This guide provides a comprehensive guide on identifying aluminum and stainless steel in home renovation. Interior designers typically recommend sticking to 2 or 3 metals, but mixing metals can be a fun and effective decorating challenge. Here are five fool-proof ways to mix metals, and what to avoid.
Choose one dominant metal type to maintain balance in larger spaces or furniture. For example, Fat Daddios has stainless steel piping tips, while Wilton has nickel-plated ones. These metal tips are long-lasting and corrosion-resistant. Most decorating tips are made of metal, but some are also available in plastic. Plastic tips are great for beginners and come in various sizes.
Choose a metal tip for larger spaces or furniture. Metal tips are more durable than plastic ones, but aluminum tends to dull slightly after being washed. Stainless steel usually stays bright and is softer than aluminum.
Install metal profiles around windows and paint them white. Stainless steel has better tensile strength and greater resistance to impact damage compared to aluminum. Stainless steel nozzles are dishwasher-safe, robust, and eye-catching when serving guests. They can be combined with the iSi system for a more cohesive and visually appealing look.
In summary, mixing metals in home renovation is a fun and effective decorating challenge. By following these tips, you can create a beautiful and functional space that showcases your creativity.
📹 Proto Tech Tip – Aluminum vs Stainless Steel
Every week, Team Protocase is bringing you a Proto Tech Tip video, where we’ll give an informative look at a particular aspect of …
How can you tell tin from stainless steel?
The Magnet Test is a common method for distinguishing between ferrous and non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum and steel. Despite their differences in properties and applications, they can be difficult to distinguish by appearance alone. Aluminum and stainless steel come in various grades and may appear identical. Ideally, metals should have identifying markings or common features, but this is often not the case, especially when dealing with scrap.
How to tell if a mixing bowl is aluminum or stainless steel?
The magnet test is a simple test that requires a strong magnet to determine the magnetism of aluminium and stainless steel. Aluminium is non-magnetic and won’t attract a magnet, while stainless steel has a small magnetic attraction. However, the test isn’t definitive as some types of stainless steel are non-ferrous and non-magnetic. This test helps differentiate between aluminium and stainless steel, and more information about these materials can be found on the manufacturer’s website.
How to identify stainless steel?
Stainless steel is a versatile material with a distinctive grey color and a fine brushed pattern, often appearing as a light to dark gradient. It is non-magnetic and can be identified by head markings on bolts, indicating steel grade and tensile strength. Stainless steel screws and bolts are known for their longevity and resistance to corrosion, making them ideal for construction within 5km of the ocean and commercial environments like shopping centers and kitchens. However, caution should be taken when using stainless steel fasteners with non-stainless metals, as this can lead to galvanic corrosion.
What is the most common piping nozzle?
The 1M Open Star piping tip, also known as the Wilton 1M tip, is a popular choice for piping rosettes on cupcakes and adding detailed borders. It is wide enough to pipe biscuits, meringue nests, or choux pastry. The 2D or 1B Closed Star piping tips are also popular, but have deeper groves and create more drama. The 1A Round piping tip is a brilliant wide mouth round tip suitable for piping macarons or applying buttercream to cupcakes in large, fat swirls.
How to tell if it’s aluminum or stainless steel?
Aluminum and steel have distinct appearances, with aluminum typically having a grey color and dull texture, while stainless steel is shiny and silver-tinted. Although these can change over time and weather, stainless steel remains brighter and shinier. It is over two times heavier than aluminum, making it easier to scratch. Additionally, aluminum is lighter, while steel is heavier and dense. Scratching aluminum is more difficult than scratching stainless steel.
What is the most versatile piping tips?
The 1A Medium Round Piping Tip is a versatile tool that is ideal for creating wide swirls, dollops, and piping macarons. Despite some criticism that it lacks inspiration, it is a highly functional item. It is an indispensable item for any baker’s collection.
Does a magnet stick to aluminum or stainless steel?
Certain metals, like aluminium, copper, brass, lead gold, and silver, are weak and do not attract magnets. However, adding properties like iron and steel can make them magnetic. For instance, adding a small amount of iron to silver can make it magnetic. Stainless steel, an iron-based alloy known for its corrosion resistance, is another metal that causes confusion. There are several types of stainless steels, including ferritic and austenitic, which can be added to make it magnetic.
How to know what piping tip to use?
Piping tips are essential tools for creating intricately frosted cakes, detailed pastries, and other sweet treats. They provide precision and accuracy needed to craft detailed dessert presentations. Investing in a collection of high-quality piping tips can take frosted cakes and pastries to the next level. Piping tips offer a range of decorating options, but narrowing down the best ones can be difficult. When browsing piping tips, consider design, style, size, and materials.
This buying guide provides helpful tips and information to make a well-informed buying decision, whether you own a successful baking business or are just starting. Whether you’re a baker or just starting, these tips can help you create stunning dessert presentations.
Are all piping tips the same?
Piping tips are classified into distinct categories based on their opening size and shape, with each category serving a specific purpose.
