tl;dr Know how strong the stove heat is – with your own experience. For me, I learned that it’s not scary or strong as I thought it would be
Fire is strong and scary. Since early ages, we are taught not to play with fire and that using it requires extreme care and attention.
We know a paper can be burned within seconds and we all have seen numerous tragic scenes in TV where houses and forests burn down.
It is all true. It is. However…
Pan-frying and stir-frying are not as scare as one may worry.
I used to think that fire is so strong I had to stir the foods every 2 seconds. I thought they would all burn if I just pause for more than 2 seconds. I had to be told to leave the foods for a little longer so they can be cooked.
Imagine if you are about to cook something. The pan is hot and you put in your ingredients. Close your eyes for 5 seconds and open them back up. Your foods are not burnt, your house is still intact, and your foods are probably not even fully cooked. However, that used to be my worry.
Experiment to see how often you really have to stir and watch them. Learn that, so you don’t have to be so anxious every time you stand in front of the stove.