⚙ Adding to the hot fat and frying: How to Do It and How Long It Takes

Adding to the hot fat and frying takes 4 min most of the time (usually between 45 sec and 8 min).

Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.

Add the garlic, curry powder and turmeric and fry 20 seconds, until fragrant · 20 sec · Yellow Fried Rice with Chicken and Green Beans
Add the cinnamon, ginger, saffron and cumin and fry about a minute, until fragrant · 1 min · Moroccan Bastilla – Chicken, Almond and Phyllo Pie
Add the shrimp and fry 3–4 minutes, until they turn pink. Remove and set aside · 4 min · Wide Pasta with Shrimp and Cream
Add the onion and fry' 5 minutes', until it browns · 5 min · Hunter's Pasta with Mushrooms and Wine
Add the leek and fry 8 minutes, until it is soft · 8 min · Leek and Spinach Quiche
Add the onion and fry for 45–50 minutes, stirring, until the onion is completely caramelized, dark golden brown · 48 min · French Onion Soup with White Wine and Yellow Cheese

Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
Paprika burns quickly and turns bitter: half a minute in the oil is enough, then move straight on to the next step.
Liver is fried fast over high heat: it browns outside and stays pink and tender inside. One more minute in the pan and it turns hard and grainy.
A lid keeps the steam in: the onion softens and turns translucent without burning, and browns slowly and evenly.
Sear in batches in a scorching pan: a crowded pan cools down, and the chicken steams instead of browning.