Stainless Steel Non Stick Fried Eggs!

[Cruzer4326]

Think about this...
Cast iron is porous. Seasoning it amounts to filling in the pores with oil and/or food.
Stainless steel is not porous.
When we eat food prepared in a seasoned cast iron skillet/pot, we're eating/tasting the residual oil/food that it has been "seasoned" with.
Yuck, no thanks! I learned about cast iron cookware 30+ years ago and threw the skillet out!~

 

[2heeldrive]

I cook eggs almost exclusively in a SS skillet. I think they taste better. I find that to keep the eggs from sticking, the skillet must be perfectly clean (scrubbed with scouring powder), the heat low (#3 on my stove) and use a metal spatula. Any fat will work, but some work better. Butter and Sunflower oil are my favorites. It really doesn't take much, if any, more fat than a non stick pan.

 

[Mr_Luke]

Think about this...
Cast iron is porous. Seasoning it amounts to filling in the pores with oil and/or food.
Stainless steel is not porous.
When we eat food prepared in a seasoned cast iron skillet/pot, we're eating/tasting the residual oil/food that it has been "seasoned" with.
Yuck, no thanks! I learned about cast iron cookware 30+ years ago and threw the skillet out!~

Interesting point. I'll stick with SS.

 

[Cruzer4326]

I've found the secret to cooking eggs is to have the pan (stainless steel in my case) hot, but not not too hot. I use olive oil cooking spray to reduce sticking.

 

[BISCUT]

I would use clarified butter instead.

My butter is homemade from a local farm' I'm sticking with it

 

[Mr_Luke]

I tried 2 more eggs tonight. I cleaned my SS pan well, then heat it up until drops of water danced around the pan, as if it were mercury. I had the setting on about 7 on my smooth top range.
Then I wiped the pan dry, then added about 1 TBS of refined coconut oil which is supposed to be good up to about 400℉, and it started smoking some, so I think I may have had the pan too hot. Some say you should add 1.5 TBS oil at first, then add about 1 TBS of butter, then they sit there while the butter turns dark, which IMHO isn't a great idea. Ghee would work much better. The smoking point for butter is about 320℉ and the smoking point for ghee is about 480℉. I also have refined sesame oil which is supposed to be good up to about 450℉ or more.
So I added a room temperature egg, and then another egg, and one egg stuck to the pan a little, though not too bad. The eggs cooked fast with some amount of sticking and they tasted good.
Tomorrow I'll try again but with the pan not quite so hot.
Maybe I'll just skip the dancing drops of water and just warm the pan up at a 6 setting and see how that goes. It has to heat up for a few minutes at that setting. You never want to add eggs or oil to a cool pan. I think I'm getting this.

I was also thinking of using my SS steamer and placing 3 or 4 silicone egg holders in it and steaming them in that.

I wonder if my 8" Kenmore SS pan is too damaged to cook eggs without sticking.
It hasn't been used very much because of it's propensity to stick with certain foods, mostly eggs.
I could always buy a new 8" Cuisinart SS pan and start all over with that.

 

[#18FAN]

No sticking, and my eggs turn out almost to perfection in a high quality non-stick pan with just a spritz of canola oil.

Agreed but I use a bit of EVOO every morning never failed and don’t fret my whole life over it.

 

[MParr]

I tried 2 more eggs tonight. I cleaned my SS pan well, then heat it up until drops of water danced around the pan, as if it were mercury. I had the setting on about 7 on my smooth top range.
Then I wiped the pan dry, then added about 1 TBS of refined coconut oil which is supposed to be good up to about 400℉, and it started smoking some, so I think I may have had the pan too hot. Some say you should add 1.5 TBS oil at first, then add about 1 TBS of butter, then they sit there while the butter turns dark, which IMHO isn't a great idea. Ghee would work much better. The smoking point for butter is about 320℉ and the smoking point for ghee is about 480℉. I also have refined sesame oil which is supposed to be good up to about 450℉ or more.
So I added a room temperature egg, and then another egg, and one egg stuck to the pan a little, though not too bad. The eggs cooked fast with some amount of sticking and they tasted good.
Tomorrow I'll try again but with the pan not quite so hot.
Maybe I'll just skip the dancing drops of water and just warm the pan up at a 6 setting and see how that goes. It has to heat up for a few minutes at that setting. You never want to add eggs or oil to a cool pan. I think I'm getting this.

I was also thinking of using my SS steamer and placing 3 or 4 silicone egg holders in it and steaming them in that.

I wonder if my 8" Kenmore SS pan is too damaged to cook eggs without sticking.
It hasn't been used very much because of it's propensity to stick with certain foods, mostly eggs.
I could always buy a new 8" Cuisinart SS pan and start all over with that.

View attachment 134305

Your biggest problem is the smooth top range. That type of cook top does not remain at a steady temperature.
Medium is the best temperature setting for cooking eggs.

 

[Mr_Luke]

Your biggest problem is the smooth top range. That type of cook top does not remain at a steady temperature.