📹 Food Sticking to Stainless Steel Pans? 4 Common Mistakes to Avoid
If you’re avoiding your stainless steel pans because food sticks to the surface, you’re not alone. I’ve tested and reviewed dozens …
Full article with more details: prudentreviews.com/stainless-steel-pan-food-sticks/ Did I burn the butter? Watch this article to learn how to cook eggs in stainless steel without sticking or burning: youtu.be/BYpYK1DV_SU Want to know when brands like All-Clad, Made In, HexClad, and KitchenAid go on sale? Join our free newsletter to get deal alerts, giveaways, and exclusive content: prudentreviews.com/newsletter/
I cooked eggs in the Army on a large electric stainless steel griddle. After heating up the grill, I poured some oil, cracked two eggs, and smeared them all over the grill until it turned into oily froth. That seasoned the grill. After that, nothing would stick to it. This procedure also gave me the opportunity to ask the first guy in line, “You wanted scrambled eggs, right?” To which the response was usually “I ain’t eating that s***!
Great article. We have a great Saladmaster SS cook set we got for a wedding present 35 years ago. Still looks like new even after using every day. I never liked cooking my morning egg in it and went through the non-stick journey for years until I go a cast iron and then high carbon fry pans. The high carbon is my go-to for eggs in the morning. I hardly wash it as just a wipe after using does the trick once seasoned. We still use all of our SS stuff, just not for eggs. Right tool for the job. I will use your info for when we do use our SS stuff.
I saw this great article with an Eastern-block gal whose grandmother taught her “the correct way to use a stainless steel pan.” She used the “mercury ball method” – what you showed when the pan was just the perfect temperature to make a splattering of water roll around the pan like a mercury ball. Since learning that, I LOVE my stainless steel pots and pans. You have taught me a bit more with your article (though I’m a Vegetarian). Still applicable, though. Thanks for sharing!
Very informative, thanks so much for posting! Now I finally know that the brown/black sticky parts I’ve always ended up with in my pans are simply due to adding oil to a cold pan. They would go away after a really good scrubbing with steel wool, but now I see that actually only worsens the cooking surface! I think I picked up on adding oil to cold pans only because that’s what I kept seeing on many cooking shows. Clearly these shows are passing on incorrect cooking habits!
I have fried eggs almost every morning for breakfast, and I only use butter. I found that keeping a pan ‘seasoned’ like cast iron makes a remarkable difference, so I grabbed a small, dedicated egg pan. When I’m done cooking I give it a quick wipe, put a lid on, and leave it off to the side for tomorrow. I’ve found I never have to have the heat on more than low, it never burns the butter, and the eggs never stick. Pre-warming cold eggs definitely helps, as does proper, healthy butter. Cheers.
Thank you so much for this! At 66 years old and divorced two years ago I’ve finally decided to get into cooking instead of eating all my meals out. My ex wife did all the cooking in our marriage. I’ve watched a lot of articles and thus spent a lot of money on cookware that I thought would be the best to use; an Instant Pot, a Breville toaster oven, a cast iron skillet, and a set of all clad stainless steel cookware. So far I have been burning a lot of food in the cast iron skillet. I’d tried seasoning the skillet numerous times and just recently from perusal your other articles tried lowering the cooking temperature on my gas stove when cooking. It has made a world of difference! I actually cooked my first fried egg in the cast iron skillet that didn’t stick! I couldn’t believe it! I was taken a back though at how low I had to turn the knob to get to the right temp, but it worked beautifully! Now, with this article, I’m looking forward to finally getting the nerve up to take out my All-Clad stainless steel frying pan and use it! I will definitely watch this article a few more times and put all of your instructions to use! Again, thank you so much for the great informative articles. I hope you realize just how helpful and impactful your articles are!
Not even into the articles, and I will say, I never had a problem with food sticking in my stainless steel fry pans. I kept them scoured clean, then following the instructions of one of my favorite TV cooks of my younger years, the mantra was, “Hot Pan, Cold Oil, Food Won’t Stick”. It worked every time. I could never get it through my mom’s head, but she was raised on cooking with well seasoned and maintained cast iron. She never had a problem with sticking in her cast iron. Nor do I with my cast iron (a hand me down, from my grandma, to my mother, to me).
Thank you for this article explaining & demonstrating how to prepare high-protein foods in stainless steel pans without sticking. But, I am curious to hear your thoughts on the “cold seer” method for preparing steaks & chops with stainless steel cookware. Recently, I discovered this technique on an American Test Kitchen article. Cook’s Illustrated chef, Lan Lam, demonstrated 3 ways to prepare a steak & presented the pros & cons of each technique. (Note, like you, she shared food preparation tips to guarantee successful results, such as removing the meat from the refrigerator to bring the protein to room temperature and removing moisture by patting the protein with a paper towel.) I have experienced great success preparing steaks and chops with my All-Clad cookware & this “cold sear” method; easy clean-up is a bonus. Looking forward to hearing your insights on “cold searing”. Thank you.
I have found using an IR thermometer very helpful when cooking on my induction range top because pans can heat up very quickly beyond when Leidenfrost effect occurs at 193°C / 380°F. The trick is using a medium setting, patience to get the pan surface up to 380°F, and a small amount of a high smoke point oil for the initial sealing of the pan / griddle surface. After the initial sealing of the pan pores with the thin layer of higher smoke point oil I add a emulsified fat (i.e., fat + water mixture) such as butter or a cooking oil spray containing soy lecithin just before adding the food to increase the steam cushion effect. The reason for not using just the emulsified fat initially is that 380°F is above the smoke point and the water vapor may boil off before there is a time to add the food, negating the advantage of using an emulsified fat vs. oil.
