613737 Tue Apr 21 08:11:01 -0700 2009 19 41 Cookware 0 4614404 Quite a while ago, i bought a lovely little 8" All Clad pan, primarily for making eggs in the morning. I usually scramble them, and use a combo of oil and butter. For the first few months, the eggs released fine and clean up was easy. Then, at some point, no matter the amount of fat used, the eggs began to stick to the pan. By sticking, I mean that a significant portion of the protein adhered fast to the metal. Not only was I losing part of breakfast, but the pan was a complete pain to get clean. Yeah, I'd get most of the egg off, but it left these white discolorations with a very fine film that could be scraped with a fingernail but was resistant to cleaning. I didn't want to start scouring it each morning, as that's not rec'd by the manufacturer, so I pretty much stopped using this pan. I'm now using non stick for that purpose. Anyone have any ideas why this happened? I suspect that another family member cleaned it with something inappropriate for the stainless steel. Anyone know how I could get it back to perfect release cooking? Tue Apr 21 08:11:01 -0700 2009 24126 amyzan 1 4614614 Stainless just doesn't play nice with things like eggs -- better to stick (sorry for the pun) with teflon-coated aluminum or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. But before totally giving up on what is otherwise a perfectly fine skillet, try this: let the pan get nice and hot (water drops dance on the surface), then add your oil or butter, then add your food. It isn't foolproof, but it cuts the sticking way down. Tue Apr 21 09:06:45 -0700 2009 4614404 219575 MikeB3542 1 4616203 What Mike suggests is the usual recommendation for stainless steel. But for eggs and such, I use a $23 Wear-Ever non-stick pan. When the coating wears off, I'll just replace it. Tue Apr 21 15:29:37 -0700 2009 4614404 55316 mpalmer6c 1 4616751 give it a thorough cleaning (scrub)with Barkeeper's Friend ... but IMHO a SS All-Clad type pan is a poor choice for cooking eggs. Tue Apr 21 18:42:47 -0700 2009 4614404 154386 JRCann 1 4616928 I was trying to get away from teflon at the time. I'll try your suggestion, Mike. Otherwise, I guess I'll be using a LOT less often than I'd hoped... Tue Apr 21 19:53:24 -0700 2009 4614404 24126 amyzan 2 4617145 I think that's the wrong way to look at it. Your pan performed exactly the way it should. Stainless, even clad stainless, is designed so that some stuff sticks to it. It's called fond, and it's the basis for sauces of all kinds. Mike is absolutely right, in my experience. Hot pan, cold oil should result in less sticking, but not to the extent that a well seasoned cast iron or a non-stick pan would. Use your All-Clad stainless for searing meats or cooking veggies, then deglaze it with a little wine and you'll have a great sauce to go with your meal. I'd suggest getting a cast iron pan and seasoning it (there's a wealth of information on this board for how to do it properly), and that can be your eggs pan. We have a cast iron frying pan we use for eggs and omelets all the time with nary a stick. Good luck and hang in there Tue Apr 21 22:18:01 -0700 2009 4616928 74192 chuckl 3 4618222 I have an 8" AC saute pan, the one with high, straight sides, and a larger 12" one I use for meats and veggies, pan sauces, etc. in our two person household. But, this little 8" pan isn't really useful for meats and vegetables, because it has sloping, shallow sides. What do you all use such a shape SS pan for, excepting you're cooking little portions of meats and veggies for a single person? Wed Apr 22 09:42:14 -0700 2009 4617145 24126 amyzan 2 5169349 yeah I'd just get a cheap cast iron, and start seasoning it up. It probably will never be teflon nonstick, but if you use fat, it'll work. What about scanpans, those aren't teflon right? Not sure how non-stick those are though Tue Nov 10 00:47:09 -0800 2009 4616928 148489 deeznuts 1 4617207 Start with really clean pan. Get pan really hot. Drop in some butter. Let butter heat up. Drop in your eggs. Let the eggs set before moving the pan around. Eggs should slip right out without sticking. If all else fails, revert back to cast iron .. Tue Apr 21 23:22:49 -0700 2009 4614404 11583 ipsedixit 2 5169993 Do what he said. I have to ask why the OP is resistant to scouring a SS pan? These pans are abuse proof so don't worry about giving it a proper cleaning with a 3M green pad and BKF. Tue Nov 10 08:53:14 -0800 2009 4617207 22220 Kelli2006 3 5171554 Kelli, it's not a good idea to clean ss with harsh cleansers, steel wool, or anything with bleach as they get into the metal's pores. The residue wasn't coming up with a nylon scrubbie. What are the 3M green pads you mention made of? Tue Nov 10 18:46:47 -0800 2009 5169993 24126 amyzan 4 5171996 Bar Keepers Friend is not a harsh cleanser, and metal doesn't have pores to clog. http://www.scotch-brite.