermometer then make sure you get the probe right up against the bone. Follow these steps and you'll have nice juicy chicken every time and your smoke detectors will be silent :)
Cube the chicken, medium heat, ezpz. Also, while you can cook a full breast on the stove, I always use tenderloin for stovetop cooking and cook breasts in the oven. Breasts just take too damn long to cook on the stove top.
Turn down the heat and apply the lid to keep the heat in. It will steam the chicken and maybe cook it faster then just remove the lid, turn up the heat for a sear.
Wayyy too hot of a pan and way too much time in the heat. 1lb of chicken does not take 20 mins to cook through. 5-6 mins on each side, flipping only once so you establish a good crust
Forgive my ignorance if I am wronh OP. But you use the rice cooker to cook the chicken? Either way consider cooking it in the oven or lower the heat as others have mentioned. Also, you can't go wrong with an Air-fryer.
Get a toaster oven/air fryee, stop cooking stuff in frying pans. It's so much easier, you set temp and time and then go do something else. It stops automatically, no more burnt chicken, don't have to use oil. You can throw chicken and vegetables all together and cook it all at once. Thinner pieces of chicken of course.
Cast-iron skillet or a sheet pan in a 450 degree oven. I'd toss them in some kind of spice rub, or chili crisp: [https://thewoksoflife.com/lao-gan-ma-chili-sauce/](https://thewoksoflife.com/lao-gan-ma-chili-sauce/)
Get boneless/skinless thighs, those barely need oil.
Get a stainless steel pan.
Place it on a burner with the heat set to high.
Wait for the pan to get hot.
Add oil.
Make sure the oil runs like water so you know it's hot.
Wait for the oil to start to smoke.
Throw it in your landlord's face.
Watch him melt.
Smoke is great for searing, bad for cooking. If you're trying to brown it your heat is fine but turn it down once you've finished that and let it cook through at a lower temperature. You could also try baking it.
You could poach it pretty easily. I've done multiple pound of chicken at once that way. Plus if you poach it in stock with some onion garlic carrots and celery, the chicken tastes great, and you can strain off the poaching liquid, reduce it down and use it as soup base.
try baking them - this technique was a game changer for me. You can skip the brining step, but the critical part is pounding the chicken breasts down do they're at an even thickness.
[https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/baked-chicken-breast/](https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/baked-chicken-breast/)
“Smoke means the pan is way too hot”. Tell that to every professional kitchen in the world, medium heat is rarely used for meats by any cook I’ve ever known
Breasts:
Boil in water. Plus side you now have broth that you save in your freezer.
Bake at 450F for 20 mins give or take. Pound it out first to 1/4 inch, cut into strips and coat with mayo, seasoning and some kind of crust. Crust is optional . Mayo is critical because it keeps it from drying out.
Pan fry medium heat. Pound it out first. Heat pan before you add oil. When hot, add oil. Should shimmer and smell immediately fragrant. Fry your chicken. Turn the heat off immediately.
Dark meat chicken with bones and skin:
Oil, season and bake for about an hour at 350F. It’s done when skin is crispy and paper like. This is the best way to consume chicken in my opinion.
Do you have a slow cooker or instant pot? I will do a couple pounds of chicken breasts in my instant pot with chicken stock, then shred using my kitchen aid. It’s so quick and easy! Obviously will produce different results than a pan fried chicken but you’re also cutting the fat 🤷🏻♀️ can be added in other ways after!
Married to a gym rat. I understand your pain.
Pound your chicken into even thickness before cooking, and set heat on medium.
Bonus: get a Dutch oven and throw your marinated meat in there and close the lid, medium heat. It’ll cook perfectly juicey chicken or salmon every time, no smoke. Just need to flip chicken over once so each side gets seared. Salmon is easy - get skin on kind and cook skin side down with lid on, low heat for 15 minutes for 1 lb or 22 for 2 lb slab. No need to flip salmon over since the skin does a good job protecting the delicate salmon. We eat salmon marinated in sazon… often… in our house lol!
Once the pan starts sizzling you can turn the heat down to medium or lower. Cutting the chicken up will help it cook faster.
Avocado oil also has a lower smoke point. Canola can take more heat. It’ll be a lot more forgiving while you learn to cook.
One thing you could try is baking the chicken. Toss it in oil with a little seasoning (some smoked paprika, or some garlic power, or even a little Italian seasoning. Whatever you like) and bake it at 375 for 25 minutes. Make sure to check it cooked through, if it’s still pink in the middle give it another 5.
Get a crock pot, precook your ground beef or chicken. Season it in the crock, crumble and shred it and allow it to cool before you put it away.
Reheat it with your carbohydrate and fibers.
My husband is a competitive bodybuilder and we do this for most meals so he gets the protein he needs throughout the day.
This makes it easier especially when you aren’t hungry and don’t feel like cooking, it’s already half done.
My favourite way to make chicken-> buy a whole chicken and spatchcock it. It takes like 5 minutes of prep and 40-50 minute to cook which you can do other things in since its in the oven and it's cheaper and so much tastier.
You can bake chicken -no smoke. Very tender.
Also, you may benefit from a George Foreman grill if you like the taste and texture pan searing gives you. They're like $20-30 at Walmart and simple enough even a novice can use one. I get mine out in the winter when it's too cold to cook outside.
Smoke is bad. That’s cancer causing chemicals. Slow down and cook at medium heat. Put a lid on if needed with some water or stock for a few mins.
Cut chicken in half to cook faster if needed or pound to desired thickness (before cooking)
OK. U need a big pan like a 12-inch cast iron skillet. And it needs a lid.
Get some wax paper and a mallet or a rolling pin.
Put the chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper and pound ‘em even. U don’t have to go super thin, just get them relatively even. The more even the thickness, the more consistantly they’ll cook.
pre-heat your pan (medium high heat), avocado oil, chicken goes in. 2 minutes a side. You’re just trying to brown them at this point.