I would not cook all foods at the temperature where the Leidenfrost effect happens. I would just use this effect to learn to know at what setting of your stove this occurs, and to learn how long it takes to preheat to that temperature. Also, at the Leidefrost temperature, the pan is WAY too hot for butter, I would use canola at that temperature. To saute onions or garlic, I go way below the Leidenfrost temperature, for eggs too. It’s basically only good for big pieces of meat/fish that you want to sear heavily. Most important is the finished preheating to your target temperature, and not just puttin oil/fat in before the food, but letting the fat get hot as well. Putting the oil in at the beginning would heat it too long, and burn the non-oil parts in it.
Really glad to find this article, some truly helpful information! As an aside, I’ve been cooking eggs over low heat in a stainless steel pan w/o preheating and pulling the eggs cold, right out of the fridge… I just add a pat of butter until just melted then break the eggs on the surface. Never once had them stick!
After cooking with ‘non stick’ coated pans my whole life I finally decided to go get an expensive set of calphalon stainless pans (I know non stick pans emit a lot of toxins etc is why I wanted to make the switch) but my first few times around cooking everything stuck to the pan badly. I appreciate this vid I was doing things all wrong.
For cleaning: Use Barkeepers Friend to clean the pan, then wash with detergent and sponge. This gives a polished surface to start. If you want to fry eggs without the discolored and dried out crust, melt butter (don’t let it brown), add the egg(s) and cook over low to low medium heat. The eggs will slide around and avoid crusting. Try it!
To avoid burnt butter flavor (unless you like that flavor!) use clarified butter. The milk solids burn and not everyone likes burnt milk solids. Using olive oil works, along with clarified butter if you like the butter flavor. You can make clarified butter by just melting it and letting the solids sink to the bottom. No excessive heat. Just get it all melted, then pour off the liquid and filter out the solids. You can buy it that way too.
It is also very helpful, to get a relatively sharp, straight edge, steel scraper. With that you easily get things off the pan, that just stick a bit, and are not burnt in, yet. If you don’t find one in household appliance stores, you can just buy a spatula from a hardware store, clean it thoroughly and use that. If occasionally something sticks to the rounded sides of the pan, where you won’t reach with the straight edge scraper, a table spoon is helpful. With some DIY skills and tools, it is also easy, to customize a scraper to your stainless steel pans shape. Just take a spatula, with a straight edge and round off one corner, to have the same curvature as your pans side. If you have problems, flipping eggs or other fragile foods without breaking them, make sure, the sides of you scraper are smooth and round, not sharp. Using such a spatula and some experience, you intentionally can let the food stick a bit, so it gets browned but not burned. That way, you get those tasty roasting flavors. Then scratch it loose. If you regulate the temperature and timing well, the food won’t stick after that. Maybe you have to add some additional oil, after scraping of the roasty stuff. Also such a scraper, allows you to be more lenient, with the tips shown in this article. For cooking at lower temperature, I most of the time disregard your advice, to not put the oil into the pan until it is hot enough. Instead, I – Put the pan on the hearth, switch on the heat. – Immediately put in the oil and a very small piece of low starch vegetable, onion, .
Hello, I may have missed where you covered doing SS my way, but in case you didn’t mention it: I have long used very near the same method of “seasoning” SS as I did Cast Iron. I take my SS pan and heat oil in it until it just starts to smoke. Then I cool it down and wipe out the oil. Now the pan is seasoned very similar to Cast Iron. I heat it up with a marginal amount of Butter or oil and fry as usual. BUT I do make certain not to heat it up too high. I have cooked an egg sunny side up as you did, without paying too much attention to it except not to let it get too hot, and it will slide all over the pan. The seasoning will only last a couple of uses befor I have to season it again. But what usually happens is I get distracted and let the pan heat up too much and that ruins the seasoning. OK? And Thank you for showing how to “Brown” hamburger. Most people steam or boil their hamburger in a pan. I have been accused of “burning” it when some have commented on my choice of “Browning” ground Beef. They usually cover their criticism by saying ” Oh Old School, Oh I See.” Which is bunk, I just like to actually “Brown” my burger, not boil it.ben/ michigan
Thanks for these tips and here’s one I learned not that long ago. Instead of trying to cook with regular butter especially in a hot pan use clarified butter or Ghee, they both have a very high smoke point and won’t burn nearly as fast as regular butter because it’s pretty much pure butter fat with the milk solids and water removed. It’s easy to make also, all kinds of ways on how to make it at home on YT. It’s also good on all kinds of things regular butter is good on.
My biggest issue, and I love SS pans and pots, is adding oil at the right time. I am always forgetting and add it before the pan is even hot. Another tip, which really has nothing to do with SS pans, is for butter. Always add a little bit of other oil like veg. oil (high resistance to burn) to butter. It prevents the butter from burning and turning brown. And one more really great tip I learned is after cooking, fill pan with hot water and set it on stove to boil, take off and then wash. The boiling water makes cleaning hard stuck stuff so much easier. It all just slides off. Thanks for the article!
