What type of cookware do you use? Have you tried cooking with stainless steel pans and pots? Well, even the experts in cooking find themselves wondering how to cook with stainless steel cookware.
You are not alone in this. Therefore, there is no need to worry. We are going to tell you everything you need to know about stainless steel pans and pots.
Cooking with stainless steel pots is incredible if you have the utilization knowhow. The biggest issue in using stainless steel equipment is food sticking. Most people are left wondering how to deal with that. To be honest, this just requires some simple tricks that need no training.
8 Tips You Should Follow
You don't have to deal with a sticky mess on pots and pans when you can avoid it. The fact that stainless steel does not conduct heat perfectly does not mean that food has to stick on the pot always. Just a few tips and tricks can change your cooking life. All you need to do is use the pan in the right way.
1. Heating The Pot Or Pan:
Before adding any cooking ingredient in a stainless steel pan or pot, heating should be the first thing to do. Place the pan to heat for about 3 minutes. Ensure that that you heat it on medium heat level on your burner. You can add oil once the pan heats. This ensures that the oil doesn't heat before the pan does.
2. Avoid Putting Cold Food In The Pot:
Getting food from the fridge and adding it to a hot pan is very wrong. The food you need to cook should be at room temperature. Remember that your pot and oil are already hot. Cold food will reduce its temperature. This means that the chances of getting are sticky mess will be very high. If you need to cook food from the fridge, allow them to stay for a while before adding to a hot pot.
3.Discard Burnt Oil:
Burnt cooking oil will spoil not only your food but also your stainless steel pot or pan. In most cases, the oil becomes burnt if a stainless steel pot or pan is very hot. If you see the oil smoke, you just need to discard it wait for the pan to cool a little then start the process all over again. Once you put the oil in the pan and it shivers, then you are good to go.
4. Test If Your Pan Is Hot:
Remember that you don't want your pan too cold or too hot. This is where testing your pan comes in. There are a lot of pans or pot testing techniques. To test if your pan is hot, add one drop of water to the pot or pan. If you hear a sound from the pan, then you are good to start cooking.
5.Use Medium Heat:
From the beginning to the end of the cooking process, the heat level should always be medium or below. Too much heat leads to food sticking. Again, from the beginning, you need the pan and oil to get hot slowly. As the process continues, moderate heat gives your food time to cook.
6. The Lesser The Oil, The Better:
Well, this should be your slogan if you always cook with stainless steel pots and pans. Most people think that putting too much oil is the secret behind preventing food from sticking. This is very wrong. As long as you heat the pan/pot properly, less oil will work perfectly.
7.Cook Dry Food:
You don't need to add any water droplets in your hot pan and oil. This is why your food needs to be dry. Washing food before cooking is very important. However, you should dry them after that. You can use a paper towel to dry meat. For vegetables, leave them for a while for the water to drain.
8.Clean The Stainless Steel Pan Or Pot:
Do you want to know a cleaning trick? Well, cleaning stainless pots and pan while they are still warm is a game-changer. It ensures that you get all residue from the pot or pan. If you don't have to clean it immediately after cooking, heat it when it's washing time.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Q: How do you keep your stainless steel pots and pans from sticking?
Coconut oil is the best ingredient to use to prevent stainless steel pots and pans from sticking. Melt a tablespoon of the oil in the pot or pan. Swish to make sure that all the surfaces of the pan/pot have the oil. Discard excess oil and add salt to cover the surface of the pan/pot. Use a paper cloth to polish the pan by rubbing.
Q: What I can't cook on my stainless steel pan?
A stainless steel pan can cook almost everything you need for your daily meals. However, some people don't prefer such pans when cooking delicacies like an omelet. However, by using the stainless steel pan correctly, you can cook everything in it.
Q: Why do chefs use stainless steel pan so often?
Stainless steel pots and pans are very durable. This makes most chefs like them. Again, when using stainless steel pan, heat, is perfectly distributed to all the parts of the pan. This means that your food will cook evenly in all parts. Again, for stainless steel pans, chefs don't have to worry about damaging it since it won't have a delicate coating.
Q: How can I cook eggs on my stainless steel pan without sticking?
If you need to cook eggs on a stainless steel pan, the amount of oil and pan temperature matters a lot. Crack and scramble your eggs in a bowl before adding to the pan. Use a pan that is not too big then your burner. Heat the pan over medium heat. Add oil or fat. Ensure that the fat has melted if yours is the solid type. Pour and cook your eggs.
Q: Stainless steel or nonstick pan, which one is better to cook?
Both pans are good, depending on what you are using them for. For food like eggs and pancakes, it is easier if you cook them on a nonstick pan. It all depends on what you want to cook. The stainless steel pan is more durable than the nonstick ones.
Q: Do I need to season my stainless steel pan?
You should not season a stainless steel pan or pot. Stainless steel has a material that makes seasoning unsuccessful. Seasoning a stainless steel pan can lead to stain and stick mess.
Q: Can I soak my stainless steel pots or pan on cold water?
If your stainless steel pan is hot, avoid soaking it in cold water. This can cause warping on the pan. Just let the pan stay for a while to cool down, then you can soak it.
Conclusion:
Stainless steel pots & pans are long-lasting kitchen equipment. Having one or two can be the best idea. However, you need to know how to use them properly. This ensures that you always get a tasty meal after cooking with a stainless steel pot or pan.
Related Reviews You May Read:
References: Chatelaine, Misen, One Good Thing By Jillee
Hello, This is Annie Walker, a 37-year-old blogger, founder, and editor of Cookware Guider from NY, USA. I am a cookware fanatic and passionate cooker. I love to cook with different types of cooking appliances (example: all types of cookware, rice cookers, slow cookers, etc) almost every day in my kitchen. I love to share my experience with my readers in my blog. Also, I enjoy helping people to solve their problems through my website. You can follow me on Twitter & Pinterest. To know details about my blog please check the about us page.