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i always remember this saying from the Frugal Gourmet: "hot pan...cold oil...food won't stick." it works about 90 percent of the time.

"Make sure the pan is fully heated before adding butter/oil."

I'd never heard that before! Thanks.

I have the same problem most of the time, but I also have a problem with my water leaving spots all over my pan and any other ss pots I have. Is there a way to prevent this? I already use a ss cleaner on the outsides, but it still doesn't last more than 3 washes.

I agree with everything you say in the answer, especially that crepes (and eggs) are going to stick to a stainless steel pan.

I love my All-Clad Stainless pans for everything else. The key (again) is to have the pan and the oil fully heated before you put anything in it.

I use a slightly different method to heat up the pan and the oil that I picked up from Cook's Illustrated.

I put the pan on the stovetop, add the oil (usually 1 or 2 tbsp), then turn the heat on under the pan and the oil. The pan is ready when the oil is shimmering and just starting to show wisps of smoke. That's my signal that the oil and pan are properly heated; I swirl the oil around the pan to make sure it has a good coating, then I add my ingredients.

MikeV
dadcooksdinner.blogspot.com

I have the same pans.

If they are not hot enough things will stick. Some things - pancakes, eggs are going to stick to that pan no matter what. For them, I pull out my griddle. It's so much easier to work with a griddle for them anyway because the sides of the All-Clad pan make it hard to flip the pancakes or eggs.

If you are cooking meat, what you want to do is get the pan HOT then I add my oil or a combo of oil & butter. Set the meat in the pan and most importantly don't touch it again until it's time to flip. Initially, pretty much everything sticks. But, if you wait to touch it until it's ready to flip you'll find that it's no longer stuck!

I ditto @fishtown on his comment.

Also if you're still having issues, it might be good to switch to clarified butter in the recipes that don't call for oil. I've found that when I do delicate no-stick recipes in my all-clad pans it helps if there are not any butter solids in the pan that might scorch and stick.

Otherwise, I use my cast iron when I need something truely non-stick.

Y'll are saying that eggs are always going to stick to them, but I don't have that experience with mine, with the possible exception of scrambled eggs – but when I’ve done omelletes, fried eggs, or even frittatas I never have an issue with stickage. I make sure to have it on medium low heat, and use bacon drippings or clarified butter to cook them in. Easy peasy.

Make sure the pan is hot--very hot--before adding fat. I have no problems with my stainless steel All Clad (or Paderno, or Sitram). Good luck.

If I let my SS pans heat up at what I think is the right temperature, the oil instantly smokes when I add it. It seems they get hotter than my nonstick or Circulon pans.

Resist the urge to begin stirring too quickly! Let the food do its thing for at least a couple of minutes before touching it, so it develops a nice crust and it will not stick to the pan. So many people start messing with food as soon as it goes in the pan--just hold back a little bit, and it will make your life much easier.

I have that problem too, but have been trying to cook a little lower fat. Regular non stick sprays tend to burn, but the new Pam Professional High Heat spray is awesome. It's a little more expensive, but it doesn't leave the sticky residue that the other sprays leave. And it is pretty much non stick.

I think your answer is perfect - nothing else to add, just wanted to add a hearty "Hear, Hear!"

On a related note, my All-Clad pan has black stuff all over the inside walls. I'm not really sure what it is- maybe burnt grease? Anyway, I have tried everything I can think of to clean it- elbow grease, soaking, that Bartender cleaner All-Clad recommends, all to no avail. Does anyone know how to get it off?

EK76: Have you tried SOS pads?

My pans recommend for the black burned gunk in pans to put just enough water to cover the pan and sprinkle a good bit of powdered dishwasher detergent (Not liquid soap like Dawn, I'm talking like Cascade) and let it simmer on the stove for a bit. I have an old pan scrubber i use while its doing it (if its really bad) while its simmering to scrub a bit but normally it takes no elbow grease. Just comes off if you give it time to do its thing.

I don't have any new advice to add, but did want to encourage Sonja to not give in just yet. Like anything else in cooking it takes some time to learn how to do/use things properly. I've been cooking with stainless steel pans for a few years now and don't really have problems. However, most people who come over and use them do. You already know all the standard advice, you just need to get used to your tools.

I have the same problem with my pan, and I have the exact same one you do.

My best suggestion, and one that I followed, is go get a cast iron skillet. I bought a Le Creuset and the interior is not enameled.

