warmer than the breast They brine the bird to juice up its breast Perfectionists cut the bird up and roast legs and breasts separately Hot Metal: Frying, or Sautéing Simple frying, or sautéing, cooks by the direct conduction of heat energy from hot metal pan to meat, usually via a thin layer of oil that prevents the meat from sticking and conducts heat evenly across minute gaps between meat and pan Metals are the best heat conductors known, and frying therefore cooks the meat surface rapidly Its distinctive characteristic is the ability to brown and flavor the meat surface in a matter of seconds This searing action requires a combination of heat source and pan that can maintain a high temperature even while the leaking meat juices are being vaporized If the pan gets cool enough to let moisture accumulate — for example because it was insufficiently preheated, or overloaded with cold wet meat — then the meat stews in its own juices until they boil off, and its surface doesn’t brown well (The same thing will happen if the pan is covered, so that the water vapor is trapped and falls back into the pan.) The appetizing sizzle of frying meat is actually the sound of moisture from the meat being vaporized as it hits the hot metal pan, and cooks use this sound to judge the pan temperature A continuous strong hiss indicates the immediate conversion of moisture to steam by a hot pan, and efficient surface browning; weak and irregular sputtering indicates that the moisture is collecting in distinct droplets, and the pan is barely hot enough to boil it off Predicting Roasting Times A number of different guidelines have been proposed for predicting how much time it should take to roast a given piece of meat ... with cold wet meat — then the meat stews in its own juices until they boil off, and its surface doesn’t brown well (The same thing will happen if the pan is covered, so that the water vapor is trapped and falls back into the. .. water vapor is trapped and falls back into the pan.) The appetizing sizzle of frying meat is actually the sound of moisture from the meat being vaporized as it hits the hot metal pan, and cooks use this sound to judge the pan... temperature A continuous strong hiss indicates the immediate conversion of moisture to steam by a hot pan, and efficient surface browning; weak and irregular sputtering indicates that the moisture is