Why we cook food in oil

11 insights saved from this video by @food

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Brussels sprouts cooked without oil took nearly twice as long, stayed hard inside, and tasted worse.
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Duck breast cooks successfully in a cold dry pan, while less fatty chicken thigh can overcook and undercook simultaneously.
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Oil does more than prevent sticking: it fills gaps between pan and food, transferring heat across more surface.
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A dry pan browns only where food touches metal. Oil spreads heat, creating generalized golden browning.
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Cooking oils approach 400°F/200°C before breaking down. Water reaches only 212°F/100°C before becoming steam.
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Dry-pan naan-style bread browns in patches and tastes breadlike. Oil creates broad golden browning and a fried flavor.
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Naturally fatty meat supplies its own thermal interface: rendered fat lets the meat fry in it.
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Oil reaches upward from the pan bottom, heating food that never touches metal and broadening browning.
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In a 400°F oven, oiling food does not necessarily create much more surface browning.
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Roasting oil barely changed beef’s appearance, but made chicken skin look somewhat better.
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Oil improves some roasted foods’ appearance and texture without greatly changing their overall browning.

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