I find it hard to believe my range had anything to do with my eggs sticking a little today.
I'll more than likely get this nailed down without resorting to getting rid of my smooth top range.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Think about this...
Cast iron is porous. Seasoning it amounts to filling in the pores with oil and/or food.
Stainless steel is not porous.
When we eat food prepared in a seasoned cast iron skillet/pot, we're eating/tasting the residual oil/food that it has been "seasoned" with.
Yuck, no thanks! I learned about cast iron cookware 30+ years ago and threw the skillet out!~

This is not true. The seasoning is a polymerized cooking oil film. It seals the cast iron and creates a very smooth surface that is partially non stick.

You wash the pan after use so there is no "old food" for next session. You use hot water and a cloth - no soap because that can affect your polymerization. If something does stick I use one of those plastic scrub pads. The food is gone. Its best then to heat it to dry it completely and ensure anything that could be bad for you is killed, then seal it again with an extremely light coat of oil. Its a bunch of work to do right, so maybe some don't?

Your options are this, the same type of thing with stainless, or stainless with lots of oil, or non stick chemistry. All have +/-

If you don't like cast iron that is fine - but your facts are incorrect.

 

[Shel_B]

Your biggest problem is the smooth top range. That type of cook top does not remain at a steady temperature.
Medium is the best temperature setting for cooking eggs.

You're painting a generalization with far too broad a brush.

 

[MParr]

I find it hard to believe my range had anything to do with my eggs sticking a little today.
I'll more than likely get this nailed down without resorting to getting rid of my smooth top range.

My dad had the very same problem with cooking eggs. He had one of those blasted smooth top ranges.
I had to show him how to cook eggs on that thing. The first thing we did was to buy a top notch pair of skillets. Next was to never go above the medium cook setting. Those cook tops cycle from high to off. The cycle speed increases as you move the settings higher.
These are the skillets that I got for him. These skillets solved his problem.

https://www.calphalon.com/cookware/cookware-by-material/nonstick-hard-anodized-cookware/calphalon-classic-hard-anodized-nonstick-8-inch-and-10-inch-fry-pan-set/SAP_2172365.html

 

[MParr]

You're painting a generalization with far too broad a brush.

Try again.

 

[#18FAN]

My dad had the very same problem with cooking eggs. He had one of those blasted smooth top ranges.
I had to show him how to cook eggs on that thing. The first thing we did was to buy a top notch pair of skillets. Next was to never go above the medium cook setting. Those cook tops cycle from high to off. The cycle speed increases as you move the settings higher.
These are the skillets that I got for him. These skillets solved his problem.

https://www.calphalon.com/cookware/cookware-by-material/nonstick-hard-anodized-cookware/calphalon-classic-hard-anodized-nonstick-8-inch-and-10-inch-fry-pan-set/SAP_2172365.html

Same skillet I run ever day for my eggs they are dang good I never need utensils just hand flip perfect every time.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I wonder if my 8" Kenmore SS pan is too damaged to cook eggs without sticking.
It hasn't been used very much because of it's propensity to stick with certain foods, mostly eggs.

Apparently you can season stainless steel. I have never tried it. If the surface is already fairly rough that actually might help with the seasoning sticking - just guessing?? With cast iron I have had the best luck with GrapeSeed oil for seasoning. Might be worth a try. When / if I ever perfect my cast iron seasoning I might try stainless.

 

[Mr_Luke]

Next was to never go above the medium cook setting.

Interesting. I'll try again tomorrow with a lower setting.

 

[RDMgr]

This is not true. The seasoning is a polymerized cooking oil film. It seals the cast iron and creates a very smooth surface that is partially non stick.

You wash the pan after use so there is no "old food" for next session. You use hot water and a cloth - no soap because that can affect your polymerization. If something does stick I use one of those plastic scrub pads. The food is gone. Its best then to heat it to dry it completely and ensure anything that could be bad for you is killed, then seal it again with an extremely light coat of oil. Its a bunch of work to do right, so maybe some don't?

Your options are this, the same type of thing with stainless, or stainless with lots of oil, or non stick chemistry. All have +/-

If you don't like cast iron that is fine - but your facts are incorrect.

You are absolutely correct. The seasoned coating in a cast iron pan is polymerized cooking oil. It's the same as the varnish in an engine, it's polymerized engine oil.

 

[Mr_Luke]

I'm also thinking I might get another induction single burner cooktop to set on my smooth top stove.
I had one once and I kind of miss it.

 

[Mr_Luke]

Apparently you can season stainless steel. I have never tried it. If the surface is already fairly rough that actually might help with the seasoning sticking - just guessing?? With cast iron I have had the best luck with GrapeSeed oil for seasoning. Might be worth a try. When / if I ever perfect my cast iron seasoning I might try stainless.

I saw those small 8" cast iron fry pans at Walmart for $15. I think it was made by Lodge.
I may get one yet.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I saw those small 8" cast iron fry pans at Walmart for $15. I think it was made by Lodge.
I may get one yet.

I am fairly new to cast iron but I now have 3 lodge pans. There good pans, but I have spent hours sanding and polishing to a decent finish, then several more cycles of seasoning to get them closer to non stick. So if you want to cook an egg in a lodge pan be prepared to invest several hours and plenty of elbow grease into finishing the pan.