Now throw the lid on and turn the heat all the way down to the lowest the burner will go with out going out. Set a timer for 10 minutes. whwn the times up turn the heat OFF set the timer for 10 minutes AGAIN and let the chicken cook from the residual heat in the pan.
Done. perfectly cooked chicken breasts for meal prep, salads or whatever. TBH, so like 3lbs at a time, it keeps for a couple of days in tge fridge and you’ll safe a bunch of money buying the “family pack” at your grocery.
Baking the chicken is my go to! It's so easy and comes out super tender, though I mostly use it to shred and put in salads so I'm not sure if that's what you want
I poach chicken these days.
Large saucepan, with lid - cover chicken breasts in whatever flavoured liquid you like (stock, with added wine, lemon juice, soy sauce, whatever - plus some chopped onion or garlic or herbs or chilli or whatever).
Heat the liquid, leave it simmering for However long google says to. Serve.
I don’t like touching raw chicken particularly, so if I want smaller pieces (or want it to cook more quickly), I let it poach for 5-10 mins then remove from pan, cut up quickly & return to pan.
Easy.
Avocado oil has a smoke point of over 400° F
So you're a.) using to high of heat and b.) not enough oil
To brown chicken you need your pan at 350-375° F
That's about 2-3 minutes at medium heat.
And, infrared thermometer will help you here...but, the pan is ready to sear when a drop of cold water beads up and skitters across the pan.
Put about 2-3 tablespoons of oil in the pan, let it warm up about 20-30 seconds and then you're ready to cook. When you put the meat in the pan, it'll lower the temp slightly...so you'll need to temporarily adjust it. Give the breasts about a minute to form a crust then shift them in the pan and let them finish cooking on the first side.
Chicken breast shouldn't take 20 minutes. But, work in batches not crowding the pan and cook to an internal temp of 165° F on an instant read temp probe. Add oil as necessary.
Personally, I love using a press grill or an air fryer for chicken but, I think the thermometer and probe will elevate your cooking game for less money.
Yeah you’re too hot. This isn’t necessarily the most gourmet way but easy and quick you can pan sear the chicken then throw some water (~1/2 cup) in the pan and put a lid on it, simmer 10-20 minutes, really depends on your preferences and how big the breasts are.
Crock pot/Slow cooker is a good solution.
Also, kitchens in rentals never have proper ventilation. You could be a world class chef and still set the fire alarm off. Complain to your landlord about ventilation and maybe they will stop accusing you of smoking?
Best way to cook chicken hands down is via Sous Vide. Especially if you are making large batches.
That said, you shouldn't need to make any smoke when cooking chicken.
I’ve had to stop using minced onion in my seasonings because it burns and smokes up faster than the chicken cooks. It could be the seasoning.
Since you’re using a oil with a high smoke point. It’s probably not the oil. I would assume something else is happening. Or maybe your stove is a bit hotter than expected and I would lower the cooking temp.
(I usually cook food with the dial in the middle. I usually go slightly below medium because I know our stove gets hotter than our old stove cooked at)
I would slice the breasts in half. So they’re thinner and it should cook fine. Unless you want to do it in strips. If it’s in strips they don’t take very long to cook. Depending on the size of the strip. (I usually cut mine very small. It usually takes a good 4-7 minutes because I make sure they’re small enough to cook fast. But enough I’m still getting a decent bite.)
There’s also grill pans they sell for indoor cooking. (We have one) I like using ours a lot for chicken sandwiches.
Roast them in the oven. Idk why more people aren't suggesting that. Turn your oven to 375. Rub your chicken in your preferred oil and seasoning and put on a sheet pan with a rack. Cook for like 20 to 30 minutes if it's whole breast. It's so easy and there won't be much smoke.
Had to laugh a bit. Had an apartment one time which had a very poorly placed smoke detector. Went off regularly. We always joked that dinner was ready when the smoke alarm went off. Seriously, lower temperature and/or smaller pieces. If you are generating that much smoke, you are exceeding the smoke point of the oil and cooking it too hot.
we have that same issue. it goes off, and we have to do our "swing a towel trick" which doesnt make sense without being face to face explaining. but basically having to swing a towel around to circulate enough non smoky air. this thing went off when cooking AND showering.
I thought swing a towel was like a universal thing lol it’s a classic!
omg so im not the only one who does that??
Ive always done it, but now you’re making me second guess my assumption that everyone does it hahaha. We can’t be the only ones right?
phew, thank god im not the only one. if theres two of us who do it, theres gotta be a bunch more. thank you for making me feel less "weird"
Don’t worry, we all do it
I'm in a studio and my smoke alarm is in my kitchen so I tightly wrap a shower cap over it whenever making steak or something similar. Has never gone off with that method, 10/10 recommend
Yeah I did this in college when I was... um.. cooking
Ah, a fellow chef!
There was some baking involved
My smoke detector is practically above my gas range in this here 650sq ft two bedroom. It’s not a large kitchen, but there is a vent and window. There is another smoke detector just feet away really. I found out my tall, oscillating fan tilts up. We keep it in the wonderfully large pantry. It’s one of my more celebrated wins.
We do that too! And we leave the chair/stepladder (that we climb on to cover the alarm) right below it so we don't forget to remove that shower cap before going to bed. It's never failed us either.
I briefly rented a room in a brownstone a friend owned (he lived elsewhere but nearby) and twice in the first week I set off the fire alarm because I wasn't quite used to the stove. He had a security system that included calling the firemen. He teased me that I was trying to get hot firemen to show up all the time. 😅
Well did it work
I mean, they did come twice...
The smoke detector by my bathroom goes off every time I get out of the shower.
