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Depending on what vegetables you´re dealing with it depends. If you´re trying to caramelize onions to develop a caramel note in the flavor, your best bet is to sprinkle on a pinch of baking soda. This helps to raise the pH level and increase the fullness of the maillard reaction. More details on how this works here http://blog.khymos.org/2008/09/26/speeding-up-the-maillard-reaction/. With asparagus however, I think the key is high dry heat, so quickly broiling or grilling these is how I´ve achieved the best results. With zucchini it´s all about how thick the pieces are. If you cut it in chunks (like 1/4" thick) then I´d say a pan saute is a good way to go, but so is grilling; thinner and I´d avoid trying to get it browned, but you might be able to do something with very hot grapeseed oil (done this with ribbons of zucchini that are about 1/16" thick). In general, I brown lots of things in grapeseed oil since it has such a high smoke point, then finish the dish at a lower temperature (e.g. braising beef). Hope this helps, but holler if there´s a specific thing you´re trying to brown and I´ll try to comment back.

one more thought, a big key to consistent results is having an evenly heated surface ... cast iron is more prone to hot spots than things like a stainless all-clad pan (interior is aluminum), and the best in my opinion to avoid scorching is copper - but copper demands precision, it heats up twice as fast as alluminum and I´d say maybe 5 times faster than cast iron ...

Thanks - common sense ideas from all of you. From now on, I'm ignoring the directions and doing what seems to have worked in the past. I think the fan on my cooktop also affects the heat distribution, with some sections of the burner actually cooler from being sucked into the downdraft. That probably makes a difference, too.

Unless you're deep frying, smoking points of various cooking oils won't really apply, except in the case of butter - which isn't really a cooking oil.

If you're using butter, the milk solids will burn quickly on medium-high. Any other type of oil will work though. You can also add oil to the butter, which will buy you a little more time, but only a little.

OK, with that said, it sounds like your stove and cookbook aren't really speaking the same language, so you'll need to adjust, factoring in the type of pan, and how your burner + pan are distributing the heat in accordance to your ratio of oil and food. Sounds complicated and mathematical, but all it really involves is simple observation and hanging out with your food for a while.

Unless you need to get a good char on something, it's OK to start out slower, with less heat and then gradually increase the heat as time ticks.

Instead of medium-high, start at medium-low, or medium, and keep your pan of vegetables company - don't walk away until you can see how the ingredients handle the heat. And recognize how different vegetables react to the heat. For example, garlic will most always burn if you add it to the pan at the beginning of your cook time. Zucchini, depending on how thick the cut, can handle the heat head on, as can carrots, celery, potatoes and onions.

If the veggies aren't doing much of anything after a few minutes on medium-low, turn up the heat a little bit until you hear a faint sizzle, and then adjust as needed.

-Dawn
Wicked Good Dinner