Hi, good to see your tip - its a common practice in India to cut onion in to half, and sprinkle oil on the hot pan, and hold the white side of onion down and rub it over the hot pan, for a non-stick pan - we traditionally don't use Teflon coatings - this is the way we are known to be creating non-stick on the fly on demand :)
Thanks, I was about to ask that... Apparently doing similar but with salt also works, now I gotta try both (2 teaspoons of salt to 3 tablespoons or so of oil 3/4 heat fry it for roughly 5 min Rinse with hot water and wipe up and same effect)
For an old chef, and a homeless veteran, I appreciation your video. I only have one hint. You spent a long minute scrubbing your pan. I use the exact same pan. I heat mine up dry, after eggs have stuck, when it just barely starts smoking I pour in water. The sizzling water along with a green pad (I use the spatula I cooked with to run the green pad around the pan). I'll add Dawn dish soap if it was a greasy dish. I'll get the pan cleaned easily with that minimum of water and much faster than all that scrubbing. Learned that in the U.S. Army!
Decades ago a TV cook kept saying: Hot wok, cold oil, foods won't stick. It was this guy's mantra and I follow his instructions to this day for every type of metal pan I use.
@@David-jo4gt ....yes, it was, but I didn't think many would either know or want to remember him. His private life was a wreck, however he taught me a a lot about cooking and culinary history.
I've been cooking since age ten. If only I had know this back when. I received my first stainless steel cookware at age twenty-three. The best investment ever because fifty years later, I'm still using those pans. Now, I can finally use that omelet pan. Hooray. Thanks do much.
Hello Christine, I found your video by chance and was intrigued by it, then I read all the negative comments and became very skeptical. I often cook this soy sauce chicken stir fry and the meat ALWAYS sticks on my steel wok no matter how much or little oil I use. Yesterday I took some green onions and I chopped them up and stir-fried them in my wok, removed them and then I stir fried my chicken and to my amazement, none of it stuck! I added the onions to the wok for a new flavor and cleanup was a breeze. You now have a new subscriber.
I've just bought my first stainless steel frying pan after having cooked all my life with non-stick pans. Of course I went to RU-vid straight away for tips on how to season and cook with stainless steel pans and stumbled over your video. Interesting approach. I'll definitely try that. Thx a bunch! 👍🏼😉
Jens Graikowski ...If you get your pan hot before adding your oil nothing sticks. I learned this trick from Wolfgang Puck after my mom gifted me his set of stainless cookware. EVERYTHING STUCK so I called them and was told to allow the pan to get hot then add the oil when you see a bit of a ripple you’re good to go or spray with Pam easier to do Chef Pucks way. Good luck not stuck for 20 yrs 😊
Richard W sometimes I drop a bit of water in the pan if it sizzles away or dances I will put the oil in and turn the heat down. The pan does get hot pretty quick. You will learn what works for you. I use a medium-medium high flame to heat the pan. Good luck🙂
I fry 4 eggs every day in a thin stainless pan with no seasoning or conditioning using just a few drops (15-20) of veg: oil coating with no sticking problem. The trick is a very precise balance of amount oil and heat. I heat the pan evenly to a medium heat and let it cool down if it is overheated. Put the eggs in (if it makes simmering noise it is too hot and will stick). Flip eggs over as soon as the eggs white becomes firm and colour changes from transparent to white. Fried eggs with yolk intact are most difficult, while Omelets are a lot easier to fry. Took me about 1 week to perfect this. A lot easier if you do not mind using more oil. But with minimum oil heat is the key factor.
can poach an egg in about the same amount of time if you salt the water which raises the boiling point meaning you can boil the water at a much higher temperature by salting the water which poaches the egg faster
@EggStudio How does it turn out on high?? sounds like my wife as she always cooks on high and I always tell her to cook on lower temps--and I make scrambled eggs for my grandsons and have never yet to cook anything on my stovetop on high and always turns out perfect
I'm Seventy-Six years old and you know what they say you never get too old to learn and I say you're with her to learn something everyday and I just learned something it's pretty much it's really easy it's just like how you take care of your wrought iron skillet and it's someone I'm so glad to know that and I need to tell my daughter that because she's just supposed to hold you single stainless steel inside thank you so much and God bless
An easy way of getting the stuck on food off your pan is just add water, let it simmer and turn the heat off while covered pan with lid. After a minute the steam should have lifted the food and it'll rinse right off without scrubbing.☺
wow I wish I'd known this sooner I have steel frying pans and they are a job to clean now that I've learned your Technique it makes me happy to know I can still use my steel pans I don't like using the artificial pans with the Teflon and chemical conditions not knowing how it can affect our health steel pans are the best for your health thank you so much God bless you
Love this. I have ordered a new 4qt stainless steel Dutch oven and will do this before I ever cook in it. I will also do this on a regular basis. All of the pans in this house (not mine) are none sick, warped, lids don’t fit pans, grrr. I have a 12” and a 8” cast iron (love cast iron) that are non stick due to continual care of them and now this new pot. What a wonderful hack. Thanks for sharing ❣️
Non-stick pans are a bust! I got some good stainless steel fry and saute pans at a thrift store, they are in good condition. I washed them with "Barkeeper's Friend" powder cleanser, and seasoned them using the method in this video--they beat non-stick pans hands down, for performance, final food taste, these and some great cast iron pans are just the best.
