What's The Correct Way To Cook With A Stainless Steel Pan? 

"this egg is burnt" -- proceeds to show a beautifully golden, crispy egg

Not gonna lie, the burned egg is how I like it…brown and crispy on the bottom. Lol. And it proves your point that technique should be specific to the food you are cooking rather than overly broad rules. Plus, it’s fun to learn over time even if you mess up.

My method: 1. Turn on burner 2. Take my time gathering butter, utensils, and eggs 3. Add butter to the pan 4. Wait for butter to melt 5. Notice bubbling 6. Add eggs Fin Like this gentleman said, there is no right or wrong way. Its trial, error and experience. I started with cast iron, then carbon steel and now stainless. They're all similar, but they're also all different. The first time will be frustrating, but it'll get easier as you go forward.

Just found your videos…I love the fact that you don’t just give opinions, but you give evidence. You also encourage people to think, and use their senses to learn, rather than chanting a mantra. Excellent work!

with stainless put a patty of real butter in the cold pan. turn the heat on about half way between low and medium (on gas stove) roll pan till but is melted and covers to bottom of pan. wait still the butter starts sizzling lower heat a tiny bit gently slid egg in it should skate around really easy you may have to try a time or two to get the hand of it but it has to be real butter not margarin. i recently purchased a carbon steel pan and absolutely love it. treat it the same way with the slow heat till butter sizzles then in with the egg no stick at all

I think you are missing key information about the Leidenfrost Effect. The temperature range (for water) is quite large and you actually did reach the lower end of that range in your final example, just not the upper limit. To form the "mercury bubble," it does require a higher temperature. However, a cook may subsequently lower the temperature to a point below that which was required to form the water droplet and still maintain this effect. Emory University did a study and found that the Leidenfrost point of water on a pan remained stable all the way from 240 C (464 F) down to 140 C (284 F). As you pointed out, eggs like to cook and release at a range of 162 - 176 C (325 - 350 F), well within the range for this effect once a droplet has formed. And, since SS pots and pans have high thermal conductivity (quick-reacting), you won't need to wait long for the temperature to stabilize at a lower, and ideal, temperature for eggs (for example). So while a beginner might have it too hot, they can still use the test as a guide and simply lower the heat once a droplet has formed to have less crispy eggs. So this is still a useful technique to help guide SS users to find a good non-stick method of cooking with SS.

This is EXACTLY what newbs like me need to learn how to adjust appropriately the SS pan and different foods. I hope this vid gets more traction, very useful and answers all the questions I have been having since trying to cook. Thanks! Cheers from Sweden

You can also use Bon Ami or Bar Keeper's Friend to easily scrub out the burned oil on the Stainless Steel or Carbon Steel cookware

Thanks for the video. Very informative. I never use stainless steel to cook eggs. I love using stainless steel for meat where I’ll be making a sauce or something I’ll brown on the stove then place the whole pan in the oven.

Remarkable video! Thank you!

Thanx for this video, I just bought a stainless steel 4 days ago...have yet to try it and was looking for exactly this type of info.

Great video. Stainless steel regularly whips me as I tend to let it get away from me. It's very frustrating when I feel very confident with my cast iron and carbon steel.

What the hell is going on with that tree behind you?! LOL.

I put my stainless steel in the cupboard, and it works great. It holds my cast iron pan perfect .

I cook my eggs the same way, but when I bring the temp down I also add a little bit of butter then drop the eggs on the butter. Perfect non stick and perfect over easy eggs. Thanks for the video.

Thank you, that was very instructive. I always struggled with my eggs, using the leidenfrost and this makes it both logical and easier. In summary, don't disengage your brain just to follow a rule. Thank you for the video!

the first egg is not burnt, its perfect imo :)

You got that pan way hotter than the Leidenfrost effect when you did the first egg test. The Leidenfrost effect has quite a range, as much as 60°.