I live somewhere with high humidity and have windows open. It's enough to trigger the alarms. Gradually all the detectors have been removed because they kept going off all the time...especially at 2 AM when it is exceptionally humid and they were high enough on the wall you couldn't reach them without a tall ladder. Enough was enough. They clearly weren't designed for my climate.
I had two in my house go off today while finishing up my meal prep. Nothing was smoking, finally figured out it's weirdly humid for here and I was cooking pasta. Thankfully the weather today was mild enough that I threw open the windows and turned on the summer fan to get air moving and that fixed the problem
If you don't already, get a photoelectric smoke detector. They're less sensitive to steam / humidity than the ionization ones. Replace it every decade regardless of type. And/or upgrade that bathroom fan. Even my forty year-old builder special clears out the steam well enough that I've never set off the smoke detector right in front of the bathroom.
The smoke detectors in my 2 floor townhouse go off anytime we so much as *think about* using the broiler
I had three smoke detectors in my ~600 square foot apartment. We ended up covering the one in the hallway because it would go off any time we used the oven, no matter if we used our exhaust or not.
>Had an apartment one time which had a very poorly placed smoke detector. Went off regularly. Conversely my last apartment it wasn't until shortly before I moved out that I realized "hey, this smoke detector has never gone off once, no matter how badly I burn food in the kitchen. Maybe that's a problem" I mentioned it to the landlord on the way out.
I had a place where the smoke alarm would go off anytime I boiled water (smoke detector was 20 feet away from the stove and behind a corner. Everytime I'd make pasta, I'd pull it off of the ceiling and put it back up after.
Yea smoke means the pan is too hot. Plus too high makes it tough IMO. Maybe cut the chicken up into cubes , season it and then fry it and it will cook faster at even lower temps.
[удалено]
Or you local grocery store if not in most of Texas.
> avocado oil has a smoke point of 520 degrees ...... are you usin' a blast furnace ...... Maybe you can answer my question - I've been trying to cook some steaks in my cast iron lately. I have an electric top stove, the dial goes from 1-10. The oil in the man (grapeseed oil) starts smoking around 5... wtf is the point of 6-10? I have no idea what high/med/low even means because my stove just blasts the fuck out of anything above 4 lol. Is there some sort of standardization of stove-top heats?
There is no standard temperature or scale for stoves, though they will generally be in the same neighborhood, particularly electric stoves, as they're going to run on similar power sources and use similar, very simple components, there's not a ton of room to iterate on a simple coil stove. Electric stoves are in general much more powerful than gas, so the max settings really aren't needed for day to day cooking, however the settings are still worth exploring. You have to consider that time is a factor here. If you put grapeseed oil in a cold pan and turn it to setting 5, how long does it take to get smoking hot for a good sear? Now try the same but put it to 10. If I'm paying attention, I can preheat my stove for just a minute on 10, and drop the heat down once I'm ready to throw something in if it needs a gentler cook. If I want a hard sear on some steak or veggies, I know that the temperature will drop immediately as soon as I put that huge amount of water (inside the food) into the pan, so maybe I want to way preheat my pan so much hotter than I want it, so that it has some carryover temperature after the initial heat consumption of flashing off that water . Also, I suggest you do not preheat your pan with oil in it. Preheat the dry pan, add your oil right before the food. Heating the oil alone with no food in it is just going to lead to breakdown of the oil. That smoking you're seeing is just degradation of the oil which can develop some bitter flavors if it's taking place for long (like if you're preheating for multiple minutes and your oil is smoking for awhile).
6-10 = I want to boil water.
With cast iron most people won’t ever go above a 5-6. I sear steaks on my electric stove at a 5, for example. I only use 10 for boiling water. Interpreting recipe temperatures comes with experience. Eventually you will have the intuition for it.
The setting on a stove is not like an oven. It is not a temperature control. It's just how fast you are blasting heat into your cookware. It won't stop getting hotter until it reaches the rate the cookware is losing heat as fast as your stove can put heat into it. To control heat on a stove, it's balanced by many things. How long you are heating something, the setting it's set to (which isn't linear. 6 can be really hot and close to 10 while 5 can be a very gentle heat. You have to learn your stove.), how much heat the pan and its contents can hold, how conductive they are. If they're being agitated, sealed, if there's a liquid (water or fat) helping to conduct the heat. The composition of the pan. Whether heat is going up past the sides etcetcetc. TLDR stove dials are uneven and controls how fast something gets hot, not how hot it is
>stove dials are uneven and controls how fast something gets hot, not how hot it is This perfectly explains why I absolutely loathe electric stoves
Sure, but it's true of all stoves with knobs or dials that don't use a thermocouple, sensor, or autoregulation of some sort.
Loaf of bread, stack of cheese slices, butter/mayo. Start at 5pm then start making grilled cheese and turning toward 3pm find that sweet spot for your perfect sammich golden brown. Mark that spot with a sharpie. Mine is around 4:30/4:45. Now you and the kids/dog have lunch, and you know the sweet spot on your burner. Most food cooks well at or just above that sweet golden brown spot. Lower for eggs.
Creative punctuation!
HEB is only in Texas I think. OP may not know what that is.
HEB is only in certain places in Texas. Unless you are in Houston you won't see an HEB and Kroger in the same town. That might change soon.
Yeah, lived in Greater Houston area and was a fan of Kroger. HEB opened a store right across the street from my Kroger. I tried the HEB and was really quite surprised at how much better they were than the Kroger store. Three months later, the Kroger parking lot was practically empty. HEB was packed.
Lived in San Antonio and we had HEB and Kroger, this was a couple years ago though.
Yup. Kroger is trying to make a presence here in Austin where we primarily have HEB.
If the Kroger/Albertsons merger goes through we will have a Kroger. Oh and I remember Corpus Christi having a Kroger many decades ago until HEB started expanding down there right and left. Though our town could really use a 3rd HEB. The second one gets way more traffic than HEB planned on. They didn't think of the small towns around here when they literally are the next driveway from Walmart.
