Stainless Steel Pots and Pans?
This same problem was driving me crazy as I was trying to switch from non-stick pans to stainless steel pans. I hope the info below saves you countless attempts of cooking food where the food just sticks to the pan and burns.
I try to stay away from non-stick spray. It is convenient, but it leaves a non-stick spray taste which I find unacceptable.
The way I found to keep food from sticking when cooking on stainless steel pans is to be sure that the pan is clean and that the pan and cooking fat (oil or butter) is at a proper cooking temperature before placing food on the pan. Food sticks to stainless steel pans when food has been placed on the pan before the pan and cooking fat is at a sufficiently hot cooking temperature.
What happens is the steel in the pan expands when the pan is heated. (To use a US airforce spy plane analogy, it is like the SR-71 Blackbird’s outer body that expands with heat when the plane is flown. When the plane sits in the hangar it drips oil because the steel body plates have contracted leaving gaps between sheets of metal.)
Imagine food getting stuck in little spaces and grooves in the pan while the steel is expanding as it warms up. The food will get caught in the steel; thus stick to the pan and burn. If you wait for the temperature of the metal and the cooking oil to be sufficiently hot, the cooking surface will be hot and smooth. The food will not stick to the pan it will float above the pan as it cooks.
Using a stainless steel pan takes little getting used to. But has brought me tremendous joy in knowing that non-stick coating is not getting into my food, and because of the wide range of results and tones I can achieve using the stainless steel surface. I can sear vegetables and meats in a way that was impossible with my non-stick pan.
I learned the hang of cooking with my stainless steel pan by frying eggs. Others may have a different method. Here’s what I did:
1) Be sure the pan is clean (Bar Keeper’s Friend http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/ is the stainless steel polish that I use. It’s available at most grocery chains in California. I’m sure any stainless steel polish for pans will work)
2) Place a clean pan with a little vegetable oil (just enough to coat the surface of the pan) on the stove top and turn the burner to a medium heat.
3) Let the pan heat up with the oil (maybe a minute or two) over a medium heat (the exact temperature will depend on your stove top). When the pan is heated to an appropriate temperature (ready to cook), you should be able to grab the handle and see the oil glisten and move around the pan like water (Try to use just enough oil. If you see more than a teaspoon of oil in the pan at this point with the pan heated, try to use less oil next time).
**If the oil in the pan is smoking, or if you start to see the oil of butter begin to turn brown in the pan, the pan is either too hot, or the pan has been over the burner for too long.
4) Crack an egg or scrambled eggs into the pan. If the egg begins to immediately bubble and pop, the pan is too hot, if the egg stays uncooked, the pan is too cold. If the egg begins to cook evenly and without too much crackling or bubbling, you are at about the correct temperature.
5) The longer you allow the egg to cook without moving it, the more the crust of the egg (the part of the egg touching the pan) will be allowed to form. This will further keep the egg from sticking to the pan.
After a few tries, I got the hang of using the stainless steel pan and have never looked back since.
One more note. It’s important to use a spatula that is appropriate for stainless steel. I once made the mistake of using a plastic spatula on a stainless steel pan and melted the plastic onto the pan.