For pan frying all I use is Avocado oil. Butter really adds no real flavor plus it will scorch and not a good taste. If you want butter flavor add it to your meat/eggs after turning heat off and letting it rest a minute first. I keep clarified butter in a container on the counter with a a silicone basting brush to apply a thin layer of butter to things and not have unclarified butter wasted by falling off the item. As for cleaning if you do have food stuck after cooking I always advise people to fill pan with water add a shot of Dawn and warm that up on the stove just below a simmer then turn off the heat and let set for several hours and the pan should clean up very easily. If not, repeat and rinse. If you have an old pan that has been washed in the dishwasher a lot which is a huge NO NO. Go to an automotive place buy a can of what’s called rubbing compound and polish your pan followed up by a very good cleaning and you will see a night and day difference in your pan. If you have a mechanical buffer that’s even better just make sure to use a clean brand new polishing bonnet or pad.The rubbing compound is no worse than the polish compounds used when the pan was manufactured.
I have tried so many oil types to make the flipping ss pan stick proof. Failed Until this morning. One spoon full of lard and one teaspoon rough hymalayan salt. Hot till smoking but not brown. Empty and allowing to cool for half an hour. Wipe with paper towel. Put a quarter teaspoon lard in pan at 6 setting on the induction and BOOM hockey puk fried egg. Zero brown caramel under the albumin/white. Soft runny yolk Job done
To sum up some of what he said without saying it, Most food will always stick to stainless steel even when you follow his prep instructions for temp and oil. Tempering the food to room temp or near will really really help, he probably could have hit that harder. Between that and the mailard reaction thats the main points here. Just like putting steaks on a grill, they will stick fairly soon or even immediately, dont panic. Let that sear finish. Flesh melts then polymerizes or gets turned into a sort of plastic. That plastic when set will break away from the surface of the cookware. Patiences. Let it cook. Takes practice.
another good rule of thumb with stainless steel cookware is never to immerse a pan that is hot off the stove in water or to place it under running water. this can cause warping of the pan. allow the pan to cool until it is just warm or until it is cooled completely before placing it in or under water.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone explain the actual science behind it, instead of just plain “hot, but not too hot.” For some reason it helped tremendously and I just made the best steak of my life! Thank you! I even memorized which little line to turn my stove dial to for optimal heating 😅
A small stainless steel is a great pan for sunny side up eggs and its not hard. Put the heat very low, almost as low as the burner goes. Let the pan warm up for a few minutes. Add a good amount of butter or whatever fat. let that warm up. put in the eggs and let them do their thing. They never stick or maybe only slightly and you can easily free them from the pan. other kinds of proteins are more challenging for me. I’ll have to try the leidenfrost method he uses.
Noob here, transitioning into stainless steel kitchenware. Thank you for this excellent article, appreciated! Have a question, though: I was “terrified” 😆 seeing the oil (well, in your case butter) fuming when adding it to your pan. Shouldn’t you want to prevent this, isn’t it a sign that the temperature is too high? Shouldn’t the heat been lowered, or are you relying on the mass of the food doing that for you?
One suggestion from my experience. When cooking an egg, low and slow is often preferable for taste and texture. After seasoning as you demonstrated (I prefer oil for the season), drop the temp down and let the pan cool before cooking the egg. Then I add butter and cook low and slow. You can also add a couple Tbspns of hot water and cover for sunny side up.
Great honest article. So you have the cook everything at high heat which isn’t healthy. Like, what is you enjoy white eggs, instead of dark crispy bottom? You just can’t cook them. What if you don’t have time to get food to room temperature? I cook large breakfasts and just grab sausages and bacon etc from fridge, straight into a non stick pan. Cooks perfectly. Then add eggs from fridge. Completely white and zero stick. Sooo much hassle with stainless or carbon steel. I love the look but they aren’t practical, unless you are a super slow chef with lots of time. I have 3 young kids so good needs to be ready ASAP. Just replace non stick pans approx yearly and you won’t have a health issue, but you will have much easier/healthier cooking all year around. I don’t want all my protein to be dark brown…
Great tips! You mentioned using a soft sponge to clean the pan but you were using the green side of the scrubby to clean the pan in a couple of different shots. Is the abrasive green side alright for stainless steel pans, or will it create scratches that will promote sticking? Thanks again for the content!
Thank you for this really great and informative article. On vacation in time share and forgot skillets from home and had to use stainless steel time share skillets. Watched this article, took eggs out to get at room temp(well, put them in bowl of warm water for 10 mins 😊), heated skillet, did water test, and fried 4, yes FOUR over medium eggs with ZERO sticking. Thank you thank you thank you ❤
Love stainless steel pans, but they are very difficult to buy now a days. It seems like all the stores sell are non-stick, which don’t last forever like an uncoated stainless steel does. I’ve tried all kinds of non-stick and found that eventually the coatings come off and food winds up sticking! I always wind up going back to my stainless steel. I remember perusal an episode of “Yan Can Cook,” when I was a teenager. He said the number one thing to remember when cooking is “hot pan, hot oil, foods no stick!” It’s exactly the same thing you are saying and it really does work. The only problem I have is managing the heat on an electric stove and perusal that the pan doesn’t get too hot.