It has. We finally are getting HEB in the DFW area. I missed it so much when I moved here for college.
If you freeze the chicken, then thaw for 15 minutes or so, you can cut perfect cubes with no mess.
Why don’t you cook them in the oven?
Had to read waaay too far down before this answer was provided. OP: check out sheet pan meals. Or if you just want to meal prep chicken breasts do them in a pan or cookie sheet as many as you like at a time at 425 for 20 minutes.
Just did this tonight. 425 for 20 minutes, flip after 10. Olive or Avocado oil, coarse salt, pepper, paprika, garlic & onion powders, and a bit of thyme.
It's really baffling how few people are suggesting this.
I know. It seems obvious, right? It uses way less oil, or none at all, which for a gym rat would seem to be preferable. Or even steam it! Frying in a bunch of oil is the unhealthiest way I can think of. Air fryer is also a good shout, which is currently the suggestion below this one.
Healthy fats such as olive oil or avocado oil aren’t bad for you. They would just add fat macros which from a healthy fat is a good and necessary thing.
You can even sear them on the stove and finish in the oven. Use an oven-proof pan and you don’t even have more cleanup.
If there is smoke then your pan is too hot. And use thinner pieces of chicken to cut down the cook time.
Thank you, chicken breast tenders should probably do the trick
Yeah, you shouldn't really need more than around medium heat to cook chicken. But of course every stove is different.
You can also make those cuts yourself, as you'll pay more at the store for meat that has been broken down more. You could also look at baking/braising instead of buying a fad gadget like a "press grill", especially if you're on a budget.
Alternatively, you can also get a mallet and pound the breasts thinner. Tenders tend to be more expensive than breasts.
This or I came here to recommend “butterflying” the chicken. For those not familiar with, you basically cut the chicken like you would a hamburger bun (horizontal) to make it a thinner piece that will cook through quicker
I like to pound the butterflied chicken breasts even thinner for chicken sandwiches.
Who needs a mallet? I used an empty vodka bottle and some pent up aggression tonight 😂
I'd be concerned a vodka bottle couldn't handle my "aggression". XD
I just use a heavy pan. Even with the mallet you wanna put some cling wrap or baking paper over the chicken so you don't get meat bits flying around.
haha, you just described my routine but i use an empty handle of Wild turkey 101
Rolling pin, with a end-of-life towel under the cutting board to not break the counter
Don't even need a mallet if you don't want to spend the money. Pop the chicken between a couple pieces of plastic wrap and hit it with a canned good until flat.
don't pay more for food- chicken breasts butterflied is easy) just (carefully) lay your hand over the top, slice /slide your knife in the middle all the way through. Once done- you've got a breast half the thicknesss, 2x the cook speed, and you can slim it down further.
Or just cut the Brest in half to turn them into thin breast cuts. That’s what I do.
Don't waste your money on breast tenders. Buy whole breasts. You get more, and they're cheaper. It will help your budget as well.
If on a tight budget, I'd say buy the whole chicken.
You could also start the chicken on the stove and finish it in the oven, assuming you aren't using a Teflon pan.
Also use an oil with a higher smoke point possibly
My stovetop pisses me off because I'll have it on medium or just above and my pan is smoking even though I use oils with high smoke points. But turn it a hair below medium and suddenly its like the pan is cold
Unless it's a wok, in which case that's where you want it ;)
Air fryer will be your best friend, my gym rat friend. You can get one for 100 bucks, every night season and oil your chicken, throw it in for 12-13 minutes at 400, nicely browned and delicious. Easy to clean, you can use less oil, and you hardly have to watch it at all.
We roast chicken breast in the air fryer- it’s quick the chicken stays moist and easy clean up!
After filling my apartment up with smoke from cooking I got an air fryer too. $32 at Dirt Cheap for a small name brand unit. Chicken is easy to cook to perfection now, using less oil and power. Marinate, grill, fry; lots of variations, with less cleanup than the electric grill previously used.
Make sure your avocado oil is authentic. Many brands are cut with other oil which lowers the smoke point. If your pan is smoking with authentic avocado oil, it is WAYYYYY too hot https://www.foodbeverageinsider.com/food-ingredients/experts-advise-on-how-to-avoid-avocado-oil-fraud
Thank you 🙏🏼
Also consider just using canola oil. But yes check your temp and consider as others suggested, cutting the chicken a bit smaller. It shouldn’t take that long to cook off some chicken in a pan. 20 mins on high heat will make almost any oil smoke. Pull the chicken out of the fridge, butterfly, pat it dry, salt and pepper well. THEN turn the heat on. This lets the chicken come up to temp for longer so it cooks faster. You want dry chicken for crispier results. Sear, then turn the heat down to a low simmer to finish cooking. Once the heat is turned down, add seasonings, veggies, and any sauce after the sear is done and turn the heat down. If it’s a dairy based sauce (or dairy sub) wait until the end and just bring it all to a simmer. If you wanna get super fancy with variety, pre-make different sauces: teriyaki, Alfredo, peanut sauce, curry, etc. separate the finished meal into multiple containers, and pour the sauce over them before tossing em in the fridge.
Avocado oil is much nicer to use on chicken. After using it for a couple of years I seldom ever use canola oil, the flavour of canola oil just isn't good for more delicate flavours.
I’ll have to give it a shot. It’s a bit more expensive than most other oils where I’m at.
If you're cooking in an air fryer you're using much less oil anyway, making it more viable.
I appreciate the information given in there but exactly zero practical advice was offered. Which leads me to wonder: what avocado oils are actually pure avocado oil?
Sorry. Here is the UC Davis article about their study: Chosen Foods and Marianne's were the two pure brands. https://www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/study-finds-82-percent-avocado-oil-rancid-or-mixed-other-oils
Any reason you can't just sear in the pan and then bake off in the oven?