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Scotch-BriteBrand/Scotch-Brite/Products/Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U52300V2E0I02BK7KM0GT3_nid=RWGDPNXX08gsBBDGVJTLBMglJC3NXJH2HPbl&prodID=RWGDPNXX08gs&lang=en_US Tue Nov 10 23:53:57 -0800 2009 5171554 22220 Kelli2006 5 5174208 Yeah, okay, ss is nonporous, but bleach still isn't appropriate. BKF wasn't cleaning off this residue, or baking soda, with the nylon scrubbie. Wed Nov 11 16:57:31 -0800 2009 5171996 24126 amyzan 6 5175022 Do you put your SS pans in the dishwasher? DW detergents and the minerals in your water supply will leave a mineral residue on the pan surface which will cause sticking, you won't be able to see it but it will be there. This is true for aluminum and SS. If you have been using the dishwasher - stop and clean throughly several times with BKF. Also never put good knives in the dishwasher either. Thu Nov 12 05:00:46 -0800 2009 5174208 154386 JRCann 7 5175526 I don't have a dishwasher. I do have hard water however, and the water at the kitchen sink is untreated in this old house. JR, I think you solved the mystery. Mineral deposits built up after the first few months of use have probably caused the poor performance. I'll use baking soda during the final rinse to buffer the minerals and dry the pan right away. Thanks. Thu Nov 12 08:20:18 -0800 2009 5175022 24126 amyzan 1 4617257 My SS pan does that. pain in the ass. Wed Apr 22 01:34:58 -0700 2009 4614404 180623 Soop 1 5165144 I ran into the same problem with my All-Clad SS 8" pan that I bought specifically for making eggs. After some research and experimentation, here is how I got my eggs to slide right off the pan: 1. As everyone has been saying: hot pan, cold butter. The butter should bubble the instant it hits the pan. 2. Room temperature eggs! I took my eggs out of the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking them, and it made a huge difference. That's it! The first time I did these two things, my sunny side up egg just slid right out of the pan. Since then I've done scrambled eggs, egg in a hat/basket/hole, and omelets with no sticking at all. Good luck! Sun Nov 08 10:41:50 -0800 2009 4614404 1122742 jjfine 1 5165356 Your not alone... http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/12287-seasoning-stainless-steel-fry-pan.html Sun Nov 08 13:12:41 -0800 2009 4614404 161523 rcspott 2 5167717 Generally LOTS of fat, which is the secret ingredient I was taught, a big knob of butter for french omelette, which will slip right around in the pan (eons ago, when there was no teflon! ) Strange that your pan was good for a while, and then mysteriously started sticking. I have had sticking with eggs an 8" all clad skillet ( which is the perfect size for small omelette) from the beginning, and but it seems to get better the more I use it. For the small pan or for what I do in the large all clad skillet that is eggy and sticky, such as a big omelette, a frittata, or noodle stir fry with egg, I find that letting the pan sit off the heat for 30 seconds or so helps to release the protein. As an earlier poster suggests, how a fond forms, by the proteins sticking to the hot stainless, a very good point. You don't want to let the food steam too long, but, by letting the pan release, you get all the flavor of the crispy bits in your food, not left on the pan. I think if you follow the previous advice of hot!! pan, a bit more fat, and a few seconds cool down to release, you will start to have a better relationship with your all clad. Mon Nov 09 12:27:39 -0800 2009 5165356 10190 ciaolette 2 5168245 This from that linked thread really cracked me up: Jacques Pepin is very funny about this. He says (insert accent and manner): "I have a pan like this that I don't use. Why don't I use it? Because it sticks. Why does it stick? Because I don't use it." Thanks, I needed a laugh today! Mon Nov 09 14:59:17 -0800 2009 5165356 24126 amyzan