I really wanted to just have one pan, but you just have to give in and realize that no one pan will do everything.

For simple things that I don't want to have stick, I use a well-seasoned cast iron pan with some oil.

I really only break out the ALL-CLAD for multi-step dishes where browning and subsequent deglazing and simmering is involved (and when the foods are acidic - ruining cast iron seasoning).

I don't know about the sticking problem with the skillet but I find the comment about the crepes interesting. I have a stainless steel crepe pan my father purchased in the early eighties. I have never had a crepe stick to this pan and it does not have a non stick coating on it. Like I said, I just thought that was an interesting comment.

Karen

I was told that there is an ancient Chinese proverb that goes:"hot wok, cold oil". Not exactly poetry, but at least its true. The oil breaks down at a heat much lower than you are likely cooking, so it keeps the oil at its best during the important time. But it also allows the pan to heat and the metal to expand, closing up tiny holes in the pan's surface that encourage sticking. Keep the food moving, after all, "saute" pans are for just that--jumping food! Best of all, learn to cook with that gunk on the bottom, its tasty!

the "hot pan, cold oil" thing is nonsense, i think. if your pan is hot, your oil is going to be hot in a nanosecond anyway (or at least it will be as hot as the pan by the time you reach over and grab whatever it is you're cooking to put it in the pan), so what you're getting is hot pan, hot oil.

the point is everything needs to be good and hot before you put your food in. if you try to turn something over and it's sticking, leave it! if your pan is hot enough, it will sear and form a crust and then lift out easily. turning too early is a guaranteed sticky situation.

I've worked for and used All-Clad for the last 13 years. The key is to heat the pan before adding your fat. And you do need a bit of fat in the pan. Also, the pans do heat up quickly and get hot - so you can keep your flame at medium. Like others have said - don't try to turn the protiens too early...they will release when they are ready. I make eggs with no problem. However, you can get stickage on potato and scrambled egg dishes - but clean up is a breeze. Clean with Bar Keepers Friend or Bon Ami along with a dish rag and water...rub the cooked on spots - and they will disappear. You are polishing the pan at the same time. Do not use any harsh abrasive cleaners (Comet) or Metal cleaning pads. They are too hard on the stainless steel finish.

Regarding the blueish spotting inside of the pan. That is from heat. To remove the discoloration drop a Tablespoon or so of vinegar into the pan - add cold water and swish around. Let it sit for a minute. The stains will disappear almost immediately.

I haven't tried an SOS pad, but I'm afraid it would be too abraisive. Will try the powered soap and simmer method. I'm also hoping tosafirefly will have a suggestion for my black gunk problem, since he/she has so much All-Clad experience. Thanks!

Baking soda works to get the gunk off the pan. I have found taking the hot pan off the stove and putting some baking soda and water in it immediately, then letting it soak for a bit will release the stuck on food.

I have a set of All-Clad LTD and LOVE them. However, I also have 2 All-Clad nonstick pans for things like crepes, pancakes, and scrambled eggs/omelets.

I believe you are actually not supposed to heat up the pans without a fat in them. I usually drizzle oil or melt butter while the pan is heating up, and once the oil is warm, I swirl it around to make sure the bottom of the pan is coated, then start cooking. This seems to work for me.

Also, don't forget, if you are cooking meat, to let it thoroughly cook before flipping. If you don't, the meat will want to stick to the pan, but when the side is properly cooked/browned, it will easily release from the pan.

You can and should heat up non-stick pans without oil in them. I was married to an award winning chef for 18 years. Great chef - BAD husband. He did teach me how to cook though. Heat up the pan and then add the fat. Then add whatever you're cooking.

The only thing bad I have discovered about All-Clad pans (and I love mine) is that the handle - though it does not conduct heat - is a little too thin where it attaches to the pan itself. Therefore - when you try to tip the pan to pour out your dish - pasta or whatever, the plan doesn't want to "flip" appropriately. It's not weighted right.

I remember reading in Mastering the Art of French Cooking that a pan overheated with nothing in it will stick to things evermore. Not sure whether or not it's true, as I primarily cook in nonstick. Life's too short to scrub pans every time!

ABreadADay.com

Do what fishtown says and you should be fine. Having said that, I never used an All-Clad pan so maybe there is something particular about them that is problematic.

