What does "a turn of the pan" mean?

Question

I've noticed a few T.V. chefs, particularly Rachael Ray, often saying "a turn of the pan" or "a half turn of the pan" when giving the amount of olive oil to be used in a recipe. What does that mean?

Answer 1

You're right!  I've also heard "a couple of glugs"...  Makes you wonder whether they realize they're actually supposed to be teaching people to cook...

A turn of the pan means that you should pour the oil once around the inside edge of the pan.  But if you notice, TV chefs all have a special pouring nozzle on the end of their olive oil bottle (like a liquor bottle).  So, when I use my bottle from the grocery store, I partially cover the open end of the bottle with my thumb.  Take it once around the inside edge of the pan (or half) and that's all the oil you'll need.

Good luck and happy cooking!

Answer 2

It's an expression for the amount of oil to put in the pan. A turn of the pan is about 3 teaspoons of oil.