Cooking with non-stick pans is easier; however, most non-stick coatings contain chemicals that are harmful to health which make them unsuitable for contact with food. The best solution, as well as the simplest and healthiest, is to use stainless steel pans and treat them periodically to make them non-stick. This is a very simple procedure that is carried out by heating them after having greased them with oil. After treating them, you can use them to cook all kinds of food in a healthy and safe way for the whole family.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Treating a Stainless Steel Pot
Step 1. Wash the pot with warm soapy water
Oil adheres better to clean surfaces. Thoroughly scrub the pot inside and out using a sponge or rag, then rinse it off with hot water. Once clean, let it air dry.
Step 2. Choose an oil that has a high smoke point to treat the pot
The most suitable include sesame, sunflower, soy and peanut oil. Oils with a high smoke point react faster to heat and "stick" to steel better, so the non-stick coating will be of higher quality and last longer.
Step 3. Pour enough oil into the pot to coat the bottom
Two tablespoons of oil (which equals 30ml) should suffice for most cookware. Spread the oil on the bottom by swirling the pot. Make sure you spread it evenly to get a good result when cooking.
Step 4. Heat the pot on the stove for 2 minutes over medium heat
Do not use too high a heat, otherwise the pan will heat unevenly and the oil may burn. Using medium heat, the saucepan and oil will heat up more gently and at an even pace.
Alternatively, you can heat the pot in the oven to a temperature of 175 ° C. In this case, you will have to leave it in the oven for an hour
Step 5. Remove the pot from the heat as soon as the oil starts to smoke
After 3-5 minutes, when smoke starts to rise from the bottom of the pot, the oil will have reached the appropriate temperature. Then turn off the heat and immediately move it to another stove.
Step 6. Let the oil cool for at least 30 minutes
It must become at least lukewarm, if not at room temperature. It must be cold enough to be touched safely. It is important to let it cool down in order to continue with the treatment.
Do not touch the oil to check if it is cold enough
Step 7. Pour excess oil down the sink drain
Don't worry if there is some oil left in the bottom of the pot, that's okay. If you don't want to pour the oil down the drain, you can soak up the excess with paper and throw it in the waste bag.
Step 8. Clean the inside of the pot with kitchen paper
Swipe it across the bottom in circular motions to absorb residual oil and make the steel shine. The shine indicates that the pot has been treated correctly and is now non-stick.
Part 2 of 3: Prevent Food from Sticking to the Pot during Cooking
Step 1. Preheat the pot over medium heat before you cook the food
In this way, both the pot and the food will heat up evenly and the chances of burning something will decrease significantly. It will take about 10 minutes for the pot to reach a medium temperature.
Step 2. Properly adjust the flame during cooking
Never use a flame that is too high for cooking, with any pot and especially with a treated one. The higher the temperature, the more likely it is that the food will stick while cooking.
Step 3. Bring frozen food to room temperature before cooking
Cold foods tend to stick to the pot and burn, creating confusion in the kitchen. Let them thaw in the refrigerator and take them out 1-2 hours before cooking so that they reach room temperature.
Do not leave raw foods out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours to avoid increasing the risk of bacterial proliferation and consequent intoxication
Step 4. Don't overfill the pot
If you try to fit a larger amount of food in it, the ingredients will not heat up to an even temperature and will end up sticking together. If you want to cook more than one food in the same pot, do it several times and leave some space between each ingredient.
Step 5. Use stainless steel pans exclusively for cooking acidic, watery foods and sauces
Fruits, vegetables, sauces, dips and broths are all foods suitable for cooking in treated stainless steel pots. You can also use them to cook eggs for breakfast or to brown salmon fillet for dinner. The stainless steel pans are designed and perform at their best in cooking this type of food.
Part 3 of 3: Storing and Washing a Treated Stainless Steel Pot
Step 1. Put some paper inside the pot before stacking it with the others
Stacking pots is a common habit that saves space inside the kitchen cabinets, but unfortunately this way the pots can get scratched easily. A scratched pan does not guarantee an effective non-stick coating even if it is treated, which is why it is important to put some paper on the bottom as protection.
Step 2. Clean the pan with kitchen paper when you are done cooking
Washing it with water and detergent will eventually remove the oil layer and you will be forced to treat it again. The oil will have made it non-stick, so there will be no burnt residues that must be removed using water and soap.
Step 3. When the non-stick coating has worn off and the food begins to stick to the pot again, wash it with water and dish soap
Over time, the oil layer will fade and the food will begin to stick to the bottom of the pot again as you cook. At that point it is good to wash it with hot water and a non-abrasive sponge or a soft cloth.
- Wait until the pot has cooled before washing it.
- Immediately dry the pot with kitchen paper to prevent the water from leaving stains or streaks.
Step 4. If necessary, remove stubborn food residues by boiling water in the pot for 5 minutes
If there is any food residue that does not come off when scrubbing the pot with the sponge, pour the detergent over it and submerge it with water. Heat the water over high heat and let it boil for 5 minutes, then empty the pot. At this point the food residues should come off easily.
Step 5. Treat the pot again after washing it
After you wash it with soap and water, the non-stick coating will come off. In order for it to continue to do its job excellently, you will need to treat it with oil again.
Advice
- If the bottom of the pan is sticky, rub it with the oil and salt.
- Do not use the oil spray formulated to make the plates, for example those for waffles, non-stick, otherwise the steel pans will remain greasy and sticky.
