Have you been tempted to get rid of those Teflon pans that seem to shed their Teflon? Are you looking at stainless steel pans but are afraid that the clean up is too hard? We made the switch and here is what we learned.
Using your stainless steel pan set.
The very first thing about cooking with stainless steel pans is “turn down the heat”. The stainless steel skillets seem to have a very even cooking surface ability, but high heat will mean burnt food. I have an electric stove and if I cooked on a setting of 4 with Teflon, I would be down to at least a 3 with stainless steel.
It seems to me that the stainless steel pans cook food faster too. Stirring is an absolute must with these pans. You don’t want your food sticking to the bottom.
My set came with a steamer that fits one of the pots. The steamer is great and its efficient. The stainless steel pots and skillets all come with a fitting lid. Just put an inch or so of water in the bottom of a pot and set the steamer in the pot. Put your veggies in and put the tight fitting lid on. In just a few minutes your veggies are done. It’s great and I use this feature a lot.
Cleaning your stainless steel pan set.
Okay, you’ve cooked something and it has stuck to the bottom. Heck, it’s burnt black to the bottom. Is your stainless steel pan ruined now? No! Unbelievably it isn’t. And it isn’t that tough to get it shining again.
IF you burn something. As soon as the pot is cooled, scrape what you can off. Next, set it in the sink and put hot, soapy (I use Palmolive) water in it. Let it soak. By the time supper is over and you are doing the dishes, it will probably be ready to be washed as usual.
There is one food that sticks sometimes, even if it doesn’t burn. Eggs. It’s like a film adheres to the stainless steel pan. The absolute fastest and easiest way I have found to clean this is to use the stove, water and soda.
Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the pan where the egg has stuck. Add about an inch of water. Put on stove burner and set to a medium heat. You want the water hot, not necessarily boiling. I sometimes put a lid on, if you do, watch that it doesn’t bubble over. Soda has that bubbly action.
When it has been really hot for a while. Shut off the burner, and discard the water and soda. A lot of stuck food will fall off with it. Simply continue to wash the stainless steel pan in your soapy dishwater and it will usually clean right up.
I use baking soda to scour both the inside and outside of my stainless steel pans. It doesn’t scratch them and it leaves them as shiny as they were when they were new.
In the end, using and cleaning stainless steel pans are just about as easy as Teflon. Just remember to soak right away, keep your heat down and use the soda. Enjoy your stainless steel pans!