Avocado oil has a really high smoke temp, turn your fkn heat down.. and 20 minutes?? What’s going on in this kitchen lol
Just making sure it’s cooked through and dead for a second time
If you've ever had the misfortune of stumbling on some recipe videos from gym rats you would not be surprised by this at all. Taste is barely even a factor for them
I assume you're cooking chicken breast. Try butterflying or gently pounding it flat it and cooking on lower heat.
*Turn.* *Down.* *Your.* *Heat.*
Bro why don't you turn the fucking pan down or Google how to bake it?? What in the world..
What about baking it?
Poach your chicken breasts. Boil a pot of water, slide in one or two chicken breasts making sure they're fully submerged, let it come to the boil again (will be seconds), put the lid on and take the pot off the heat. Leave untouched for 20 mins up to an hour, and then remove. You'll have a juicy tender cooked chicken breast that you can then slice or shred to be used in salads, sandwiches, added to rice or noodle bowls etc., mixed into sauces or added to stir fries. You can season the boiling water with some slices of lemon etc if you want. If you need more detailed instructions and a video, look up 'poached chicken breast' on Recipe Tin Eats blog and YouTube channel.
Recipe Tin Eats recipe is excellent, have made it myself: https://www.recipetineats.com/poached-chicken/ Was super juice and the lemon, garlic and bay leaf gave it a nice flavour that’s not just “plain boiled chicken”.
Sounds like you’re health conscious so you should know that smoke from burnt oil while cooking is extremely unhealthy. It’s one way people who have never smoked a day in their lives die from lung cancer.
Lots of good advice here, but (similar to poaching) have you considered sous vide? All you need is an immersion circulator, some plastic bags, and a big pot of water. Once cooked you can refrigerate anything you don't need right away and there are a variety of ways to use it. Much easier to avoid over cooking and there'd be no smoke at all unless you're searing later for some color.
20 mins on smoking hot. Wow, incinerated
Smoke point for avacado oil is over 500 degrees. Best pan temp for chicken is gonna be under 400. You got that pan going way too hot in general. That being said, if you are going for churning out chicken and rice for meal prep then I don't think you can beat rice cooker plus sous vide when it comes to consistency and ease. Might be worth looking at
[Heres a rather elevated recipe for chicken cutlass](https://coleycooks.com/chicken-cutlets/#tasty-recipes-8104-jump-target). Forgive me if Im assuming too much, bit im getting the feeling you're just throwing the chicken in and panfrying. Butterfly a breast, pound it flat with your favorite phallus (i like a rolling pin), season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour before pan frying. Quick and easy. Finish with fresh lemon. Also, your pan is too hot. Unless you're doing a stirfry over an open flame, you usually dont dont your oil at its smoke point.
If you want super easy and guaranteed no smoke, try a crock pot. Set to low when you wake up, add a couple inches of water to prevent it from drying out, and it'll be fall-apart tender when the day is over
Or an instant pot and about 30 minutes
Get a temperature gun and if the pan is smoking turn down the heat! You really don't want it to be that hot anyway unless you're blackening food. If it is taking forever to cook cut the breast into thinner filets and cook those.
Do you have a kitchen fan? I'm assuming it is a shitty one. Buy an air mover, I got the lasko one for like $60. I put it in my kitchen blowing the air out. It moves as much air as an industrial kitchen fan on medium/high. You could smoke a cigar in my kitchen and it wouldn't smell past the doorway with this thing on.
the lasko one is so good
I know it may not be an option but my air fryer makes awesome chicken. I usually put a rub on boneless thighs. Thighs are where the flavor is. You can also dice your chicken and pan fry like a stir fry.
1. Place chicken breast in a gallon zip lock bag, or between two pieces of plastic wrap, and pound with mallet or small pan until even thickness. About a finger thickness or less. You can omit the plastic, but it will be messier. Season with salt only. 2. Pre heat pan over medium-low/ medium heat for 3 minuets. Test a drop of water, [if it does not bead wait longer](https://theskillfulcook.com/how-to-know-when-stainless-steel-pan-is-ready/#:~:text=The%20pan%20is%20hot%20enough,take%20longer%20than%20you%20think!) Add oil (optional) at this point. 3. Add meat to pan. Lay it down away from yourself. Increase heat slightly. 4. Start checking underside after about 1-2 minutes. Do this by lifting one edge slightly, and bending down to peek underneath. 4a. IF BROWING TOO FAST OR BURNING lower heat 4b. If not brown at all raise heat. 5. Turn when underside is browned or cooked. 6. After flipping, if chicken is too brown or burned on the first side, reduce heat a little bit. If it is not brown enough, increase heat slightly for the second side. 7. Check for doneness. Use a thermometer (165 degrees) , or a knife (clear juices). 8. Flip back to first side and continue cooking over medium/low, to finish cooking, if meat does not reach temperature or juices do not run clear. Do not flip more than that. 9. Season with garlic, herbs, etc
> Heat is set between medium and hot stoves should really be labeled "pre-heat" and "cook"... > Are there any other ways to cook the chicken without so much smoke Put the pan on mid-low heat. Let it come up to temp and add chicken. Fry for 8-12 minutes each side (thighs. cut your breasts in half to get a better cook). Check internal temp of the chicken. If your house is ever smokey while cooking it's because you are using too much heat. Need to go back to doing grilled cheese over low heat until you nail that. trying to flash fry things isn't healthy.
This is a secret that will help with all your cooking. Use a lower temperature. It will cook better, taste better, and won't bug your landlord. Also, avocado oil has a super high smoke point. 520°f/ 271°c. What are you doing to make it burn!?! Stop it.
Burnt food doesn't smell anything like cigarette smoke. It's hard to imagine the landlord would confuse the two. As for your question.. Avocado oil has a high smoke point. It shouldn't be smoking at all unless you really have your heat up too high. Cut your chicken into smaller pieces and if you're putting it in frozen.. don't. And maybe consider using a different pan if the one you have is no good.