I've found that getting the pan hot is important... but I warm the pan up slowly on low heat... I add butter when pan is 250-275 and lower the heat tad bit... let the Butter melt and when the bubbles and before it begins to brown i quickly add the eggs... now with steak fish chicken... Heat the pan heat the oil then add the protein.... that definitely helps with easier clean-up

Thermal cameras are wildly inaccurate on reflective surfaces. Especially outside. You get 2 different readings at the same temperature with the sun out compared to behind a cloud. You are measuring reflected heat. For instance at my stove in my house I get leidenfrost at an indicated 150f. It is repeatable as the conditions are always the same. So I can use it to know I am at leidenfrost even though the indicated temp is wildly inaccurate.

From my experience, it does need to be perfect all the time. It can be a little hotter than a calm mercury ball & it's still fine.

Can bacon grease be used for the oil? Or butter? What kind of “oil” should I be using?

Good video.

Outside Kitchen... sweet!

Like your task about "window" temp, completly agree with that

Noticing your shirt, are you a walter tool rep?

There is a 3'rd option. One that is kind in the middle. To learn from your opinion. That's the one i'm going with.. Great video mate, thanks

If you use Demeyere Proline, that window is massive. It's not just about the material, it's about the construction.

Brown bits equal flavor, not burnt.😉 Good advice anyways, even though we may disagree on what color the bottom of our eggs should be, lol.🤣

Isn't it obvious though, if you don't want to burn your egg, use a lower temp? Also, I cook with Ghee, the perfect medium for me.

I bought myself a stainless steel pan because I wanted to treat myself to a nice pan for cooking with. Safe to say, I'm still learning the nuances of cooking with it -- my poor pan is scarred. Maybe stainless steel isnt for me? I wanted something that would cook similar to a nonstick pan but that I wouldn't have to worry about degrading the coating of it. I couldn't find carbon steel, but -- is carbon steel the better option in this sense?

What is the name of the thermometer, that has an extension coming from the unit, and the other end of the extension, is taking the temperature of the pan? It is a small round disk.(on the end) that is taking the temp. of the pan. Would you know the name of a thermometer like that? Thanks P.S. Love your videos!!

What should I do if I need to cook multiple dishes with the same stainless steel pan? Can I wash the pan immediately and bring it up to heat again? Or do i reapply oil but then burn the residue from the previous dish?

I'm carnivore so i only cook crispy sunny and scrambled eggs, steak, ground beef and patties. What pan do you recommend?

hot pan not HOT pan.

Buy a cheap $22 Cuisinart non-stick 8” or 10” skillet for cooking eggs. All problems solved. I still use my non-stick Commercial brand 10” skillet from 1990. Still flawless. Use stainless for everything else, minus real Chinese wok cooking. All-Clad or Viking for stainless. Done.

What happens if a stainless steel skillet is seasoned the same way as cast iron, which is to take a TINY amount of oil, rub it on the clean cooking surface, put it in an oven to 500 for a half hour, let it cool, and repeat the process 5-6 times. Would this give a stainless steel skillet a non-stick surface as it would a cast iron skillet?

When’s the hexclad verdict coming out?

Preheat on what hi med low?

What about letting the oil and pan come up to temp together?

But not level... lolz

Anyone have luck with using butter instead of oil and not burning the butter?

Tom, what's the difference between 304 and 18/10 stainless steel?

Leidenfrost in German means throw your burned eggs in the trash.

Just me or did stainless steel look bad to use?

What’s with the eggs already. This vid was supposed to be about pans right? And btw crispy fried eggs are delicious. Try one

I always thought the best way to cook with a stainless steel pan was to throw it away and buy cast iron that has been used forever, cooks far better, and costs 1/10th of the cost.

I think eggs just shouldn't be cooked in stainless steel, just go with non-stick.

how to use stainless steel pans... don't, use carbon steel :)

Way too much work, ill just get a nonstick pan lol