How to Tell if Your Stainless Steel Pan is Hot Enough Without a Thermometer
by Claire Lower on Skillet, shared by Claire Lower to from Lifehacker on (#4H42Y)

Stainless steel pans are kitchen workhorses, but they have an ever so slight learning curve, particularly when it comes to searing food without it sticking. Letting the pan get nice and hot before even adding the oil is key, but determining the temperature of something by sight is not a skill most humans have.