Warm it up, Kris ... I'm About To.

When it's time to do that quick fry, saute, or sweat ... let your oil heat up all the way before you start throwing in those ingredients. Seriously, just have some patience ... it will be rewarded. When deep frying, make sure that oil is hot enough before chunking in those battered or dredged slabs of meat or potatoes. If the oil is too cold, your fry-ee will just sit there and the oil will act like a liquid and cause the batter to slough off, thus negating your golden brown and deliciousness. I can't tell you how many times this happened before I wised up.

If the oil is hot enough it will instantly bombard your fry-ee with heat and almost instantaneously crust it over.

When sauteing or sweating vegetables, don't worry if you think the oil is too hot. Just don't let it smoke. When the veggies hit the oil, they will draw off a lot of the heat. Stir some and turn the heat down if you think they're frying a little too rapidly.