What Stove Top Heat Settings Really Mean in Recipes

Question

Cooking instructions often contain the words "high, medium-high, low, etc."  How do those terms translate into temperature (i.e., degrees) and how can I measure that on my stove?  What is "high" on the Kitchen's stoves is not most likely to be "high" on mine.

Lynn Clark · Accepted Answer

Hi Georgina - You're right. Those settings are pretty general and don't always match up from stovetop to stovetop. Unless you have an infrared thermometer that would be pretty challenging to measure on your own stove and, likely, even variable from day-to-day. When reading recipes look for key words to help guide you - simmer, brown, sear, etc. These will give you a visual clue to look for to ensure that the temperature is not too high or low. Best, Lynn C.

What Stove Top Heat Settings Really Mean in Recipes

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