Help in Switching from Teflon to Stainless Steel Cook Pan

[UTUSN]

Anyone will plainly see I am a rank amateur. My "cooking" consists of stove top only.

But my small experience sez that different pan materials result in different taste of the food. My favorite was a beat up old pan that allowed for some "burning". One teflon coated thing would made the squash and stuff come out shiny and rubbery.

Anyway, I've been using a 12" cooker (3" deep), teflon. Then recent news items say teflon is released into the food, yadda yadda. So I got a "chef style" stainless steel pan that has a layer of aluminum on the bottom (not the cooking surface).

The label didn't say anything about tempering. So basically the first time I used it I just fired it up. The first step in my cooking is "heat the olive oil till it smokes". Well, this part went a lot faster than the teflon. And the thin sliced chicken breasts went straight to "burn" right away. They didn't really burn, but they left bad skid marks on the pan.

After washing, there were, like, water marks where the stuff had stuck to the pan.

Usually, I start with the 6 mark in heating, then take it down to 4. The 2nd time I used it I started with 4.

O.K., let me have it ("advice" would be preferable over remarks about my stupidity).

[Delphinus]

1. Hi, I'm interested too.

I'm not the "best" cook in the world, and when I go to the store to purchase different pots and pans, I can't make heads or tails out of them. I've no clue what to buy! So, let's hope for some good responses.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

19. I cook almost everything in cast iron

I've tried em all. Have a beautiful set of French copper from Williams Sonoma. Looks good on the pot rack but I never use it. Tried Quisanart, Calpholon, Revere etc. etc. NOTHING cooks better than reasonably cared for cast iron. Not only that but the stuff lasts forever, Is cheap to buy, even cheaper at the thrift stores and you can leave it to your grandchildren.

[spinbaby]

2. Steel is iffy as a sautee pan

In my experience, a steel pan has to be a really good heavy one to work for frying things. Yours may be a bit easier to work with after you've used it a couple of times to season it. If it doesn't improve with age, I'd have no qualms about ditching it for a better grade of steel pan or (my favorite) cast iron.

[babylonsister]

3. FYI: there's a cooking and baking group

with many knowledgeable people who can help you; also, here's a thread from there about teflon:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x9504

[LeftyMom]

4. I don't know about aluminum bottomed pans

I've always heard copper bottoms were the best at distributing the heat evenly. Maybe the materials used in your pans are better conductors that the lod pans and you can use a lower setting or spend less time waming the pan? You will need to use a bit more oil or move things around a lot to keep food from sticking, but you'll adapt.

BTW, please don't heat oil to the smoking point, it creates rather potent carcinogens. If you need to get the pan hot enough that olive oil would smoke you're better off with a high temp oil like grapeseed oil.

I'm getting ready to make the switch back myself. I've heard the health concerns about teflon but I just want pans that last longer, mine are only five years old and they're all dinged up and dull on the outside and inside the teflon got scratched even though I was eally careful with it. My father's stainless set still looks new and it's at least five years older than I am.

[khashka]

5. Seasoning takes time

it will work better with more use.

Khash.

[trof]

6. The only non-stick I've had is teflon or well seasoned cast iron.

Every time I try to fry/saute in a stainless pan the food sticks.
Even bacon.
I read the same thing about teflon.
I know there are other so-called non-stick surfaces, but are they all teflon derivatives?

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. Don't need to temper it, but that aluminum on the bottom

will transfer heat like a sonofabitch.

You might discover that you will need to cook at a lower temperature, and get the same effect, as with that old nasty teflon piece of shit.

People who use teflon should be put out to pasture in Wyoming and then shot by wandering cowboys as the mood suits them.

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. Oh, also need to ask - how heavy is your pan?

If it's a thin, light one, throw it the fuck away. The only thing it's good for is boiling water.

You'll almost never get good pan frying or sauteeing done with a thin, light pan. You need heft and weight for proper heat distribution and transfer.

Thin pans take the heat from the burner and put it immediately into your food, burning it.

Unless you're really careful. I got to where I could sautee onions and make onion soup in my 6 ounce aluminum giant soup pot without burning them, but it took a LOT of patience and ABSOLUTE attention to the pot. Of course, as soon as I had a job, I bought a real pot, and now use thta one only for help in straining stocks.

[UTUSN]

15. Can't Give a Weight, But It's Fairly Heavy, Weighs My Arm Down n/t

[Rabrrrrrr]

24. Okay, at least we know then that it isn't the lightweightness

of a thin metal that's causing the problem.

