The Physics of cooking breakfast (basic thermodynamics)

[jamesson]

I eat eggs, ham, peppers, and a pancake for breakfast. I cook the ham and peppers at the same time. For purposes of this question, I have the eggs and the pancake figured out.

Given a gas stove, a small, nonstick aluminum frying pan (with lid) and corn oil;

If my goals are

(in order of ascending priority)

-cook as quickly as possible
-heat the food as evenly as possible
-to the highest possible temperature
-without burning it

Should I start with max heat, medium heat, or low heat? Should I increase it over time?

Should I apply oil at the start or after heating a clean pan for some time? If after, how long should I wait?

 

[sophiecentaur]

There are other details that we'd need to know about this. Your description almost implies a 'camping' situation. If you have a single pan then where and how is the already cooked food stored? The order of cooking is quite important and the eggs would be the last.
If the question is basically about using the oil appropriately then I'd suggest having the oil fairly hot before adding the ingredients. You need a cooked 'barrier' on the bottom of the food to be formed quickly to avoid sticking. Ham and peppers taste better if they are 'caught' on the outside before a few minutes of slower cooking. It's not a good idea to start with food in a cold pan as that's a recipe for 'sticking' - particularly with eggs - but too hot and that can burn stuff on for a start.
I have heard that cooking meat is best done in an initially hot, dry pan, with the meat coated in oil.

I always suggest Experiment as the best solution where possible so that's your way forward.
Bon appetite!