Okay I’m impressed. I’ll give it a try and see if I have the same non stick results. However.. I’ve never seen scrambled eggs cook that fast. And I think the constant movement of the eggs helped w the non stick outcome.
Regardless of what all the critics in the comment section have to say about what is wrong with your explanation, I for one am glad that you posted it. If it does the job, I am more than willing to use it.
Try this. Take the clean pan cold. Spray it with any one of the "non-stick" oil coatings or pour a little any cooking oil of your choice onto the surface. Then take a partial piece of a paper towel folded up in a small square and rub the pan cooking surface with the oil soaked square of paper towel. Rub into the surface nice and firmly. I even do this on my ceramic or "teflon" pans. I rub the oil practically out, and when I go to cook I spray it again as per the usual. My theory is that after a while the pan collects small dings and surface blemishes that you can't even see and they become the little spots that the food catches on. It works for me. I over explained the process just to be concise. I take the pan, give it a spray, rub the oil around with a moderate pressure, then apply the regular amount of spray oil and then use the pan as normally. Boom, nothing sticks.
Best video I've seen...."Really!" We purchased a Full EXPERIENCE Multi Use Set, (🔪's & All) at our local fair, over 35ish yrs ago. I NEVER used them, to there Full Potential, bc of tht Exact purpose, (sticking😝) The clean up wasn't WORTH my time! I wnted to get rid of them for MANY yrs, but Didn't/Couldn't, bc we paid T🤑 Much for them! Why did I HOLD On & ALLOW them to take Up Valuable space🤷🏻♀️ I'm So HAPPY I Kept them🙌🏼 No Longer will I feel Guilty, for KeepING a set that Was Worth KEEPING, 35yrs+ later😁 The chef at our Fair, (ALL chef's), NEED To know, be taught, that VALUABLE TIP!
YOU MUST TRY THIS: If you heat your empty pan to high temperature, turn off fire, add some normal temperature oil then you pour in your eggs….. I can guarantee you nothing will stick. You then turn on small heat to cook your eggs easily, be it sunny side up or scrambled egg! Happy non stick cooking !!. (Christine already fried onion to heat your pan to high temperature, that’s why nothing stuck there).
jyoti kapoor Would you please elaborate on how your technique should be done for example how much oil, how hot the pan should get, how long the onion should be in the pan, etc. thanks
A sensible request Grnhrnww, the best pan for you will be in your Grandmother's kitchen! Once you've successfully stolen that you'll be ahead of the game! enjoy! After cooking or burning food in her pan soak it overnight in cold water.If she catches you!!!! buy yourself a cheap iron wok or skillet from an Asian outlet, wash and dry it thoroughly dry it, heat it up DRY to very high heat (rotate it evenly), while still warm oil all of the pan inside (up the sides and over the edges), use a bland vegetable oil. Wipe off excess with a paper towel, and leave to cool, store cool and covered.It's now seasoned.Iron will rust if your pan is not used regularly, wipe the rust off, wash again and season again.There is a HUGE market for designer label/ celebrity chef endorsed pans that will separate you from your cash! I refuse to believe that any ancient philosopher would endorse such a practise, frankly I find that concept rather insulting!
I use a very fine abrasive pad on my SS pans and cook with olive oil and nothing ever sticks to them. (as long as they are maintained without scratches) This is an interesting tip using the onions though, I had never heard of that. Thank you.
I just tried this a few minutes ago and wow it really worked it’s like it’s brand knew and yes my eggs just slide off soooo happy thank you so much because this was one of my favorite pans thank you again. Stella Hummon very happy.
