Which pans to pick?

[sattie]

Goodweed, you are a true gem and I hope I did not offend you with the drinking comment.... I was funnin at you more than anything. I appreciate your insight and the tips you offer. Like the wire wisks, I only have the one with loops, small and large. So I may try and find the others you mention. With that, I did go and purchased my first ever stainless still 12" fry pan. It is Emrilware and I am much to excited about using it. I want to try this ribeye recipe that I found where you sear it in the pan and then transfer it to the oven. But being brand new, it is so shiny and beautiful, I don't want to ruin it!!! I told hubby we can't cook with it, we just get to look at it!!!!

Nah, for real, I plan on using it tonight.... any tips?????

 

[RPCookin]

A handy gadget for using when searing and frying with a stainless pan is a spatterscreen. Because you need to use more oil and often more heat than with nonstick, the oil will defintely spatter...that is unavoidable, IMO (at least I've never found a way to stop it). But it can be mitigated somewhat with a screen over the pan to catch most of the migrating oil.

 

[sattie]

A handy gadget for using when searing and frying with a stainless pan is a spatterscreen. Because you need to use more oil and often more heat than with nonstick, the oil will defintely spatter...that is unavoidable, IMO (at least I've never found a way to stop it). But it can be mitigated somewhat with a screen over the pan to catch most of the migrating oil.

Hey, thanks for the info, I forgot about the oil factor and needing to use more of it. I do have the screen things, so I am covered there.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Others have already stated this, but it bears repeating. First, heat you pan absolutely dry, with nothing in it. When it is hot (test with a drop of water; if it dances on the pan surface, it's hot) add about 1 tbs. of sunflower or other nut oil. You can even spread it around with a paper towel if you like. You realy don't need to have the meat swimming in oil. But you do have to add the cold oil to the hot pan. Place the steaks into the pan and cook over medium-high heat for about three minutes per side (season with S & P before searing). Remove and if you need to, place in the oven to finish. I like my steaks fairly red, but hot thoughout. So I eliminate the oven portion of the technique. But then again, I sear for 4 minutes per side for myself, and add 30 additional seconds per side for my wife's steak.

If you follow the rule of adding the oil or butter, or whatever you're using to the hot pan, you will find that even eggs slide easily accross it's serface. I make eggs in my SS all the time, including omelets. But don't let my almost 20 year-old daughter get anywhere near the pan. Somehow, everything she cooks in it sticks like crazy, and this is just before she calls out "I'd clean that, but I've got class in 5 minutes. I'll get it later."

Yeh, right.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Corey123]

I now have TWO SS stock pots!

One is a 17-qt. Wollrath stock pot with I've had since the fall of '83 - over twenty years.

The other one is now a smaller 8-qt. Emerilware stock pot which is also a pasta pot with the supplied pasta insert and glass lid.


~Corey123.

 

[sattie]

I tried my ribeye in the ss pan and it got a bit overcooked. Still tasty tho. My instincts were telling me to take it off the heat sooner, but I did not listen. I expect to have a few more trial and error type situations. Thanks for the tip on adding the oil to the hot pan... I did not know this. I did not have any problems with sticking. Only ever so slightly on one side, but it pretty much lifted right up using the tongs. When I cleaned it, I could see a ghost print of where the steak was at.... anyway to avoid that?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I'm not sure how you avoid discoloration. Most metals discolor when subjected to high heat. I don't know if there is any way to avoid it. But then again, a well used pan looks well used. It shows its functionality. If I were to walk into a home and saw a mirror finish, inside and out on a SS pan, I would probably think that the pan collection was sure a costly way to try and impress somebody. And I would suspect that the pan or pans were there just for show. Use your pans and don't be afraid if they look like they've been used. That's the way they're supposed to look, IMHO.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North