Thank you very much Andrew for such a refined & informative review! I purchased 2 American made stainless steel fry pans after perusal your article. A 10.5″ Heritage Steel fry pan and a 12″ HS fry pan. I am so happy to purchase these because I watched your article. I fried eggs, dumplings in the pan and from the just beginning, there has been zero sticking to the fry pan. I followed your suggestion and the manufacturer’s recommendation and I was so happy to cook eggs without any sticking. I wish a lot more people could be able to watch your article and improve their health by using stainless steel pans. Great thanks!!
Interesting article. Thanks. I love the cut at 7.51 from a pan with a small amount of butter to 7.52 showing one with tons of brown butter. Obviously, you had a few goes at that! For me, the bottom line is that stainless steel pans are tricky – even knowing these tips. By contrast, cast iron pans build up a great natural seasoning that troubleshoots all of the problems that steel presents. Moral of the story? Cook with cast iron. It’s easier, better for you (because it microdoses your food with iron) and it’s way cooler.
Hello Andrew — hope you and fam are well — I need your assistance — I want to purchase a good stainless steel air fryer — after my research and price factor, I’m leaning on Cuisinart Air Fryer Oven 2.6 Qt basket black stainless steel — I trust your judgment — can you tell me if it is a pretty safe and good buy? Hope to hear from you soon. Thank U !
Very nice explanation! I always prefer using the cast iron pan though. The black carbon build up over time creates a nice non stick finish on the cast iron and I never have to wash the cast iron pan ever. I just brush off food bits with an old stiff brush. Any leftover oils will typically just get reabsorbed into the cast iron and become a part of the carbon non stick coating with time. Mind you, I do have and use the coil type electric stove top burners which are great as they are made to withstand a lot of friction and movement and cast iron are excellent at holding heat from coil stove top electrical burners.
When you cooked the egg, you burned the butter which is why it turned dark brown. To prevent butter from burning, use 1 part butter and 1 part oil; just throw both in the pan at the same time and mix. Olive oil works well. The oil increases the overall smoke point, so you get the flavor of butter without it burning.
While I and I’m certain many others appreciate you demonstrating the water drop method it is hit or miss most of the time. As infrared thermometers are cheap, about $10-15, and common just about everywhere can you simply state the optimum temperature range? It would be very prudent and most helpful, we’d be very thankful.
I use stainless steel scrubbers. The trick is not to rub them into the pan but only lightly to remove debris. I have cleaned my pans this way for decades… they cook just as good now as they ever have. I will add that all my skillets and pans are second hand from thrift stores… from people who didn’t know HOW to cook with it. All of my pans are on the higher end of quality but even a cheaper pan can give you good cooking results with the understanding of the basics.
I took this a step further… polished all my stainless cookware to a mirror finish,.. which makes it a very slick surface and of course, you still need to heat it up before adding oil….now nothing ever sticks to my cookware …. Recently, I was given a 4 quart Cuisinart France pot with usual wear and some minor scratches… I polished the entire thing back to the original mirror finish inside and out… looks like new … don’t forget to clean them the correctly… Bar Keepers Friend for stainless
I tried the drop of water method it rolls around so I add olive oil and it starts to smoke like crazy. We have a gas burner I have the heat at medium and it never fails the food sticks. I tried it on med low heat and still the same issue even when I leave the food out before cooking. I hate cooking now. One time I thought it was going to work out my veggies wasn’t sticking and a few minutes later it did. Any tips because I’m about to go buy a nonstick pan because I can’t take it anymore.
This was informative, but it would have been even better now that we have good no touch cooking thermometers as I have learned to fry and sauté by heating a carbon steel pan or skillet by temperature. I have stainless steel but rarely use it anymore, but if I knew the temperature of “hot but not too hot” it would be far simpler as I am too old to start over.
Omg, no no no. That is WAY too hot for an egg. I do not like crispy eggs. For me as soon as they get the browned-eggs taste, I consider them ruined. I can tell how an egg was used (or abused) just by the taste. Eggs are delicate things. They begin cooking at 140F and are fully cooked at 160F, just like meat. But unlike meat, they should not be browned. I have an induction cooktop with built-in temperature control, and I set it to 220F for eggs. And I verify this with my laser thermometer, which I’ve come to feel naked without. When it reaches 220, I put in the butter, let is sizzle up & boil off the water, reduce the temperature to 180F, and then add the eggs. For scrambled, I do the spatula-drag technique. Stir & flip them just until they start to get dry, and then out quick onto a warm plate. For fried, add a splash of water around the egg to generate steam, and then put on the lid so the top of the egg gets steamed. Then at 10 second intervals, poke the yolk with my finger until the harness is just a bit softer than I like. Then as I slide them out on the plate, they will be “coasting” to the hardness I like. AND…all this is in a nonstick induction-compatible pan. So yes, based on this article, I would estimate cooking eggs properly is not possible in stainless steel, or requires a completely different technique.
So i tried this trick since many many articles give the same tip and the comments agree with them as well but when i tried it.. the moment it was just hot enough for the water to bead up, i added the peanut oil and it immediately started smoking and giving off a burnt smell and my eggs are like instantly burnt even as i lower the heat on my induction stove. I tried it seven times to make a fried egg (no joke) and i am just curious why this tip works for most people and not me. Is it the exact material of the pan??
