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Comment by podiki | Hacker News Reader

I've seen this in reference to knowing when stainless steel cookware is ready to put oil on it, so that you don't get sticking and burning, i.e. small droplet of water shouldn't sizzle and evaporate but Leidenfrost. But I have to admit to still not being able to get the best results like that (more oil? less heat?) and still need to figure out how to use stainless correctly.

Tips?

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The kitchen niche stainless pans are best suited for is actually when do you want a limited amount of sticking, to deglaze and build a pan sauce from.

That said most things can be convinced not to stick to it if that's your goal. Possibly more oil, you usually want enough to form a layer across the whole bottom of the pan and home cooks tend to not use enough. Also when adding oil to the hot pan give it 20-30 seconds for the oil to warm up before adding food. And then maybe just let it go longer before trying to get it to release. Most protein will stick hard at first then loosen once the sear forms.

Some more things to consider: Sugary things like marinades and rubs will stick more as they caramelize compared to just salt & spices. This is great if you're making a pan sauce, as there's more to deglaze. But I've had my pan act so non-stick in some cases that I couldn't build a fond.

Also if the surface of the food is wet, it can cool the pan a LOT on contact, as well as cause other reactions that promote sticking. This is especially true with too little oil.

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