Stainless Steel Non Stick Fried Eggs!

Maybe I missed it but why are you so against using a nonstick pan?

Because non stick pans are all different and all seem to require different ways of cooking.
Cooking with SS and CI is more of an art, and most SS pans are very similar.

They say you can season an SS pan easily, and then cook without oil and get no sticking.
That's what I'm going to try now and it should work.
You just heat the pan, add 1 TBS of coconut oil until it starts to smoke, then remove it from the heat and let it cool, pour away the oil and wipe it out, and it should be non stick. Also, you then cook at med/low heat, and you don't wash it with soap.

I saw a lady do this, and another lady that heats the SS pan up until water dances in the pan, (they say this is important), then adds a small amount of oil, and the eggs, then reduces the heat a a little. But I like the 1st idea better and will try that first.
 
I wish you luck you want them to work you gotta float them on oil. I’ve been down this rabbit hole before and one day you get lucky next time *** I did the same thin. I know what works day after day after day no matter what the conditions are. Again you want it to work float them in oil.

I get 20+eggs every day from my hens I’ve had plenty of time and eggs to waste getting it right it never was worth it never was consistent without a ton of fat. Tomorrow I’ll do just over in a non stick and have perfect results I’ll be posting.
I need to stay at it until I find a method that works.
I'm going to try seasoning the SS pan, to supposedly make it non stick.
She really sounds like she knows what she's doing.
 

A STEP BY STEP APPROACH TO SEASON A STAINLESS STEEL PAN​



Here are the simple steps to create a naturally occurring non stick stainless steel pan!

  1. On medium to medium high heat, heat your pan for 2-3 minutes.
  2. Melt a little coconut oil or other high heat oil in your pan and swirl the oil around to evenly coat the pan. Allow the oil to smoke (don’t worry, we will be tossing this oil out)! Once the oil has smoked, turn off your burner and remove pan from heat source and allow to cool completely. You know your pan is seasoned and ready if you can see your mirror reflection of yourself in the pan (more details are in the video about this).
  3. Once the pan has cooled, pour out the oil and wipe the pan out with a paper towel. You now have a seasoned nonstick stainless steel pan.
  4. I am going to give you an example on how to cook an omelette in your seasoned pan. Simply preheat your pan on medium low heat for 2 minutes. Pour your egg mixture into your pan with no oil at all! Add desired ingredients (cheese, meat, veggies). Allow the eggs to cook for several minutes without disturbing. After a few minutes, flip you eggs and allow to cook another minute or two. Your eggs will slip right out of the pan, no sticking! (You can view this in the video as well). There is no need to ever wash the pan with soap, just wipe out with a paper towel as nothing will stick in the pan, cleanup takes about 10 seconds. This method is very similar to seasoning your cast iron skillet or wok. As long as you don’t use soap on your pan, your pan will remain nonstick. If you are using higher heat, you might need to add a little bit of oil.
 
@Mr_Luke
Again, I have never heard of seasoning a SS pan. Don’t believe “what they say”.
Carbon Steel pans can be seasoned. Carbon Steel Woks are a mainstay in Asian cooking.
One of the main reasons SS cookware is used is that there is no special care needed. They don’t rust like carbon steel or cast iron. They don’t need seasoning. They are dishwasher safe. Cast Iron and carbon steel are not for putting in a dishwasher.
You can do what you like with your SS pans. I’m not ruining mine by “seasoning” them. Allclad Stainless ain’t cheap Walmart stuff.
 
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I need to stay at it until I find a method that works.
I'm going to try seasoning the SS pan, to supposedly make it non stick.
She really sounds like she knows what she's doing.
I think most peoples definition of non- stick is a bit jaded due to modern chemicals.

A teflon or the new PFOA free stone stuff whatever it is - is non stick. You need to use a tiny amount of oil and the right heat and you can dump scrambled eggs in and start stirring - no issue.

You can get a cast iron pan to semi- non stick - meaning also with a little oil and the right heat your egg won't stick - if your gentle and let them cook long enough to "release". But this is certainly not the same as teflon.

I have a carbon steel wok. With some oil its mostly non stick also - not quite as good as my cast iron but close.