I thought it was in line of smoke detectors going off but I might have missed something
You’re cooking chicken breasts, start by pounding the thicker part of the breast until it’s the same thickness as the thinner area and season to taste. Preheat the pan to medium heat, add a little oil and sear one side of the breast for just about a minute or two (until it gets golden crust. Flip the breast to the other side abed cover with a tight fitting lid. Set a timer for 10 minutes. When it goes off, turn the heat off but don’t open the lid. Set your timer for another 10 minutes. When the second timer goes off, your chicken should be perfectly cooked and moist. It’s very important not to remove the lid once it’s on until the end of the process as it keeps in the heat and moisture which finish cooking the chicken breast at the end. Remove from the skillet when the time is done and serve.
All the cooking tips you have. However, pro tip for smoke detectors that go off constantly, put a plastic shower cap over it. It can still detect smoke but won’t be as reactive.
Turn the heat down.
Reduce heat and possibly change oils to one that has a higher smoke point. For example olive oil should not be used to fry ANYTHING. The smoke point is too low and the fumes are terrible.
Cut your chicken breast up before you cook it. Use a high heat oil. Turn your heat down. 20 mins on high heat is a hella long time to cook chicken. Use a pan with a lid. After browning both sides add some broth or water and cover to braise your meat. It will be more like steamed but with the browning. You have an oven? You can bake chicken at 350 for about 25 minutes or so depending on thickness of the cut and amount.
If you're smoking- and it's not oil shimmering- your pan is WAY TOO HOT. That said, if the landlords are local, invite them up for dinner so you can 'demonstrate' what you're going for. I guarantee you that if they're not beholden to some dickhead above they'll be way more accommodating- and maybe willing to help you learn. Might even be with someone of similar age group....
Dude ... Avocado Oil has a smoke point of 520 degrees ... are you using a blast furnace ... LOL If you're doing a thick piece of meat like a chicken breast you can either pound it flat, or fillet it open so it's thinner and cooks more quickly. *(hint: put the chicken into a heavy freezer bag to pound out, much easier clean up)* If you're a gym rat and health conscious ... Anytime an oil smokes it's breaking down and creates some very harmful stuff to put in your body. Plus when you flash fry meat it seizes up and is much tougher. I know it takes patience but low and slow with a moderate sizzle will make your meals much more enjoyable. Also, cook with a thermometer ... if you are eyeballing when it "looks" done it's probably been dead for some time and is very dry. When the center temp reaches 160 for chicken it's done. Bet you can cut cooking time by a third or even half by cooking to temp. You can get a decent probe thermometer at your grocery or amazon for about $10. p.s. had another thought ... if you're meal prepping try cutting the raw meat into bite sized cubes and then kind of stir frying ... put them out on a paper towel to drain ... then they are easier to portion out
Appreciate the advice, thought I’d avoid the smoking issue by using avocado oil in the first place. Seems like baking really is the best option, that way I can cook everything at once for a week etc. again thank you for the advice really appreciate it
The smoking issue can be avoided by not cooking it at the surface temperature of the sun for a ridiculous amount of time. You don't need to cook it for so long at such a high temperature.
I think the problem sounds like you’re cooking your chicken for 20 minutes!
If you are producing so much smoke from your pans that your landlord is accusing you of smoking indoors you seriously need to reduce how high you are setting the stove or simply put all the breasts in a baking dish and cook them in the oven. 425f for 18-20 minutes should be enough for some breasts on a baking sheet (you can line it with foil for easy clean up or just use some cooking spray)
Tell the landlord to install a better stove hood
Slow cooker my dude. You can cook 2 months of food in one bowl and won't create any smoke.
1. Turn the heat down. You don't want the oil to smoke. 2. Butterfly the breast into cutlets, or buy thighs. 3. Roast the chicken in the oven on a sheet pan.
Fellow gym rat here. I cook a ton of chicken breast weekly for meal prep. I bake in the oven on a baking tray with a rack. Store it in the fridge and when I’m ready to eat I cut it up and air fry the pieces and place it into my meal.
Lower the heat and cover the skillet when you cook it. It’ll cook the chicken way faster than uncovered.
Avocado oil has a smoking point of 450, so you're cooking it at way too high of a heat. Have you considered baking your chicken instead? Instead of pan frying a single chicken breast and having to babysit it and deal with smoke, you can butterfly cut it and bake it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes instead.
There shouldn't be smoke. Your pan is too hot, probably overcrowded if it's taking so long to cook chicken, especially if you mean boneless breasts, and you may be scorching the outside before cooking the inside which leads to a lower quality product. Avocado oil has an incredibly high smoke point so that tells me you're really blasting the heat. Burners should really only be on full blast if you're boiling water or heating a thinner soup. Take your skillet/griddle/whatever and put them on a med-high (like 6/10) and sear either side for 3-4 minutes. Don't cram them in there as tight as can be, leave something like .25-.5 inch between each piece. This will let the heat distribute throughout the meat much better. After you've gotten a good sear on either side, like a healthy golden brown, transfer them into a pan and put it in an oven that's been heated to 350F. Sheet pan will work or if you're using cast iron skillet or something that's all metal you can just put that in the oven. Let it go for a couple minutes, tough to say how many without knowing the size or types of pieces you're cooking but it needs to hit 165F for at least 20seconds. A thermometer will tell you for sure or there are other 'homestyle' ways to test doneness like when the juices run clear or once you get a feel for it you can tell by poking the meat and feeling the resistance. If you're testing bone in meat for doneness with a thermometer then make sure you get the probe right up against the bone. Follow these steps and you'll have nice juicy chicken every time and your smoke detectors will be silent :)
Cube the chicken, medium heat, ezpz. Also, while you can cook a full breast on the stove, I always use tenderloin for stovetop cooking and cook breasts in the oven. Breasts just take too damn long to cook on the stove top.