I want to love this type of pan, I do have patience. But it feels like its designed for tryhards in a articlegame or something. Cooking eggs has been cancerous to my mental health. I have the temp barely on and it still burns the butter and sticks the food. I use the water effect to test it but can’t find the sweet spot and I’ve burnt like 6 eggs. I just want to have breakfast. I did it once perfectly and now the method eludes me. Also, does using an abrasive pad permenantly “break” the surface of the pan making it harder to cook?
I’ve used these pans for years without issue but I love seeing the negative reviews on their website with people claiming that the pans are terrible because the food sticks, hard to clean and they are just terrible in general. I even saw people claiming Walmart pans were better… Just people that really do not know the skills to cook properly and blame the tool instead of their lack of knowledge.
Hi Andrew, I’ve recently purchased Tramontina’s tri-ply stainless steel Wok and think it would be good if you did one of your educational reviews of stainless tri-ply Woks. The first problem is that, by design, tri-ply is intended to distribute heat evenly across the whole pan, including up the sides. While that’s good for frying pans (skillets) and most other pans, it presents a potential problem in stir-fry Wok cooking. By tradition, in Wok stir-frying we begin by flash-frying the proteins in very hot oil at the base of the pan. Then move the cooked meat up the cooler side, so it stays hot while not over-cooking. This is followed by flash-frying (ideally umami charring) the vegetables, to the correct balance of softness while retaining some crunch, before also moving the vegetables up to keep hot, but stop the cooking at the desired doneness. Onto the aromatics (ginger, garlic, et al.) which also require the intense heat of flash-frying in the bottom of the Wok, but are easily burnt if not moved to a cooler “keep hot” zone in the pan. Finally, the sauce (which is traditionally minimal in quantity) is quickly heated before a final stir to mix everything, including additions, such as seeds or nuts. Clearly, it’s essential to have various degrees of heat for traditional Chinese stir-fry, and that suggests a tri-ply Wok may be unsuitable??! Andrew, in trying to find answers to this question, I’ve been perusal a lot of excellent YouTube articles on Wok cooking. One of these also introduces a technique for “Just-in-Time Seasoning” of Woks, including tri-ply stainless steel versions, that I feel may be of interest to yourself and others viewing your website.
You get terribly confused over the expansion and contraction. Cold food in a hot pan chills the metal underneath it and that causes the metal to contract and the contracting pores grab the food. Metal expands with heat and contracts as it cools. Protein does not bond with the molecules of the metal. Stainless steel is fairly inert. That is it’s main selling point. Y’know this problem was solved over a hundred years ago by those using carbon steel cookware. Simply build up a glaze on your pan and it is completely no stick. So what you say about sticky polymers is again completely back to front. Those polymers are very non stick, but they have to be built up as a glaze before cooking and then not scrubbed off when cleaning the pan. With a good glaze very little additional oil is needed for frying. Better still use carbon steel for frying. I distributes the heat much better giving a more even temperature over the cooking surface. You cannot do articles like this if you do not have some basic understanding of physics and chemistry.
I also think it’s the quality of the stainless steal today. Decades ago I don’t recall ever having trouble with stainless steal pot and pans. I recently 9:12 bought a Scanpan it used to be a very good brand years ago. After a 6 weeks it was burned and stained I was for ever cleaning it, I ended up throwing it out. It was a total waste of money. I no longer have a stainless steal pan to fry this on. 🤔
I’m sure that if you have time and the ability to follow all these directions for cleaning and cooking SS is awesome. But I have a busy family and not a lot of time or brain cells to do something so complex every time I cook chicken or eggs. I’d just rather spend $20 on a new PFOA-free nonstick pan every few years.
No sir, your method of frying eggs DOES NOT WORK. Stainless steel cookware has this “food sticking” problem due to the quality of the metal used in its construction. To solve this “sticking” problem designers invented the famous “NON-STICK” range of cookware. Hey presto!! This problem was solved once and for all till today. Technique to handle any non-stick cookware is to use it on MEDIUM to LOW heat. Rest assured your cookware coating will last a lifetime.
Don’t stick with stainless steel pan if you want to avoid stickiness at all cost. I love stainless steel cookware because it’s sturdy and there’s no chemicals, I don’t care about the sticky part. Pour some liquid while cooking or use a metal sponge to scrub the pan, and you’re good to go. Just don’t plan to do pancakes in a stainless steel pan unless you use sulfated paper.
Hey Andrew: Just a tip on the “Maillard reaction”, which you explained beautifully. In an effort to help you “sound” every bit as intelligent as you are (vestiges of the retired teacher in me) – it is pronounced “my-yard” – as if it is “your own backyard”. It is a bit goofy, since it’s French🍣 Thanks for all the guidance – am 72 yo and married 52 yrs yesterday – to the same man! Yep the way to his heart has ALWAYS been through his stomach. Merry Christmas and hope to hear more from you through the Leap Year that follows. Enjoy! God Bless!!
I came back to say thanks. Just preheat before oiling! That simple.😅I now enjoy using my stainless steel pan EVERY DAY thanks to you my friend. Egg white, steak, fish (yeah! Even Skinless cod and skin on salmon!), stir fry… just no starchy foods. oh it’s a joy hearing that sizzle and seeing the shinny clean pan afterwards.