I think that info was lost because people started using Teflon and other types of non stick pans. You aren't supposed to heat those dry (at least I think) people had stopped using cast iron and stainless steel for awhile there. I think people are coming back to simple cooking, ingredients and cookware. The art needs to be taught again. Im 35 and I definitely was taught by my mother to add butter or oil to the pan and let it get hot/warm up before cooking in it. I also remember the first time we got a Teflon/non stick pan. Everything was super oily because we didn't need to use as much oil in the non stick pan. Its a learning experience.
thankyou wasa gr8 idea. Gona test it on my non stick pan. Actually I never understood why Indians used raw onion to wipe the fry pan before making the indian pancake called DOSA but somehow I figured out that the pancake batter does not stick to the wrought iron pan. Now I know eactly Why? Thankyou.
I remember years ago as a small child in the middle of the desert that cooking is an art form and that if one knows how to cook one knows how to clean.
Wok with Yan and Yan can Cook are two different cooking programs (the Frugal also was around the same time). The "wokky" Yan was broadcast from Vancouver and this amazing guy inspired me to Chinese stir fry. I loved his show! "All Wok, no Pay"!
Yup, Jeff Smith. He also was known for saying "Religion and young boys? I'm all in." Remember Justin Wilson the Cajun guy from that era? Loved him.....not in a Jeff Smith kinda way...
I have that problem and will try this technique on those frying pans to see how they work. You have done it again and have helped so many of us who are having that problem. You have my thanks and I wish you a nice time during the lock down all over North America.
Very interesting! How long before you have to re-season? I'm just wondering how many omelettes you can make in that pan before needing to re-season with the oil and spring onions again. Thanks in advance.
I have never seen eggs cook like that in my entire life! I have been ignoring the very same pan for two decades because it made a mess every time. Now to try something different! 🙏
This technique is the French classic was to make an omelet, which I save this pan for. Give it a try and see how it works for you. More great videos coming soon. Thank you
How long does the nonstick last? I’m also assuming we have to let it cool down completely first, before the first use, per most vids I’ve seen on this.
Or: Use the “Mercury Ball” (Leidenfrost) effect by picking the correct temperature. Using an IR thermometer bring the pan to the non-stick (mercury ball) temp range (175°F to 260°F).
EXACTLY!! All she did was preheat the pan to proper temp by burning the Green Onions in the Oil once it was hot enough. So, wasted OIL, Onions, and TIME in my opinion. Just heat until water skates in a ball on skillet or as you said use an IR to make sure its over 220F before adding your FAT to the pan. Also, she said to NEVER put anything into a Cold SS Pan. I put raw bacon into a Cold SS pan and bring it to temp, once it's correct the Fat has rendered and any protein that was lightly sticking lifts right off when moving the bacon. I then just keep cooking the rest of the bacon in that initial bacon grease. Granted, this is the ONLY time I put any Protein into a cold pan without it being at proper temp with FAT already in and coating the bottom and up the sides.
What happens if what you're cooking requires a lower or hotter temperature than the temperature needed to create the mercury ball effect? Does this only work for foods that are cooked at this temperature?
@@Jonathan_214 Hi, the main function of the Mercury Ball test is to be sure the pan gets hot enough that the Pores of the Metal Expand enough to allow the FAT you add to get inside of them and coat the Pan. Once this is done you can Lower or Raise the Temperature to do your cooking. I use Bacon Grease, Ghee, Coconut Oil, or Avocado Oil for cooking. Olive Oil, and Regular Butter have too low of a Smoke Point for my likes. TOXIC Seed Oils "can" work, but why do that?? lol Of course Regular Butter "Can" be used if you don't mind it burning a bit. I've used it in a pinch. :~)
Green onions are rich in a powerful sulphur-containing compound called allyl sulphide. This at the high oil temperature could be responsible for creating a protective coating on the not-so-anticorrosive surface of any grade of stainless steel and giving it the magical non-stick effect.
Bless you for offering some other perspective. I never expected people to get so downright vicious about this little experiment . For me and this particular pan, it really does have an affect and I appreciate your detailed explanation. I go with Socrates on this one " the only thing I know for sure , is I know nothing"
I'm not sure the onion is needed. I do spatula free omelettes (like Julia Child) in my pan and all I do is season them on stove top with a drop or two of oil and use butter for the cook. I do understand the corrosive aspect of onions as they're often used to force a patina (often beautiful) on carbon steel knives. Maybe this is like seasoning with a surface that can hold it better (like a scratched up scoured pan) ? Simply stove top seasoning lasted at least 4 times with washing in detergent between.
@@ChristineCushing I'm not sure I've seen any viciousness, but I haven't read all the messages. People are passionate about food. That's what makes viewers click on videos like yours.