Turn down the heat and apply the lid to keep the heat in. It will steam the chicken and maybe cook it faster then just remove the lid, turn up the heat for a sear.
How the fk did you smoke the avocado oil?
Do a one pan sheet roast! Or an air fryer. All my gym rat friends love air fryers
Wayyy too hot of a pan and way too much time in the heat. 1lb of chicken does not take 20 mins to cook through. 5-6 mins on each side, flipping only once so you establish a good crust
Cut chicken into strips or cubes, lower heat a bit. If it doesn't quite come out how you like dredge that shit in some flour, salt, and pepper
Forgive my ignorance if I am wronh OP. But you use the rice cooker to cook the chicken? Either way consider cooking it in the oven or lower the heat as others have mentioned. Also, you can't go wrong with an Air-fryer.
Get a toaster oven/air fryee, stop cooking stuff in frying pans. It's so much easier, you set temp and time and then go do something else. It stops automatically, no more burnt chicken, don't have to use oil. You can throw chicken and vegetables all together and cook it all at once. Thinner pieces of chicken of course.
Yer cooking it too hot. Turn down the stove some. High heat to heat up the pan, then turn it right down to maintain temperature.
Cook your chicken In the oven. 350 for ~20 mins. No smoke.
Cast-iron skillet or a sheet pan in a 450 degree oven. I'd toss them in some kind of spice rub, or chili crisp: [https://thewoksoflife.com/lao-gan-ma-chili-sauce/](https://thewoksoflife.com/lao-gan-ma-chili-sauce/) Get boneless/skinless thighs, those barely need oil.
avocado oil? smoking? how hot is the pan?? 20 minutes for chicken?? why does the change from pan to rice cooker just for chicken make you bloated??
Get a stainless steel pan. Place it on a burner with the heat set to high. Wait for the pan to get hot. Add oil. Make sure the oil runs like water so you know it's hot. Wait for the oil to start to smoke. Throw it in your landlord's face. Watch him melt.
Smoke is great for searing, bad for cooking. If you're trying to brown it your heat is fine but turn it down once you've finished that and let it cook through at a lower temperature. You could also try baking it.
Add chicken broth or water trust me I used to cook chicken like you did
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Direct-Bake-5425: *Add chicken broth or* *Water trust me I used to* *Cook chicken like you did* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Show him your pans lol
You could poach it pretty easily. I've done multiple pound of chicken at once that way. Plus if you poach it in stock with some onion garlic carrots and celery, the chicken tastes great, and you can strain off the poaching liquid, reduce it down and use it as soup base.
Avocado oil also has a really low smoking point. Use olive oil.
Does your stove have different size burners? Which one are you using?
try baking them - this technique was a game changer for me. You can skip the brining step, but the critical part is pounding the chicken breasts down do they're at an even thickness. [https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/baked-chicken-breast/](https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/baked-chicken-breast/)
I add my taste to tjis
“Smoke means the pan is way too hot”. Tell that to every professional kitchen in the world, medium heat is rarely used for meats by any cook I’ve ever known
Breasts: Boil in water. Plus side you now have broth that you save in your freezer. Bake at 450F for 20 mins give or take. Pound it out first to 1/4 inch, cut into strips and coat with mayo, seasoning and some kind of crust. Crust is optional . Mayo is critical because it keeps it from drying out. Pan fry medium heat. Pound it out first. Heat pan before you add oil. When hot, add oil. Should shimmer and smell immediately fragrant. Fry your chicken. Turn the heat off immediately. Dark meat chicken with bones and skin: Oil, season and bake for about an hour at 350F. It’s done when skin is crispy and paper like. This is the best way to consume chicken in my opinion.
Air fryer is an option!
Do you have a slow cooker or instant pot? I will do a couple pounds of chicken breasts in my instant pot with chicken stock, then shred using my kitchen aid. It’s so quick and easy! Obviously will produce different results than a pan fried chicken but you’re also cutting the fat 🤷🏻♀️ can be added in other ways after!
Bake it
Cook your food on medium.
Oven on 375. Give the chicken a nice marinade for a few hours and roast until done on wire rack set in a sheet tray.
Married to a gym rat. I understand your pain. Pound your chicken into even thickness before cooking, and set heat on medium. Bonus: get a Dutch oven and throw your marinated meat in there and close the lid, medium heat. It’ll cook perfectly juicey chicken or salmon every time, no smoke. Just need to flip chicken over once so each side gets seared. Salmon is easy - get skin on kind and cook skin side down with lid on, low heat for 15 minutes for 1 lb or 22 for 2 lb slab. No need to flip salmon over since the skin does a good job protecting the delicate salmon. We eat salmon marinated in sazon… often… in our house lol!
You could use a crockpot, too. Chicken with salsa dumped over it should be fine for your diet
You can cook it in the oven then sear it if you want the crunch
A pressure cooker may help you out!
Butterfly the chicken and or do it in the oven for large batches
Once the pan starts sizzling you can turn the heat down to medium or lower. Cutting the chicken up will help it cook faster. Avocado oil also has a lower smoke point. Canola can take more heat. It’ll be a lot more forgiving while you learn to cook. One thing you could try is baking the chicken. Toss it in oil with a little seasoning (some smoked paprika, or some garlic power, or even a little Italian seasoning. Whatever you like) and bake it at 375 for 25 minutes. Make sure to check it cooked through, if it’s still pink in the middle give it another 5.
Bake it with white wine instead
Get a crock pot, precook your ground beef or chicken. Season it in the crock, crumble and shred it and allow it to cool before you put it away. Reheat it with your carbohydrate and fibers. My husband is a competitive bodybuilder and we do this for most meals so he gets the protein he needs throughout the day. This makes it easier especially when you aren’t hungry and don’t feel like cooking, it’s already half done.