Cooking with gas or induction best method to control heat. Being raised in Midwest, only gas stoves & ovens, before moving to FL in 1966(marriage), most prople had electric- were terrified of gas. Everything was overdone or burnt. 1971, into new home, natural gas lines run in & was optiona,at no cost, to hook up. We were first ones & soon ithers in neighborhood switched to gas water heaters, stove, heat. Waaaaay more economical than electric. However propane is outrageously expensive, unless just for cooking. I do love my induction- cooks same as gas.
Years ago when I learned about the insidious hazards of Teflon,… I threw away every Teflon pot and pan and bought high-end stainless cookware … didn’t go for any sets but bought all the pots and pans I like to use from several different brands,.. All-Clad, Cuisinart France, Calphalon Stainless, I also found a Stainless Le Cruset round bottom pot and in polished Stainless… I’ve noticed the texture on the inside of said cookware and decided to put a mirror finish on all pieces …. I’ve got to say, there’s not much food sticking because of the slick high polish… and, of course, I preheat before oiling pot or pan/ skillet…. I’m so glad I have cookware that performs well 👍😎🤙
My wife wont cook with my stainless pans… but you know what?? I’ve had my pan set for 6 or 7 years (so far). She just buys her new non-stick pan every 6 months or so. Hey, I’ll admit it… I use her nonstick pans when I don’t want to bother… and they’re definitely indespensible when you’re trying to say, fry cheese… no way I could do that on my steel pan. But my 5 steel pans will go forever. And like this article shows, they’re not that hard to work with. If I make a mistake and burnt the fuck out of something in my steel pan… throw some water on it and put it back on the heat for a couple minutes. Not biggie. Then wipe it off with a sponge.
Since they banned the essential compound in so called teflon coating in about 2008 so called non-stick pans don’t work and eventually just burn and go black. By the way this must be about the five hundredth youtuber to tell everyone that you have to heat a stainless steel pan to a certain temperature range. BORING.
Sounds complicated. 🥺I had the most beautiful ss pans. I think I finally gave up and gave them away. But I’m hoping I still kept one and I will try this method. They wouldn’t be still around if they weren’t good! Plus I’m tired of buying nonstick so often because family members cut food in them scratching the surface!
Is it possible that some heating sources or just a bad stainless steel pan, will cause all efforts to fail? I tried this method 10 times and scraped out mushy tortilla dough and washed the stuck on pan 10 times. I’m using a stainless pan on a 1 burner glass electric cook top. When I finally get it hot enough where the drops roll into a ball, it’s only in parts of the pan. Depending on where the water drops, the pan also spits and hisses at the same time as the rolling ball. If I let it get hotter, it splits the balls and is over hot. Indicating uneven heat spots. I don’t see a way to fix this using the tools I have to work with. I stopped cooking anything in the pan because I can’t get this fixed and only use a toaster oven or eat raw food, sprouts, juice, smoothies, fruit, etc..And I don’t use toxic non stick and forget cast iron. I’d rather pull my hair out. I’d be really happy just to be able to make tortilla wraps but so far, no go. Also, are you supposed to add that much oil each time you pour new batter? If so, that’s a crap ton of oil, to batch cook like 25 tortillas and I don’t want that either.
Is it possible that some heating sources will cause all efforts to fail? I tried this method 10 times and scraped out mushy tortilla dough and washed the stuck on pan 10 times. I’m using a stainless pan on a 1 burner cook top. When I finally get it hot enough where the drops roll into a ball, it’s only in parts of the pan. Depending on where the water drops, the pan also spits and hisses at the same time as the rolling ball. If I let it get hotter, it splits the balls and is over hot. Indicating uneven heat spots. I don’t see a way to fix this using the tools I have to work with. I stopped cooking anything in the pan because I can’t get this fixed and only use a toaster oven or eat raw food, sprouts, juice, smoothies, fruit, etc..And I don’t use toxic non stick and forget cast iron. I’d rather pull my hair out. I’d be really happy just to be able to make tortilla wraps but so far, no go.
If a skillet extends well beyond the stovetop burner (12″ pan) is it too big? Will its size affect cooking and how do you adjust or should you just use a smaller pan (10″)? Also, I notice you’re using a Demeyere. Do you find the coating/weight better for cooking than an All-Clad D3 (I know the Industry will be more sluggish but curious if the reduction in “speed” and type of surface makes for an easier cooking experience. I’ve read/watched all your articles/videos. Just looking for your opinion if you are comfortable offering it up, as you’ve used both brands extensively). Many thanks. I guess I should throw Made In in the mix but was looking at different coatings.
This egg cooking method and the multiple others on you tube are all crap. The eggs are way over cooked to a crisp. They all do sunny side up, in spite of most people who like over easy / medium. Here we go. Preheat pan for about 30 seconds on medium. Turn down heat to about 2/3 between med and low. Spray pan with cooking spray. I use olive oil or canola spray. Crack in eggs in pan. Cook on first side when whites are partially done, flip eggs to other side until whites are done and yolks are cooked to desired doneness. Slide eggs onto plate or on toast. Enjoy perfectly cooked eggs that are not totally destroyed with the usual high heat overcooked. Note. I use Spectrum Culinary food spray because it does not have any bad ingredients like silicone etc.
And this is why everybody buys non-stick cookware…which never lasts…because there’s so much to watch out for, you’re constantly adding oil for the pan, not for the food, and taking in way more oil in your diet, all for a SS pan. I want to like SS and seems like it would last forever, but it’s so controlling, takes all the fun out of cooking.
