Stainless Steel Pan Care: Avoiding Stickiness

Stainless steel pans are great for searing meat and veggies, but they can be a pain to work with if your food keeps sticking to the pan. Luckily, there are some easy ways to make your stainless steel pans non-stick. One way is to season the pan in the same way you would season a cast-iron skillet. Another way is to use the Leidenfrost effect, where you heat the pan to a certain temperature and then add a few drops of water to test if it's hot enough for cooking. If the water beads up and glides around the pan, then it's ready to be used and will act like a non-stick pan.

Preheat the pan to the right temperature

Preheating your pan is essential when cooking with stainless steel. It is recommended to heat your pan for a few minutes over medium-low heat before adding oil. This is because when a stainless-steel pan is cold, the surface is covered with microscopic holes that will ""latch" onto your food as the pan heats up, causing it to stick.

You can test whether your pan is hot enough by using the water test. Splash a few drops of water onto the pan's surface. If the water instantly evaporates, wait a few more minutes. The pan is ready when the water forms balls and dances across the surface—this is known as the Leidenfrost Effect. At this point, you can add your oil. You'll know the oil is ready when it shimmers and ripples across the surface. If the oil starts to smoke, your pan is too hot.

If you're going to cook over high heat, use an oil with a high smoke point, such as grapeseed or sunflower. If you're only cooking over medium heat, olive oil works too. Avoid cooking sprays, which can cake onto the pan's surface.

Use oil with a high smoking point

To make a stainless steel pan non-stick, it is important to use an oil with a high smoking point. Oils with a high smoking point include canola, grapeseed, peanut, avocado, sunflower seed, and soybean oil.

To begin the seasoning process, thoroughly clean your pan with dish soap and warm water. Dry the pan and pour in enough oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. For most pans, this will be about 2 tablespoons of oil. Swirl the oil around the pan to evenly coat the bottom and sides.

Place the pan on the stove and heat for 2-5 minutes on medium heat. When wisps of smoke begin to appear, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool. Once the pan is cool, pour out the excess oil and wipe the remaining oil with a paper towel. You should be left with a glossy sheen at the base of the pan, which is your non-stick surface.

To maintain the non-stick surface, avoid washing the pan with soap and water. Instead, wipe the pan clean with a paper towel after each use. When the pan becomes too messy, wash it with soap and water, knowing that you will have to re-season the pan afterward.

Avoid washing the pan

To keep your stainless steel pans non-stick, it's best to avoid washing them whenever possible. This may sound counterintuitive, but washing your pans can remove the non-stick coating, meaning you'll have to re-season them more often.

Instead of washing your pans, simply wipe them clean with a paper towel or cloth between uses. When your pan gets too dirty, you'll have to wash it with soap and water, but be aware that this will remove the non-stick coating.

To season your stainless steel pans, heat them over a medium or medium-high heat for about two minutes. Then, add enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan with an eighth of an inch of oil. Heat the oil for about six minutes, or until wisps of smoke begin to appear. Once the oil begins to smoke, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool completely. When the pan has cooled, pour out the excess oil and wipe away any remaining oil with a paper towel. You want to leave a glossy sheen at the base of the pan, which will be your non-stick surface.

It's important to note that not all oils will work for this method. Be sure to use an oil with a high smoking point, such as canola oil. Coconut oil, for example, will not work.

Additionally, it's crucial to avoid using abrasive tools like steel wool or harsh cleaners like bleach or oven cleaner on your stainless-steel pans. These can permanently damage the surface. Instead, use a non-abrasive sponge or cloth to wipe down your pans.

Don't overcrowd the pan

Overcrowding your pan can lead to less-than-ideal results. When you add food to a pan, the temperature of the pan decreases. The more food you add, the more the temperature drops. This means that if you overcrowd your pan, it will take longer to cook your food.

When you overcrowd your pan, the temperature drop can cause your food to release moisture, which then builds up in the pan. This can lead to stewing, and your food will not brown properly. This is especially important to avoid when cooking foods like meats and vegetables, which are meant to be browned.

To avoid overcrowding your pan, use a larger pan or cook your food in batches. For smaller foods, add only enough to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer. For larger foods, such as chicken pieces or steak, leave about an inch or two between them, and make sure they don't touch.

Let your food come to room temperature before cooking

To make a stainless steel pan non-stick, you can season the pan in the same way you would season a cast-iron skillet. First, heat the pan on medium or medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Then, add enough vegetable oil to the pan to coat the entire bottom with about ⅛ inch of oil. Heat the oil until wisps of smoke begin to appear, which should take about 6 minutes. Once the oil begins to smoke, remove the pan from the heat and let the oil cool down completely. When the pan has cooled, pour out the excess oil and wipe up the remaining oil with a paper towel. You should be left with a glossy sheen at the base of the pan, which will be your non-stick surface.

Now, here's why you should let your food come to room temperature before cooking in your newly seasoned stainless steel pan:

Firstly, it's important to note that letting food, especially meat, sit out at room temperature before cooking is generally safe if you're buying good-quality ingredients and practising basic food safety. Taking the chill off your meats before cooking will result in juicier and more evenly cooked food.

When it comes to quick-searing a relatively thin cut of meat, the temperature of the centre doesn't make a huge difference. However, for thicker cuts of meat or whole roasts, letting the food come to room temperature beforehand makes a big difference. This is because the centre of the food will reach the desired internal temperature faster if it starts at a higher temperature. For instance, if you're roasting a turkey in a 325°F oven and want the thickest part of the breast to hit 160°F, the centre will reach this temperature faster if it starts off closer to this temperature. This means the meat will be less likely to overcook and will retain more moisture.

It's also important to note that you don't need to wait for hours until the meat reaches room temperature. Simply take the food out of the fridge and let it start tempering in whatever time you have. If you're searing the meat, be sure to pat it dry so that browning occurs faster.

Additionally, when cooking with a stainless steel pan, it's crucial to preheat the pan before adding any food. The pan is ready when you splash some water on it and the water balls up and dances across the surface, a phenomenon known as the Leidenfrost Effect. If you add food to the pan too early, the microscopic holes on the surface will "latch" onto the food as the pan heats up, causing it to stick. Similarly, the colder the food is, the more likely it is to stick to the pan, as it will instantly bring down the temperature of the pan. Therefore, letting your food come to room temperature before placing it in the pan will help prevent sticking and ensure even cooking.

Frequently asked questions