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Cher
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:45 pm    Post subject: SS sticky Reply with quote

My new Stainless Steel electric frying pan is a beauty. But everything sticks. I've tried seasoning the pan after cleaning, with Pam, veggie oil and olive oil, different times.

I'd read here that preheating then adding oil, also tried butter ,is the way to go. But not with this pan.

I'm not real fond of non-stick surfaces, that's why I bought the pretty SS pan, but now I'm having to fry stuff in my non-stick coated skillet instead.

Is there any hope? Do you know of any magic tricks for my pan?
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jagstyle



Joined: 08 Aug 2005
Posts: 45
Location: CA

PostPosted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 7:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stainless steel isn't meant to be seasoned. It should be scrubbed clean after every use. You're just supposed to heat up the lubricant and then throw in the food. Pretty simple. If it's sticking too much then you're probably using the wrong pan for the job.
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Cher
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 7:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jagstyle wrote:
Stainless steel isn't meant to be seasoned. It should be scrubbed clean after every use. You're just supposed to heat up the lubricant and then throw in the food. Pretty simple. If it's sticking too much then you're probably using the wrong pan for the job.


That certianly seems to be the case. But, I was following the directions that came with the pan. I'll stop seasoning.

If an electric frying pan isn't the job for frying eggs, or even grilled cheeses, then I've really spent money for nothing. Darn, it's really Pretty, and I don't do deep fat frying. Is that all it's good for then, looks and deep fat?
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 12:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cher wrote:
If an electric frying pan isn't the job for frying eggs, or even grilled cheeses, then I've really spent money for nothing. Darn, it's really Pretty, and I don't do deep fat frying. Is that all it's good for then, looks and deep fat?

I don't about your specific pan, but in general, stainless steel pans work best when completely clean. When washed, the water should sheet off (often in concentric circles) rapidly, leaving a dry surface with a few drops of water on the surface. To keep this finish, you'll need to use a product like Barkeeper's Friend (make sure your pan is compatible with this product - I've never used a stainless steel electric skillet before). Once the SS finish is completely clean, it will be prone to sticking less. Just apply oil, heat it up, and cook. Usually, when the food is done/browned, it will naturally unstick.

The amount of oil depends on what you're trying to cook. Both eggs and cheese happen to be very sticky ingredients. You can fry eggs in the skillet with a decent amount of oil (not Pam spray amounts, but a couple tablespoons). The eggs will tend to stick otherwise.

Cheese is a bit harder. Usually people don't want to add additional oil to their cheese and after cheese melts it sticks until the oil separates out of it (which is often not the desired effect). For gently melting cheese, you're probably better off with non-stick.

I actually use stainless steel for everything EXCEPT eggs and cheese.
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DrBiggles



Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 356
Location: Richmond, CA

PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:54 pm    Post subject: Re: SS sticky Reply with quote

Cher wrote:
My new Stainless Steel electric frying pan is a beauty. But everything sticks. I've tried seasoning the pan after cleaning, with Pam, veggie oil and olive oil, different times.

I'd read here that preheating then adding oil, also tried butter ,is the way to go. But not with this pan.

I'm not real fond of non-stick surfaces, that's why I bought the pretty SS pan, but now I'm having to fry stuff in my non-stick coated skillet instead.

Is there any hope? Do you know of any magic tricks for my pan?


Oh poo, you're just probably doing it wrong. Clean with barkeeper's friend, just like that other person said.

Set your timer for 2 minutes and heat the pan to desired temp, 375?. Swirl in any good cooking oil and get it to smoking a bit.

Throw in food.

Here's the deal, it's kinda like a cast iron pan. Don't fuss with the food for a bit. It sticks initially, but will release when browned enough. SS will render you a wonderful fond.

They're wonderful for deep or shallow frying. Set it to 375 and you're done fussing. Good luck!

Biggles
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Cher
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:30 am    Post subject: OK Reply with quote

OK, Biggles, I will throw caution to the wind and clean it well, heat it good, make it smoke, toss the food and get a nice good browning session going. Thanks! Cool
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DrBiggles



Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 356
Location: Richmond, CA

PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 6:25 pm    Post subject: Re: OK Reply with quote

Cher wrote:
OK, Biggles, I will throw caution to the wind and clean it well, heat it good, make it smoke, toss the food and get a nice good browning session going. Thanks! Cool


You bet. My 12" stainless pan looks like HELL on the outside. Even got plastic wrap stuck to a portion at some point, horrible black stains.

Inside? No residue.

Biggles
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Pickles



Joined: 19 May 2006
Posts: 26

PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a few stainless steal pans. I clean them good with something like bar keepers friend until its all nice and shiny then I put in a cup of milk let it come to the boil until a skin forms then empty the pan wipe it clean and rinse a few times.

Doesn't leave the surface looking wonderful and shiny however it does insure that chicken doesn't stick to the pan!
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pj_rage



Joined: 07 Feb 2007
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not a proffessional cook by any means, and not even a good amateur (I'm not sure I could notice the heating difference between a SS pan and non-stick), but why would you want to cook eggs and grilled cheese in a SS pan instead of non-stick? Especially for those two items? From what I understand, the SS gives better heat distribution than non-stick? Is that really important for eggs and grilled cheese? Or is there another reason? (Besides maybe loving to scrub pans Teasing )
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IndyRob



Joined: 17 Dec 2006
Posts: 77

PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 1:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

IMHO, nonstick surfaces are really good for things you don't want to stick. Non-Nonstick surfaces, on the other hand, are good when you want something to stick. This is critical for developing a fond which you'll deglaze (with wine, stock, water, etc.) into a flavorful sauce. There is no deglazing in a nonstick pan. There's nothing to deglaze.

I don't understand what would be undesirable about a non-stick pan when cooking straight-up eggs in any fashion. My best eggs are cooked over extremely low heat (often in a double-boiler type arrangement). Browning is usually not desireable (although I'll allow that some fried egs are okay with a little golden browning on the bottom).
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