How close can you get with stainless steel? somewhere near semi non-stock maybe, not really tried it, but your not getting anywhere near Teflon. They became popular for a reason.
 
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.
No electric range keeps a steady temperature as all they do is cycle the element on and off.

The problem is more likely the low thermal mass of some pans. A light aluminium non-stick pan combined with this cycling of the element and the temp is not going to remain consistent.

A cast iron or heavier non-stick pan (many of them have a more massive base) will remain at a more steady temperature.

If you want the ultimate in temperature control, you have to cook with gas as the metering of the gas dictates how much heat you put in the pan in a constant fashion. (I.E. the gas is not cycled on and off like an electric range does.)

I do agree that gas CAN be more consistent if you know your range and know where to set the knob to get the temp you want. However, I don't think there is much difference between coil and ceramic top as both cycle the heating element at settings lower than max to get the effect of lower heating.

With an electric, a pan with a greater mass is going to stay at temp better as the greater mass of the pan means it changes temperatures more slowly.

Of course, all the warnings about using cast iron on a ceramic top apply. I use my cast iron and enameled iron cookware on it and live with the minor scratches.

If I had my preference, I'd have a hybrid range with an electric oven and gas cooktop. But we don't have gas to the kitchen, and since I don't plan to be in this home forever, I'm not running a gas line and changing the range with only a few years to remain in this home. I'll have to make due with a Whirlpool Gold convection oven/ceramic range unit.
 
They don’t need seasoning.

IMHO, any pan that sticks when cooking eggs, needs seasoning.
I seasoned my pan, and how could I ruin it just by heating it up to fairly hot, adding 1 TBS of oil, swirling it around a little until it starts to smoke, and then taking it off the heat? That's only normal use in my book. Any well made pan will stand up to that.
Those pans are made to tolerate temperature extremes.
If you have an expensive pan that won't tolerate temperature extremes, you got ripped off.
 
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Fast forward to two minute mark. Use plenty of oil. Hot pan. Hot oil.

Note that the pan is nothing special. Eggs don’t stick.



PT,

Thanks for posting that video- man is that chef talented- great watch.

I struggle to flip an omelet with a spatula, he flips omelets with chop sticks!!
 
I like Halle Cottis's method above of simply heating an SS pan to med/high heat, adding oil, swirling it around, and letting it cool to room temp. After this she wipes the pan dry and fries eggs at a low temp with no oil, and there is zero sticking.
She says no oil is needed unless you cook with high heat.
It looks good on paper and if it works it will be even better. At least I'm trying some ideas.

I've seen many people cook non stick in SS pans on smooth top ranges on youtube.
So it looks like I don't need to resort to buying a new SS pan or a new stove.
 
I like my fried eggs over just enough so white isn't goey. Lately been making my eggs in boiling water for 5.5 minutes. Crack them open and spoon out the goodness
N
 
Grew up raising chickens and cooking in cast iron on a gas range. Never took special care of it. Sprayed Pam in the skillet and cracked whatever bantam, double yolk or turkey egg I didn’t sell. Found that having the heat right made the biggest difference. “Sticking” Seamed to have more to do with the spatula you used to flip them. Thin flexible metal ones worked the best. I have never been able to find one that is as good as the one that came from my great grandparents house.

For the last 20 years I have been stuck with electric stoves. Found they are way harder to cook in cast iron on them. I have not used my cast iron skillets in years and went to the ceramic or whatever non stick pans. Found a flexible silicone spatula and have managed to cook eggs without making a mess. I have my process firgured out but it gets messed up if anything changes and I have to figure out a new process.
 
They have their finger in this now?

How on earth is floating control (on / off to setpoint) more efficient than modulated control that just holds a setpoint. Same overall energy no? Or is the coil more efficient at full on somehow.
They are trying to save us from ourselves. I now recall the appliance salesman telling me that this was coming. I bought one of the last models he had, before the switch. I bought my range in 2018.
 
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.
Try this;
Put only water in your favorite cast iron pot/pan and bring that water to a boil.
Take a look at that water and it just might surprise you what you see.
This was demonstrated to me almost 30 years ago and it changed my mind. I saw it with my own 4 eyes.
My experiences are my facts...
 
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