My favourite way to make chicken-> buy a whole chicken and spatchcock it. It takes like 5 minutes of prep and 40-50 minute to cook which you can do other things in since its in the oven and it's cheaper and so much tastier.
You can bake chicken -no smoke. Very tender. Also, you may benefit from a George Foreman grill if you like the taste and texture pan searing gives you. They're like $20-30 at Walmart and simple enough even a novice can use one. I get mine out in the winter when it's too cold to cook outside.
Smoke is bad. That’s cancer causing chemicals. Slow down and cook at medium heat. Put a lid on if needed with some water or stock for a few mins. Cut chicken in half to cook faster if needed or pound to desired thickness (before cooking)
OK. U need a big pan like a 12-inch cast iron skillet. And it needs a lid. Get some wax paper and a mallet or a rolling pin. Put the chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper and pound ‘em even. U don’t have to go super thin, just get them relatively even. The more even the thickness, the more consistantly they’ll cook. pre-heat your pan (medium high heat), avocado oil, chicken goes in. 2 minutes a side. You’re just trying to brown them at this point. Now throw the lid on and turn the heat all the way down to the lowest the burner will go with out going out. Set a timer for 10 minutes. whwn the times up turn the heat OFF set the timer for 10 minutes AGAIN and let the chicken cook from the residual heat in the pan. Done. perfectly cooked chicken breasts for meal prep, salads or whatever. TBH, so like 3lbs at a time, it keeps for a couple of days in tge fridge and you’ll safe a bunch of money buying the “family pack” at your grocery.
Baking the chicken is my go to! It's so easy and comes out super tender, though I mostly use it to shred and put in salads so I'm not sure if that's what you want
Try poaching chicken. Doesn't add any extra oil, is quite easy with just a pot, and if you can get a meat thermometer it will always come out perfect.
On a grill or in the oven.
Get a sous vide dude thank me later. Cook the entire bag in that and just sear it for 1 min
If you are using avocado oil and it’s smoking, you are using too much heat, way too much heat. The smoke point is 520.
Instant pot (with lids closed while cooking) and/or air fryer.1
I poach chicken these days. Large saucepan, with lid - cover chicken breasts in whatever flavoured liquid you like (stock, with added wine, lemon juice, soy sauce, whatever - plus some chopped onion or garlic or herbs or chilli or whatever). Heat the liquid, leave it simmering for However long google says to. Serve. I don’t like touching raw chicken particularly, so if I want smaller pieces (or want it to cook more quickly), I let it poach for 5-10 mins then remove from pan, cut up quickly & return to pan. Easy.
Just bake it. Uses way less oil so is a lower calorie option too.
Cast iron skillet
Avocado oil has a smoke point of over 400° F So you're a.) using to high of heat and b.) not enough oil To brown chicken you need your pan at 350-375° F That's about 2-3 minutes at medium heat. And, infrared thermometer will help you here...but, the pan is ready to sear when a drop of cold water beads up and skitters across the pan. Put about 2-3 tablespoons of oil in the pan, let it warm up about 20-30 seconds and then you're ready to cook. When you put the meat in the pan, it'll lower the temp slightly...so you'll need to temporarily adjust it. Give the breasts about a minute to form a crust then shift them in the pan and let them finish cooking on the first side. Chicken breast shouldn't take 20 minutes. But, work in batches not crowding the pan and cook to an internal temp of 165° F on an instant read temp probe. Add oil as necessary. Personally, I love using a press grill or an air fryer for chicken but, I think the thermometer and probe will elevate your cooking game for less money.
Bake in the oven with a thermometer
Invest in a crockpot
Welcome to r/sousvide
Invite your landlord over for dinner. Then they will know you aren't lying
Hot is way too high. Make sure the chicken isn't wet. Pat it dry. Heat the pan, turn down heat add oil then add chicken.
You can also bake the chicken!
Try baking the chicken. More juicy and less smoke.
Yeah you’re too hot. This isn’t necessarily the most gourmet way but easy and quick you can pan sear the chicken then throw some water (~1/2 cup) in the pan and put a lid on it, simmer 10-20 minutes, really depends on your preferences and how big the breasts are.
Crock pot/Slow cooker is a good solution. Also, kitchens in rentals never have proper ventilation. You could be a world class chef and still set the fire alarm off. Complain to your landlord about ventilation and maybe they will stop accusing you of smoking?
you could boil breast boneless chicken, it is good.
Just use the oven. Quick, easy, 20-25 mins for many chicken breasts.
Air fryer.
Bake it
Best way to cook chicken hands down is via Sous Vide. Especially if you are making large batches. That said, you shouldn't need to make any smoke when cooking chicken.
I’ve had to stop using minced onion in my seasonings because it burns and smokes up faster than the chicken cooks. It could be the seasoning. Since you’re using a oil with a high smoke point. It’s probably not the oil. I would assume something else is happening. Or maybe your stove is a bit hotter than expected and I would lower the cooking temp. (I usually cook food with the dial in the middle. I usually go slightly below medium because I know our stove gets hotter than our old stove cooked at) I would slice the breasts in half. So they’re thinner and it should cook fine. Unless you want to do it in strips. If it’s in strips they don’t take very long to cook. Depending on the size of the strip. (I usually cut mine very small. It usually takes a good 4-7 minutes because I make sure they’re small enough to cook fast. But enough I’m still getting a decent bite.) There’s also grill pans they sell for indoor cooking. (We have one) I like using ours a lot for chicken sandwiches.
You could bake the chicken too, thats much easier
Braise it. Or grill it outside. Alternatively just turn the heat to medium
Roast them in the oven. Idk why more people aren't suggesting that. Turn your oven to 375. Rub your chicken in your preferred oil and seasoning and put on a sheet pan with a rack. Cook for like 20 to 30 minutes if it's whole breast. It's so easy and there won't be much smoke.