Tips on tossing a frying pan I see it done by TV chefs, or just people who are more experienced at me with cooking; as they're cooking they rarely use a spatula to turn or mix the contents of their frying pan, but rather toss the contents of the pan instead.

Are there any techniques to tossing food in a frying pan well? I'm talking about food in general – be that vegetables, bits of meat, rice (not necessarily something obvious like pancakes).

I guess the main outcomes you want from tossing a frying pan include:


Turning the food and doing so that it is cooked on both sides.
If there is a lot of contents in the pan, moving it about so different parts of it are in contact with the surface of the pan.
Moving different parts of the food from hotter bits to cooler bits within the pan so they are all fairly evenly cooked.


Is there a technique to it, or am I over-analysing the process?
Perhaps a bit of over-analysis going on yes. Generally I'd toss the pan if I was frying a lot of small items such as croutons, or toasting nuts, in order to turn a lot of them over at once.

To toss the pan, first tilt it up so that some of the contents slide to the opposite end and rest against the lip of the pan. Then tilt it back level while simultaneously drawing your arm back. The food should flick up and land back in the middle of the pan (approximately). Practice with a cold pan and a couple of dry ingredients like nuts or pulses.

Bear in mind that tossing the pan generally means the pan loses heat, as you are raising it off the heat source, so if you're cooking something like steak or chicken breast that needs quick cooking, you're probably better off simply stirring it or using tongs.