Stainless steel fry pan - how to fry eggs without them sticking!!

[Full tummy]

Well, I've generally always used a non-stick fry pan for eggs, but I decided to try out my Kitchen Aid stainless steel version and can't figure out how to fry eggs, even bacon, without turning the pan into an absolute mess and leaving a good amount of the eggs crusted on the pan.

Anyone here have some tips???

[thew]

more butter. less heat

[care11]

I agree with thew. The egg should not be sticking if it's a good quality stainless pan and you're coating it with butter or a cooking spray like Pam. Infact the egg should slide around in the pan and then you can flip it over in the air to cook the other side. Try it...it's fun.

[Zeldog]

More heat, less butter. Better yet, no butter (burns to easy). Use veg oil or lard or bacon fat.

What the pan is made of is not very important. You can fry eggs in stainless, mild steel, aluminum, cast iron, enameled cast iron, or copper and if the temperature is right, you will be pleased with the results. Too cold and the eggs will stick. Too hot and the eggs will burn before they are ready to flip. It's a trial and error thing.

[xconsumerx]

too hot and your eggs will stick too, genius

[Butterguy]

If you do use butter -higly recommended to add flavor to your eggs. Use clarified butter,
a little goes a long way AND it wont burn or scorch your eggs. While giving you a great flavor that other cooking oils wont give.

[lynnlato]

Agree with less heat. I HATE a fried egg with brown edges. I either fry or scramble one egg every day in a stainless steel pan and never have sticking issues with the fried egg. I set the heat on low for scrambled and med-low to med. for fried. And I used a cooking spray to coat the pan. Bacon fat is the tastiest but I don't want those calories every day.

[cheflars]

What you need to do is "quick season" your pan. It's an old restaurant trick that works really well with modern multi-clad type pans. First, get the pan very hot then remove it from the heat and add about 1 tsp. veg oil. Swirl it around to coat the pan then add about a Tbsp. kosher salt. Using a wad of paper towels, grind the salt into the entire cooking surface of the pan like you're scouring the crap out of it. Dump out the salt and wipe clean with another paper towel. When it comes time to cook your eggs, heat about 1 teaspoon of oil to medium high, swirl it in the pan and add your eggs. It's important to keep this pan as an "eggs only" pan and NEVER wash it with soap and water, just wipe it out after you use it and repeat the seasoning process when necessary.

[HaagenDazs]

Great idea if you have the space and money for a eggs only stainless steel pan in your home. Not so great if you don't.

[joonjoon]

I have no idea why you would ever dedicate a SS pan as an "egg only" pan instead of getting a nonstick.

[jeredpilot]

Cheflars,

Great tip!! It worked excellent. I fried eggs in my Cuisinart 8" SS frying pan last Sunday and it was a total disaster! I decided to search for a better idea and found your post. I followed the directions and the eggs did not even come close to sticking. They would slide around the skillet with ease. The difference was amazing. So much better than a non-stick pan. I wonder about the health aspects of frying on a "plastic" non-stick surface!

As for the dedicated egg pan idea that is a great idea too. I have done that in the past for other things.

I am not sure why some posts made such a big deal about keeping a pan dedicated for egg purposes. Here is my point. So what if you don't have the means to have a dedicated one. Cheflars’ "Quick Seasoning" process took all of three minutes. Literally! Besides, even when camping in a tent I have room for more than one skillet!

Anyway, thanks again. This may be the best tip I have picked up on this site.

Jered

[joonjoon]

Not sure how on earth having a dedicated egg pan can be considered a great idea. Why not just use a cast iron skillet or something instead?

[Jay F]

If he likes it, who cares what it is?

[shaun theewe]

Thank you Cheflars for sharing the "quick season" method. Neither wanting nor needing a fried egg, I took up the challenge for my "new" Wagner pans (nobbly base type). I bought the set last year while in San Diego and hauled them to the UK as a culinary reminder of "Made in the USA". Reluctance to embark upon the long, drawn out task of seasoning, kept the pans in a state of suspended decoration, i.e., hanging on the wall.

A few minutes spent on your "quick season" procedure had me frying an egg using just a few drops of oil.

The ability to deep fry an egg in any type of receptacle with any type of fat is not the issue. What is astonishing is that a cast iron pan could be made non stick by such a simple and elegant process.