Thank you for that observation. I am little crazy about this pan and I mostly use if for omelettes . I also line it with a tea towel when I put it away to avoid scratches. The bottom is definitely more banged up.
@@ChristineCushing I was thinking the same thing that the pan was i great shape. I also put a paper towel between my pans when I store them and it works great like your tea towel. I'm interested to try your onion method. I also use cast iron pans which has seasoned over time and love the non-stick nature of them. Have been seasoning a new wok on an induction unit made specifically for the wok, in much the same way with high heat cold oil and then after a few repetitions with the oil and wiping I seared some onions. Then after they had seared for a while added garlic and ginger and some carrot. My wok is very well seasoned and easily cleans with hot water after stir frying even with the addition of noodles to the dish. I use my wok brush just to make sure it is clean but hardly have to apply any pressure to any little bits. Going to try you idea on my stainless pans.
I've seen your trick from Chinese chefs. They often use the entire onion. You can find it on RU-vid. I use to preheat my Sitram pan and after it gets fairly hot, I'd put a slab of butter on it and swirl it around. It soon becomes non-stick. I now use a wok and it's pretty straight forward. I preheat the pan til I see whiffs of smoke and then add a little oil to coat the bottom. Swirl the oil around til almost all of the wok is coated. And then nothing sticks to it. You can cook eggs or any protein you want. It's great.
If you don’t have onion leaves you can also avoid food from sticking by Preheating the clean stainless pan on medium heat until pan is hot, put oil, heat the oil for about 30 seconds, then sprinkle a pinch of salt then your pan is ready for what you want to fry, sunny side up eggs, omelet, scrambled etc. Never use non-stick pan.
Respectfully Chef, I have learned a great deal from you by watching your shows, however, to cook eggs and not have them sick, I believe, is a result of a hot pan and cold oil and throwing the eggs in right away while the oil is still cool. This is the technique I use and it has not failed.
According to Serious Eats I believe it's hot pan, hot oil, but technically your order is still correct www.seriouseats.com/2013/04/ask-the-food-lab-do-i-need-to-preheat-my-oil.html#:~:text=The%20oil%20is%20a%20built,what%20you%20are%20looking%20for.
Christine, have you ever tried using Barkeepers Friend? It cleans so very well with little or no excessive scrubbing. Your stainless steel pans will sparkle and also food will not stick in them.
@@ChristineCushing Barkeepers friend is brilliant, been using it for years to keep my SS looking like new - that sparkle! The powder is also great for cleaning tea cups, pretty much anything that is 'stained'. For delicate surfaces they do a spray version, and also a creme you can use for trickier jobs :)
You people are being very rough on this poor woman, aren't you? Frankly, I think she's done a wonderful job! It's always easy to give someone a hard time, especially from a place of obscurity or the safety of the crowd! Keep it up, you contemptible cowards!
Interesting tip - I notice when a saute a little green onion in my egg pan (whatever the pan) first, my omelettes or my take on scrambles always leave the pan clean. Now I know why, thanks! Merry Christmas
My Aunt use to put a little oil in pan just the right amount to cover the bottom then sprinkle some salt on the hot oil ...and nothing would stick...works for me works well with scrambled eggs... WALLA 🎊🎉🎇🎆 non-stick
Thanks for the tip, I prefer cooking in cast iron or steel pans. I stay away from coated pans like Teflon, cause of their toxic properties; that can melt or flake and be ingested.
When you have a pan that has stuff stuck in it after cooking add water and boil it . The stuck food comes right off. My momma taught me that . Thanks Mom 💕
I have a complete set go Farberware, (this is the part you won't believe) My Aunt gave me in 1962! when I graduated from high school! Your tip for non stick is next on my list!!!
Alternatively, add a table spoon of oil (I only use olive oil) and wipe it all round the pan's surface using a sheet of kitchen roll, then heat the pan for a minute or two until the oil is hot but not smoking and then slide the pan off the heat and let it cool for 2 or 3 muutes. Once cooled it's ready to use e.g. to make fried or scambled eggs or an omelette,, add either a knob of butter or some oil, heat the now cured pan on a low-medium heat, when up to heat / butter melted add the eggs and you'll find they won't stick. Works every time for me for the last 20 years using the same stainless pan.
@bellaclare515 If you're struggling with a steel pan, I'm guessing you're cooking at high heat. Turn down the heat. Be patient. Read my post on how to clean your steel pan in seconds. No onion or other step is needed and a steel pan can't be seasoned like a cast iron pan.
