When making the change from non-stick pans to food safe cookware, stainless steel cookware is often a first choice. However, one thing that has families hesitating to switch, is the perceived challenge of food sticking and ruining the pans. To help ease this “fear,” we would like to share some useful tips on how to prevent sticking on stainless steel cookware. With these tips you can help keep your stainless steel cookware clean, keep harmful chemicals out of your food, and enjoy a much more flavorful meal.
Three tips to keep in mind before you being cooking:
1. Be patient. Cooking in stainless steel cookware does take extra time since you want to prevent food from sticking, but it is worth the extra few minutes. Your food will be much more flavorful and retain its natural juices.
2. Don’t cook above Medium heat. The exact temperature you cook at depends on the type of food, but a general rule to keep in mind is to never cook above Medium heat.
3. Flip once. Try to keep the flipping at a minimum when cooking. The less you flip the food, the less likely your food will stick.
Simple Steps to Help Prevent Sticking:
1. Preheat your pan on a low or medium heat for one to two minutes (or once it has reached the desired temperature). A good way to test if the pan is warm enough is to tap the side of the pan. If it feels hot, it’s ready.
2. Make sure your food is room temperature before attempting to place in the pan.
3. Instantly add your food to the pan. When you place the food on the pan, you should hear a sizzling sound. If the sound is more of a crackle or popping, the temperature is probably too high. The “sizzling” sound is an indicator that your food is cooking on contact and creating a natural barrier to help prevent sticking—and this barrier helps hold in natural juices! (Here it can take some practice to figure out the best temperature to cook your food at. Different foods “sizzle” at different temperatures.)
4. Allow your food to cook on the one side until the correct or desired “doneness” is reached. The fewer number of times you flip your food, the less likely it will stick to the pan. When you lift the food to flip, tilt the pan with your free hand to help spread the olive oil around again.
5. Once the food is thoroughly cooked, enjoy!
For more information on the best in stainless steel cookware, click here
To read the article from Arthritis Today in full, click here