[dbagshaw]

Thanks for the great tip. It worked perfectly and only took a few minutes. I now have a dedicated egg pan, but if I want to use it for something else, it's an easy fix.

[StriperGuy]

Use cast iron. I don't find stainless steel to be a very good cooking surface for anything fried or that has the potential to stick. A nice cast iron pan (they even come pre-seasoned now) is $15-25 and for me, is the ultimate fry pan.

[Full tummy]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. Will give your tips a try.

I do also have a cast iron pan--StriperGuy, do you just use yours for eggs, or other things, too? How do you keep it clean?

[coll]

This reminds me of my SIL who wanted a cast iron griddle so bad because my eggs came out so good on mine. Well, I got her one and she complained that the eggs were sticking, turns out because she thought she could cook with it the same as teflon, no grease at all!! Grease is a major component of fried eggs, they should just about float on it, if it's hot enough they don't absorb all that much. You should just crack them in the pan (cast iron or not) and they should shimmy in there, and be done in a minute or two..

[StriperGuy]

You do have to use some oil/butter to cook eggs in cast iron but they turn out beautifully.

Increasingly I use my cast iron for darn near everything. I have tons of fru fru cookwear that I tend to use less and less. Stir fry, certainly pancakes, you can cook a killer steak in one: sear on each side, and finish in oven, etc.

There are those who say no soap and water in cast iron... nonsense, you do effect the cure a tad, but not much. To clean I get the pan real hot, then while hot, scub with a scotchguard green and yellow pad with minimal soap (more water then soap) when all the gunk is off I put it back on the burner (or wipe with with dishtowel) to dry. If you really had to scrub hard to clean apply a light coat of oil after it is dry.

[Paulustrious]

I am with you on the soap and water. You would need a hammer and chisel to take the surface off my pans. Even steel wool doesn't get through. I use the steel wool when something bumpy becomes part of the seasoning.

[StriperGuy]

I find if you get the pan heated a decent amount before putting in the sink you don't ever really have too scrub much, though you sound like a fairly serious cast iron fan not in need of much instruction ;-)

[joonjoon]

I started using my cast iron pan so often that it now just stays on the stove all the time. I cook almost everything on it...

[cstout]

stripeGuy, yes um, an iron skillet is the ultimate fry pan for ANYTHING.....just take care of your pan & it will take care of you. I guess that could be said of any type of pan, now that I think about it. But Cast Iron rules in my kitchen.

[StriperGuy]

I'm with you cstout, that original post goes back a ways, but I use Cast Iron for everything these days. Did a nice Porterhouse steak in it last night. Happy cooking.

[jeniyo]

thanks for posting this. I got a few stainless pans i don't use often because of this.

I assume the seasoning will help my scallops and fish skins from being stuck to the pan? I was told that my pan wasn't hot enough for the fish, is this true or was it too hot??

and then there's the cleaning... it's never shiny anymore =(

[aravenel]

Barkeeper's Friend will bring back the shine on stainless steel. Works like a charm.

[cstout]

aravenel, yes I agree to Barkeeper's Friend, but I am not worried about the shine, I want performance, & an old cast iron will be right there waiting for you to thorw some love into the pan.

[todao]

I agree that for some reason a lot of us seem to be afraid to use oil in quantities necessary to properly fry foods, including eggs. I see so many people trying to fry an egg with no more than a slight film of oil in the pan. That ain't enough. You will also find that your eggs will stick in the KA stainless less if they're at room temperature when you drop them in.
I cook eggs in everything from cast iron to pyrex and never have a problem with anything sticking.

[slacker]

I disagree with the less heat method. I use stainless for almost everything. The hotter the pan is, the less likely something will stick. Heat up the pan really hot, add the normal amount of oil, let the eggs fry, don't try to release them before they're ready. You can turn down the heat a bit once the eggs are in.

[StriperGuy]

Try a cast iron pan to see how much better a cooking surface it is. You will be amazed.

[billieboy]

I am a great lover of cast iron cookware and use it for just about everything but I must admit a non-stick small fry pan is best for eggs. Even St. Julia used one for her omelets.
I use a cheap disposable one and toss it every couple of years.

[StriperGuy]

Hmmmm, I used to use non-stick, but got sick of how grotty they get. That said, I do know what you mean. Eggs are nice and slippery in a non-stick pan.

That said, I am pretty happy cooking even over-easy eggs, in my book the trickiest, in a cast iron pan with a good bit of butter.

