We have all heard about the dangers of cooking with Teflon but when transitioning to safer options, like stainless steel, many of us are left a little stumped when it comes to “sticking” and how to prevent it. Thankfully for all of us, it’s really not difficult – we just need to know the trick!
The trick with stainless steel (and other non-coated pans) is that you want to preheat and oil it. It’s that easy. In no time you will be creating perfect, mess-free meals with ease – and peace of mind!
Since the question of “how to cook eggs” is one of the most common I see related to this, I thought I would tackle it – but keep in mind this general method words for all stick-prone foods.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A Pan – Stainless Steel & Cast Iron are great options.
(For reference, I use stainless steel pan similar to this one that I picked up for around $20 from TJMaxx.) - Lid (It doesn’t have to fit the pan perfectly, it just needs to cover your eggs!)
- Olive oil, coconut oil, bacon grease, etc. (pick one)
- Eggs
- Spatula (non-plastic)
- Cup of water (for sunny side up/over easy style eggs)
- Pre-heat your pan on med-high heat and coat with the oil of your choosing. Use enough to fully coat the bottom of your pan.
- Reduce the heat on your pan slightly to just above medium heat (This is a 6-7 or south-east direction on my stove’s dial.)
- Add your eggs.
- Cook your eggs as usual or by using one of the methods below.
- Remove your eggs, turn off the heat and add a bit of water to the pan for truly hassle-free clean up!
For Sunny Side Up or Over Easy style eggs: (illustrated below)
Add your eggs and then a bit of water to the pan and place a lid on top, setting a timer for one minute. When the timer goes off give them a quick look to be sure there is no raw egg visible and remove promptly for perfect, non-sticking eggs!
For Scrambled Eggs:
Simply add your eggs/egg mixture and cook as usual, being sure not to let the eggs burn. If they burn you will get some sticking.
For Omlettes:
Add your mixture and when you are prepared to flip you will want to add more oil if the pan is ‘dry’ where you will be flipping, so be prepared with some oil or grease before you turn.
The photo below is using the first method and shows how mess-free the pan is after removing the eggs.