I am a big fan of seasoned cast iron for any cooking that doesn't require submersion in water (and I even do that in my cast iron pans). It also lasts forever. My pans (from my mother) are close to 60 years old at this point and look and cook good as new.

Temperature IS key -- and part of that is making sure you don't put a very cold piece of fish or chicken into a hot pan. That's a mistake a LOT of people make -- and then they start moving the meat around trying to help it "not stick."

Take things out of the fridge and let them lose their chill a little. If you're smart about this, you're not risking food poisoning.

What you are trying to do with sauteing is form a fond, a cooked outside, on your food. If you put a very chilled piece of meat in a pan, all the thermal energy is spent penetrating to the chilled interior and it takes extra long to form a fond. Then you will become impatient -- particularly on a lower temperature -- and move it around. Fond will not develop, you will end up with sticking and more sticking, and you will be frustrated.

I ALWAYS cook over very high heat, and ALWAYS take things out of the fridge before I prepare to cook. That way you're not wasting pan-energy on the core of a food. I find the medium-heat thing frustrating and tedious. But it's taken a very long time for me to get comfortable with my method. I think you just develop better and better habits and start doing the things that work really well AFTER you botch a few dishes along the way. They all taste fairly good!

I wouldn't worry about water spots on the pan. I WOULD be worried about the chemicals in stainless "finishes" masking water spots. Gross! A few harmless minerals in water are infinitely preferable to whatever silicon or artificially scented chemical is in the finishing product. And Barkeeper's friend and a Dobie pad are a stainless pan's best friends. BKF has oxalic acid in it -- like in sorrel. A mild acid. Make a paste with it and leave it on, then use beaucoup elbow grease to remove bad gunk. If your cookware always looks spankin' new, you're not loving it enough!

KLM62505, your pan would be carbon steel, which seasons and creates a nonstick surface. Many traditional woks are carbon steel. It's amazing for cooking -- superhot!

oh and --

when you use products like Pam, the propellants and ingredients break down and cause "black gunk." "Olive-oil-flavored" Pam is not olive oil, it contains a lot of other stuff. That stuff is really difficult to remove from a pan. If you can get used to hot pan - warm oil (below the smoke point, please!) - room temp food, and then don't worry the food constantly and move it around, you can start doing without those nonstick products and their nasty remnants.

Like lots of chefs, I cook at home incredibly often in a nonstick pan. It's just plain easy, they're frequently much lighter than a clad pan, and they clean up superfast. I do not for one second think they're a health hazard. If you use them properly and don't overheat them empty or scratch them to pry up the coating, you pose zero health risks.

I know everyone has strong feelings about the nonstick issue, but in the field, a lot of us love the ease of a workhorse nonstick and the tests that say they're bad simply don't reflect normal cooking conditions.

Non-stick are great for a lot of things but nothing sears a scallop better than my All-Clad saute pan! Bar Keeper's Friend works great as suggested above.

I'm having a different problem. I don't have a problem with sticking--I rarely have that issue.

However, I have one small All-Clad pan and the rest of my pans are Calphalon. WHY is it that allegedly very similar products clean up so differently? My Calphalon turns oil to gummy glue. My all-clad cleans up almost as well as a nonstick. Could there be a coating? I don't get it!

Calphalon imho is one of the worst mistakes a home cook can make and has given premium cookware a bad name. It's ridiculously hard to keep clean and usable and does not distribute heat evenly.

Clad cookware -- Viking, All-Clad and the link -- are awesome heat conductors and their stainless surface allows for scrub cleaning. The thing I love best about them, though, is they're completely oven safe, thus perfect for braises and pan-roasting. MMmmm. Me so hungry.

oops 'the like' not 'the link'

For a non-Teflon non-stick pan, take a look at Cuisinart's Green Gourmet pans. They have a ceramic fused to the surface. (The Todd English GreenPans have horrible reviews - you get what you pay for.)

Definitely "hot pan, cold oil, foods won't stick", and also let the food caramelize on the bottom first -- it will release easier.

Have to say though, that I generally prefer to use my well-seasoned cast iron, and enameled cast iron.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UHV9UI

http://www.chefsresource.com/staub-frypan-2-handles-11.html

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that goes:"hot wok, cold oil".Copper Castings

Just a little correction to adiaphane's post - Le Creuset skillets are enameled on the interior as well as exterior. It's just a black enamel. I love mine to death and there is little sticking.