St. Julia, never heard her referred to as St. Julia before, but I like it.

[jeniyo]

i'm trying to convert my mother to stop buying cheap non-stick woks. I'm mainly concerned how the surface end up being on the food... and plus it just doesn't last that long... is hard anodized a better alternative? cast iron anything is too heavy for that little woman.=)

[StriperGuy]

I agree, the peely plastic as the wok or pan degrades bugs me too.

The problem is that a domestic stove does not really get hot enough for true wok cooking so everyone makes compromises.

I have used a relatively light weight traditional thin steel wok, available at any chinese store for reasonable $. To me they are preferable to non stick. But it is really hard to do them justice on a domestic stove.

The anodized is not better, in fact thick anodized aluminum woks almost guarantee soggy food. You want to stay away from any thick aluminum for wok cooking.

For proper chowing you actually want something that conducts heat poorly, so you get that real hot spot at the bottom. That's why the classic thin steel is best. See if she'll go for one of those; heck, she probably has one.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Carbon steel and good hard use is the only way to go for woks. First cure with the oil and molten heat business.

[MartinDC]

Agree on banning non-stick woks. They have to be heated way too hot for a non-stick surface. But cooking omelets is a different story. I use a $15 non-stick pan I found at Marshall's. It's from Italy so it looks nice, but it cooks eggs like any other.

[paulj]

For authentic Chinese stirfry woks need to be heated too high for nonstick. But the wok shape is handy for other, low temperature, cooking.

Some years ago I bought a set a Tramontina nonstick pans from a Walmart clearance. The 8" skillet and the 'stirfry' pan (flat bottom wok shape) were the first ones to wear out - because the got the most use.

[greygarious]

Calphalon routinely issues a"two-fer" packaged nonstick pan set - always over the holidays but sometimes available other times of the year, in Bed, Bath&Beyond and elsewhere. It's either an 8" and 10", or a 10" and 12", for around $40 or $50, respectively. That's pretty much half-price, less if you have one of the frequent BB&B coupons. They are good quality pans that last many years unless you goof up and forget them while they are empty on a hot burner....which is why I keep a spare set in the closet!

[jerry i h]

a few tips from an ex-breakfast-short-order-cook:
*always use one of those black, teflon non-stick skillet
*if you insist on SS, a BIG handfull of butter, maximum heat, agitate the skillet continuously
*if you cook eggs daily, a french carbon steel skillet reserved only for eggs is an excellent idea
*if you have a cast iron skillet that you have been using constantly for many years and have preserved the seasoning, this is very non-stick and perfect for eggs.
*stainless steel CANNOT be seasoned like cast iron

[Kishari]

It's mostly technique! I have a little All-Clad that I use for eggs in the morning, and here's the trick I learned from a cookbook somewhere. Heat up the pan for a minute or so to get hot before you put ANYTHING in, which closes the pores in the pan. Then add the oil, swirl it around to coat, and letting that warm up too. Then add the eggs. That should do the trick.

That being said, I LOVE my cast iron for just about everything else. Again, heat the pan for a while first, at least 10 minutes if you're cooking meat. Add your oil, then go at it. Hot water rinse right after the cooking is done, and heat it dry on the stovetop. A little oil if it looks dry.

And I have a cast iron GRILL pan from Lodge. I think it was like $25. Most meat cooked on this cooks fast and tastes amazing! Not quite like outdoor grilling, but better than frying in a flat pan. Just make sure to get a grill pan that has high ridges, or the fat can't accumulate and smoke like a bbq.

[Abba Rubin]

I have an infrared thermometer that shines a beam on any surface and tell me the temperature. Great device. When you say heat up the stainless steel pan with nothing in it, any idea to what temperature? They tell you not to put an empty stainless steel pan on a lit burner, but I think they simply don't want the pan to get too hot -- whatever that is. But does anyone have an idea how hot is hot for stainless steel and for cast iron?

[Full tummy]

Hey, that's cool. Where did you pick up such a thing?

[Abba Rubin]

Hmmm where did I pick up the thermometer... I don't remember, but I'm sure you can find it on the web. It's made by Mastercool and has a model number: 52224-A. I use it all the time. Between that and my thermapen things do come out just right. But, meanwhile, anyone have any idea what temperature "hot" is for a stainless steel pan or a cast iron pan? Or what's medium? What's low?