I want to warm up food on a small pan instead of in the microwave. However, all food sticks to all my pans when trying to warm it up. I already know how to cook on a cast iron pan, but when warming food up it still sticks! For example rice always sticks lol. I also have a vintage Visions glass pan and a stainless steel. Which would work best for warming up food? Or should I just buy a small ceramic pan and use it only for that?
EDITED TEXT: ; If you are avoiding your stainless steel pans because food sticks to ; the surface – you’re not alone. ; I tested and reviewed dozens of stainless steel pans – and food sticking ; is a problem across the board. ; In this article I will explain the science behind food sticking and ; share the simple techniques you can use to prevent it. ; Towards the end – I’ll prove these methods work by showing you how ; I cook eggs in a stainless steel pan without sticking.
I know I’m late to the party but I just found this article. I have one question but first thank you for the valuable information. Now for my question: At about 1:10 into the article you say that heating causes the pores of the metal to contract and cooling causes them to expand. This is counter to everything I was taught in my physics classes. Heat expands metal and cooling causes the metal to contract. What am I missing??? how can heat contract the pores of metal??? Thank you, this is a sincere question by the way, I’m not trying to be mean or a know it all in anyway.
I will like to contribute my own tip to prevent food sticking to the pan when frying. Before you start cooking, put some salt to cover the inside base of the frying pan, fold some old newspaper and rub the salt all over the cooking surface vigorously. The pan must be dry so that salt won’t dissolve. After rubbing, discard the salt and newspaper used in the rubbing and scrubbing. You can wipe the pan with a damp cloth if what you are frying does not require salt. Then go ahead and use the pot or pan and you will see a miracle of non-stick happening before your own eyes. I hope this helps someone. Thanks.
Andrew, your viewers might also find it helpful if I mention something about Deep Fat Frying. It’s easy to imagine that Deep Fat Frying is unhealthy, as you’d imagine that immersing food in fat means it’ll absorb lots of oils. But, if we do it right, then the opposite is true. As Andrew was saying about non-stick shallow frying, it’s all about temperature. In Deep Fat Frying, it is essential that your oil is hot enough. Never drop your food into a deep fat fryer until it is up to temperature! At the correct temperature, steam will come out of your meat, forming a layer between the meat and the fat. This prevents any oil getting into what you cook. Surprisingly, it makes Deep Fat Frying one of the healthiest ways to cook. Think about this, and you’ll see how it relates to what Andrew is telling up. — Enjoy
first mistake….cooking an egg on a stainless steel pan! I only use carbon steel and cast iron for frying pans, stainless is good stuff but strictly for saucepans only exception is if I am cooking something with tomato paste/sauce I will go ahead and do that in my one stainless steel frying pan because the tomato reacts with the iron/carbon steel pans.luckliy I do not cook with tomato sauce much and usually when I do it is something like a stew or soup where I am doing it in a sauce pan not a skillet.
There is a reason non-stick cookware was developed. I’m old enough to remember when stainless steel (and other various metals) were all there was for cooking… and it was not so much fun, and why stainless became worthless and inexpensive. Good article though. Looks like many people are trying stainless cooking again. Good luck all.
Hello and thanks for article! I’ve got new Zwilling frying pan and after couple time of using it i faced a problem: there was a dark area on the cooker under my pan every time. I am using induction. What can it be and how to avid it? Any suggestions? There is no such problem when I use other pans made of aluminium or steel pots.
thank you for this explanation, it did really help me a lot. I wondered though, if there was a way to reduce the amount of oil needed. Let me explain: I’ve noticed that using stainless steel pans the oil evaporates more quickly than no-stick pan, often requiring some more oil to be added during cooking time to avoid burning of the surface. The overall result is a bit greasy but especially heavy at stomach level. How can I prevent this?
This is amazing. Thank you. My usual struggling steel pan behaved like a non-stick cookware today. Today was so good that i could wash off the pan with just handwash liquid. My usual day would be scrubbing the pan with dishwash gel and a scrubber. I followed your instructions and the paneer was literally skiing on the heated butter. Amazing.
The big error here is cooking eggs on stainless steel. I have a full set of AllClad stainless interior – aluminum exterior. I use them for many things…. but NEVER for frying eggs. Eggs fry best on seasoned smooth cast iron. I never have an issue with them sticking to the skillet; they come out great every time. Te great thing is that cast iron is not expensive.
OK, that’s fine if you like your eggs crispy, but what about if you don’t want that effect? In my carbon steel I would cook at a lower temperature than that and get nice soft eggs with no sticking. Is this possible in stainless steel? By the way, what is that frying pan? The one that’s not AllClad. It has a Y connection for the main handle and a helper handle. It looks like a really nice one.
This is probably the soundest advice on how to use stainless steel cookware out there on the internet. I have read soooo many nonsensical reviews of stainless steel cookware on amazon or seen articles which claim that the product is bad because the food sticks. Improper use is so many times confused with bad quality. I would wish to add one basic truth about any type of cookware: there is no perfect “general purpose cookware”. Each type of cookware has its pros and cons, and some is more suitable than others for a given job. I use stainless steel skillets 90 % of the time, but prefer cast iron for larger chunks of meat and non-stick cookware for food rich in protein, starch or gluten.