Donald Kasper I cook potatoes every single morning for my husband. I use a stainless steel skillet, they NEVER stick using this method and neither do my eggs. Give it a go you will be surprised. Pan must be hot before adding the oil add your potatoes turn the heat down and your potatoes will not stick. Good luck 🤞🏼
Donald Kasper If you start with a hot pan then add the oil turn the heat down, food doesn’t stick. I have no problem with putting four eggs or more, making an omelette, fried potatoes, fish none of it sticks. It works for me 😊
That’s a great trick to know. I always find scrambled eggs a nightmare to clean off the pan. No matter how long you soak it, it doesn’t want to come off. I will definitely use your tip. I learned a similar trick from my mum, how to season a pancake or pikelet skillet in a similar way, but definitely no green onions for pancakes. You put a knob of butter in the pan and heat it,swirling it around to coat the sides. Do this until the butter turns brown, remove from the heat, then use a paper towel to polish the pan with the butter. You should only need to do this once each time you cook pancakes. Don’t wash the pan, simply use a paper towel to polish clean when you finish.
Really? You eat scorched onions in Taiwan? You can get the same non-stick benefits from cutting an onion in half and rubbing it all over a hot oiled pan. Then you can still cut/eat the onion.
I have always been terrified of Stainless Steel pans, cos heard too many complaints about them sticking! So avoided them like a plague! During Covid lockdown in 2020, I got rid of all my toxic cookware, replaced with healthier versions. Got 2 medium sized Staub & Le Creuset dutch ovens, 3 stainless steel pots, (large, medium, small), large Carbon steel Skillet & Medium size Cast iron skillet. What I was missing was a pan for cooking tomato based sauces & I didn't want to spend money on a pan that I was just going to use to tomato sauces. Found a good quality stainless steel pan at a large discount, bought it, followed your hack, & viola non-stick eggs, came out even better than my well seasoned Carbon steel skillet!!! I am so happy, set for life, never have to buy another pan!!!
I thought most chefs knew how to season stainless pans, it’s common knowledge in restaurants. It’s pretty standard to rub on a small amount of oil, bring up to the smoke point, buff then remove from heat to let cool on its own. It will be nonstick for a few uses. No onion “hacks” needed.
Mountain Guy A quick rub in a circular motion with light pressure on a paper towel or cloth to remove any excess oil. The pan should feel pretty much dry, not oily when you start letting the pan cool down.. If any droplets or wet residues of oil are still there as it starts to cool, they will end up sticky and tacky to touch. You definitely don’t want that.
@@RustyMadd you are old, how old do you want to be? using profanity (you are only one using here) is making you look very old and senile and not least intelligent. You too contributed nothing but your brain fart towards this excellent tip.
Thanks for the tip. I have one for you: Barkeeper's Friend and a soft sponge instead of the steel wool. It will clean without leaving micro scratches. Thanks!!
NEVER, EVER, use steel wool pads or scrape a pan! This leaves thousands of tiny scratches on the surface, and then Everything's sticks in the cooking after that!
@@anderseckstrand7033 Do you have a source for that? I don't recall Teflon being toxic or a carcinogen. Plus, if it really was cancer causing, the FDA would ban Teflon and other non-stick coatings.
Thank you for the tip. Look forward to trying it out. I love onions, especially with eggs, so this technique is not an issue for me. But doesn't it leave an onion taste in everything you cook afterwards? May not be suitable for other dishes. Why not just use copious amoint of oils/butter and heat to high temp (just before it begins smoking/burning) before adding eggs? That's what I do and have no issue with eggs sticking to my stainless pans. Just seems like an unnecessary step; and it wastes onions. Thanks again
my son is an engineer with the navy and he is always challenged with corrosion of stainless steel. I think what you are doing is passivating the stainless, removing free iron and bringing the chromium to the top. Thank you for this.
It's really amazing. I prefer to ccok with stainless steel pan than the teflon one because it's healthier., but I hate to clean the food that stick on stainless pan. This hack is really helpful for me.
I practically gave up making Onion- Chilly - Uttapam because of the problems. Have dumped ALL my Teflon coated utensils because of fragility AND toxicity. I will certainly try and see if this trick works on heavy steel pan with thick alluminium bottom. If it does then I can start using my 45 year old Farberware pans again. Thanks. BTW red onions are widely available year round, not the raw variety.
I can't believe this. I have been using these utensils for regular cooking and not what they were meant for. After reading this I tried something. I chopped up half an onion and a couple of green chillies. Heated some oil and sauteed a small quantity of chopped onions and then poured in the batter mixed with rest of the onions and chillies. Lo and behold the whole thing separated like a charm, edge to edge ! It would have been a major mess and disaster otherwise !!! Thank you so much.
