Cooking obviously requires heat. The variable that often escapes us is how much heat? Ovens have temperature controls, in fact it would seem absurd not to have this feature. How about the stovetop burners/elements? Ah, for these, we guess. For pancakes heart the griddle until a drop of water "dances" is a common line in recipes. For consistency, there is no real substitute for knowing the precise temperature of a pan especially when it is so easy to do.

1. Heat oils enough for browning but not to the point where they start to burn
2. Avoid food sticking in a pan that was not hot enough.
3. Brown food quickly without over cooking it
4. Impress friends and neighbors!
5. Avoid damaging pans by overheating them

I now have this infrared heat gun right next to my stove. Amazon Prime $20.88!! It is small and looks scientific.

To brown food

1. Put skillet on stove, and turn heat to high
2. Add oil
3. Heat pan to between 375 and the smoke point of the oil
4. Add food
5. Adjust flame to maintain pan temp