Hi,all, I am having a problem with some new pans made of stainless steal, it seems that everything I fry in them the stuff sticks. Is there a way to fix this without using a lot of cooking oil, as like the ol' cast iron skillets cooking salt in them?
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
You can not "season" stainless steel. I would suggest teflon spray but it seems as if it was taken off the market because teflon coated bullets aka "cop killers" could penetrate police body armour.(The actual teflon bullets were manufactured that way and not made by a spray in someone's basement. Those bullets were banned.) You may be able to still find teflon spray in your local hardware store but I couldn't find any online.
You could have a company coat them but the only sites I found charge about $10.00 per pan.
Some foods taste better with stainless steel. (A roast always is better in stainless steel!) Stainless steel is easy to clean and you don't have to worry about the coating chipping off.
I would suggest just buying a few teflon coated pans for basic frying. Use your stainless steel for sauces, boiling and roasting.
The best way to tell if you have one or the other is to lift it up.
Is it really, really heavy, or is it light?
Does it have a very thick bottom or is it thin?
If not the problem is going to require a heating plate - these are made of heavy steel (used to be cast iron) which you place on the burner then put the pot or pan on top of that. This will spread the heat out evenly and will make a thin pan more efficient and less prone to burning/sticking.
I am willing to place my bets you have a good set which has a thick bottom. If so read on.
Unlike aluminum and teflon and non-stick fry pans which are light weight, your stainless steel ware requires a "heat-up" time to reach its cooking temperature. Then you need to reduce the heat. The thickness of the bottom will not only hold heat, but will spread the heat out evenly on the bottom of the pan so you do not get uneven cooking.
My set has a copper bottom, I love them dearly, the copper is really good when it comes to conducting and cooking evenly. I can cook, turn off the stove, serve dinner, eat and come back and still have a hot to the touch pot or pan.
No, salt in stainless steel is a No-No. Even the salt you use for seasoning should be added in the last minutes of cooking as it can corrode and ruin the inner surface. Salt for things like soups is ok since it will dissolve but again, you add salt toward the end of the cooking.
As for frying, put the heat on medium high under the pan until its hot - You will get a fairly good idea how long that is after you have done it for a while. Until then; try pre-heating a dry (no oil) pan on the stove heating until a drop of water will bounce and evaporate quickly when dropped into the pan. That's when you reduce your heat to medium- medium low, add oils, and the food. Mind the thickness of the pan will hold and spread the heat, you will be using less heat to cook well.
For frying and you don't want to use a lot of oil, get a new spray bottle, use that to spray oil into the pan - PAM and other similar non-stick oils (they are oils) are this very thing. Use less heat and a lid - Ideally you want to steam the food until it is cooked then uncover, turn up the heat and brown the outside.
Cheers
David
Posts: 4146 | Location: Neither here nor there | Registered: 06-03-02
AnswerPool.com 