I think it's just the much higher heat transfer of the better pan that had you fooled.

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. Wandering Cowboy pasture shooting is a lost art

just thought i'd mention that.

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. It's a sad situation and commentary on our times, isn't it?

:sigh:

[A HERETIC I AM]

25. It is indeed......

The old "He needed killin'" concept.......too many requirements, too few practitioners.

[libnnc]

8. I have three old iron skillets

two are 12 inch and one is a wee 6 inches. The little one and one of the big ones I inherited and were really well seasoned already. The other one I've been cooking in for over 15 years. Wouldn't trade them for the world. I don't cook in anything else.

Cast iron is the best IMHO.

[Mr.Green93]

14. Another vote for Iron

The original no-stick pans.

[mike_c]

18. iron is great, but not for cooking acidic sauces....

For example, I like to saute meat, then braise to finish in some stock and balsamic vinegar, or make marinara sauce in the same skillet the meat was browned in, etc. I find that my iron pans discolor the sauces-- I use them religiously otherwise, but stainless is best for acidic sauces without a grey color cast, IMO.

[Lilyhoney]

10. Cast Iron is the best for everything.

If you take care of them properly. Never put them in soapy water, wipe out after use and clean only with coarse kosher salt and oil.

[trof]

12. Cast iron pans are orthodox?

Who knew?
;-)

[Lilyhoney]

21. Yes. In a way.

It is not the kosher part of the salt so much as it is the coarseness. The salt is abrasive enough to scrub off what ever is stuck on and the oil finishes the surface.

:hi:

[trof]

27. Works great on an icy sidewalk in a pinch, too.

;-)

[Missy M]

13. I bought an expensive stainless steel pan that is very hefty and my

problem is I can't get the food to brown. Cast iron pans are still the best once they get seasoned.

[caty]

16. I treat my stainless steel frying pan

the same as I do my cast iron skillet. After I wash it, I spray cooking oil on it and wipe with a paper towel. When I get ready to use it again, I wipe with a paper towel first. When you change the type of pan you use, you have to experiment a little with the heat settings. My personal favorite is cast iron.

[mike_c]

17. sounds like you just need to temper the heat a bit....

You need to be aware of the heat delivery rate as well as the oil temperature. You can heat the oil real hot over relatively low heat, especially with that bonded aluminum bottom, and get a good sear when you throw the chicken in, but then the temp reduces to a nice sizzle and the food doesn't burn. You can usually tell whether the heat has to be adjusted. I find that with stainless, it's useful to move things around every few seconds for the first couple of minutes to prevent sticking, particularly when there's relatively little oil. I don't usually saute things like chicken breasts, chops, etc. completely-- rather, I give them a quick saute on each side to sear them, then add a little liquid to the pan and braise until the meat is done, letting all the liquid evaporate to sizzle the meat for a last few seconds at the end.

For a one skillet meal, use some stock/wine instead of water to braise and add some vegetables to the liquid. Just be careful not to burn the veggies when the braising liquid is dry.

[A HERETIC I AM]

20. I've used Calphalon for years and love it.....

but the key to EVEN heat distribution is a heavy bottom. You should expect to burn a few things till you learn how much and how quick to heat the pan.

To clean the water marks out, try a brillo pad and some salt and lemon. You will scratch it but it wont affect it really at all.

The poster above that mentioned Cast Iron is correct about seasoning THOSE types of pans. Cast Iron does require a specific method to season and will then act better than most so-called "Non-Stick" cookware. It can also be re-seasond countless times if something does happen to make scrubbing it necessary.

One more thing....when sauteing, add a little Olive Oil to any butter you use. The Oil will raise the burn temp of the butter.

[Dirk39]

22. Hello from Germany,

I love pans, although I'm a guy. If you want to use steel pans, do it like this: heat them first a little bit without oil. Than heat the oil. It has reached the right temperature if you see very small "waves" within the oil. Another test is to put a very little(!) drop of water into the oil. If it makes a little noise, you've reached the right temperature. It will never be as nonsticky as Teflon, but your meat will not stick anymore. Another important step is to not turn around the meat too fast. Every material has it's advantages, many people simply treat all of them the same and then blame it on the material.
Hope it helps,
Dirk

[UTUSN]

26. Thanks, All, for the Kind Responses. I Learned a Lot n/t