[Full tummy]

Thanks, I'll look it up. Do you think that would have a secondary use as a draft locator? Hahaha.

[ddelicious]

you don't need cast iron, your pan is perfect. use medium heat, not high. the eggs won't stick. maybe a little extra butter or oil until you get the hang of the heat. but medium is the key.

[Full tummy]

Thanks, ddelicious, I think I just need to acclimate to it... And what about washing between uses?

[ddelicious]

Yes, absolutely wash it!

[Full tummy]

Thanks!!!!

[Marlana]

This is a common problem with stainless steel, however I've found rouxbe.com very helpful with video instruction on how to use stainless steel properly.

Try this link:

http://rouxbe.com/cooking-school/less...

[Full tummy]

Wow! Thank you so much for this.

[cityhopper]

You have saved my cooking life. Thank you so much for that link. I have about 90% stainless steel cookware and completely put-off by non-stick cookware but have yet mastered the skill for pan frying. This is awesome and free!! Thanks, Marlana.

One of my biggest crimes in pan frying is incorrect heat level. All the errors the video shown, are exactly how I end up with one quarter of the meat stuck to the pan. I am sure this will still take some trial and error but I will get this as I will only cook with SS cookware.

[StriperGuy]

Buy one good cast iron pan for $25 it will change your cooking forever. WAY more versatile then stainless. You can char a steak with cast iron in a way that is IMPOSSIBLE with stainless. You can cook corn bread in cast iron, also impossible with stainless. You can do a fairly authentic, very hot stir fry in cast iron, need I say it, impossible with stainless.

The range of heat at which you can cook is very limited with stainless. I own lots of cookware, since I started using cast iron all my fancy stuff stays in the cupboard.

[cityhopper]

Odd for you to mention as I am awaiting the delivery of the Lodge Combo Cooker (3-Quart Dutch & 10 1/4 Skillet/Lid). I pretty excited about it and hope I can be as versatile with it as others have. I have been a bit stand-offish to cast iron in the past but now that I am learning to cook it really seems like an excellent piece(s) to have in a cookware set. The only part I am still nervous about is seasoning the pan.

[StriperGuy]

Seasoning is not at all scarey. People mystify it, but there is nothing to it:

- Apply oil, heat pan (good and hot) for 20 minutes
Repeat when necessary

[cityhopper]

And kudos to me for pan-frying correctly the first time in a SS pan today. I followed a lot of the tips from the video and unbelieveable my salmon cakes did NOT stick. (Okay, just a little to the side when I flipped them against the edge). Overall, I feel a lot more confident about using the technique in the future with SS.

[DCcook]

"This is a common problem with stainless steel, however I've found rouxbe.com very helpful with video instruction on how to use stainless steel properly.

Try this link:

http://rouxbe.com/cooking-school/less...;

I just came across this. Wow! Fascinating! Thanks for posting the link.

[escondido123]

I continue to find SS pans challenging. Jeff Smith, a TV chef from the past, had a mantra "Hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick." It seems to work most times. Having said that, I still do all my eggs in a non-stick pan while my husband continues to fry sliced potatoes in his wonderful SS pan, cursing and grumbling the whole time as they continue to stick. He is an impatient cook at times, though, and tries to turn things before they're ready to be turned.

[oana]

High heat.
Loads of fat.
Happy eggs.

[anna59]

I rub the inside of my stainless steel pans every couple of months and I don't need to crank the heat to high to get results I want. Found the lower temp and routine oil has kept food from sticking.

[mpalmer6c]

It's easiest just to keep a non-stick for eggs and crepes
and such You can get a nice Wear-Ever at
an economical price (that's what I use).

[Transplant_DK]

I make crepes in my cast iron pan and never even get a tester/throw away crepe anymore. I don't have any non-stick pots and pans, not sure why they are needed.

[StriperGuy]

Yah, cast iron is the BEST for crepes as well. Once you go cast iron, you never really use your other pans much any more.

[SteveIH]

Prepare the pan as follows: Start with a clean pan, heat butter or margarine and when hot add about a teaspoon of salt. Rub the salt around the pan with a cloth or wad of paper towels. Once finished, wipe the pan with a clean dry towel and it is then ready to use.
Try an egg to see if the pan is ready by adding butter or margarine and then your eggs, they should not stick but if you are still having problems, repeat the above preparation technique. They the problem should go away. Do not wash the pan, only wipe clean with a dry cloth and it will stay ready.