Why I Season A Stainless Steel Pan Part 2
I love cooking on stainless steel pans, but it took some practice and some tips and tricks to get the hang of using these wonderful pans.
A few months ago, I posted a video and post about Buying and Cooking Tips For Stainless Steel Pans.
In this video I showed you how to preheat your pan and then I added some coconut oil followed by adding my egg mixture and demonstrated how to cook your eggs in a stainless steel pan without having them stick all over the pan.
When A Video Becomes Popular
This video became quite popular and I started to get quite a few tips (good and bad ones), but one stood out to me!
One person commented that you can season a stainless steel pan to create a naturally occurring non stick skillet in less then 5 minutes. This individual also stated that I wouldn’t need to use oils/butters to cook my eggs in, and that the pan would no longer stick.
What? For real? So you know me, I got one of my stainless steel pans out and proceeded with the instructions. I was amazed!
Such little effort and he was right, my pan no longer sticks!! I promise you, after watching this video, you too will be seasoning your stainless steel pans!
A Step By Step Approach To Season A Stainless Steel Pan
Here are the simple steps to create a naturally occurring non stick stainless steel pan!
- On medium to medium high heat, heat your pan for 2-3 minutes.
- Melt a little coconut oil or other high heat oil in your pan and swirl the oil around to evenly coat the pan. Allow the oil to smoke (don’t worry, we will be tossing this oil out)! Once the oil has smoked, turn off your burner and remove pan from heat source and allow to cool completely. You know your pan is seasoned and ready if you can see your mirror reflection of yourself in the pan (more details are in the video about this).
- Once the pan has cooled, pour out the oil and wipe the pan out with a paper towel. You now have a seasoned nonstick stainless steel pan.
- I am going to give you an example on how to cook an omelette in your seasoned pan. Simply preheat your pan on medium low heat for 2 minutes. Pour your egg mixture into your pan with no oil at all! Add desired ingredients (cheese, meat, veggies). Allow the eggs to cook for several minutes without disturbing. After a few minutes, flip you eggs and allow to cook another minute or two. Your eggs will slip right out of the pan, no sticking! (You can view this in the video as well). There is no need to ever wash the pan with soap, just wipe out with a paper towel as nothing will stick in the pan, cleanup takes about 10 seconds. This method is very similar to seasoning your cast iron skillet or wok. As long as you don’t use soap on your pan, your pan will remain nonstick. If you are using higher heat, you might need to add a little bit of oil.
That is it! So easy and no mess! Give it a try, you will be amazed!
Stainless Steel Pans That I Recommend
One last thing, not all stainless steel pans are created equal! Quality is really important when buying stainless steel pans.
I personally have this entire collection of stainless steel pans from All-Clad and absolutely love them! Think of it as an investment. These pans will last you a lifetime!
- If you are looking to try out a piece of all-clad, I highly recommend starting with this one! All-Clad Stainless 10-Inch Fry Pan
- If you are looking to buy a whole set, this is a great option: All-Clad Stainless Steel 3-Ply Bonded 10-Piece Cookware Set
✰ One last thing…there is an incredible sale going on over at Amazon right now! Get 43% OFF an entire set of 10-piece cookware set! Get the details here! (please note sale can end at any time…I do not have control of Amazons sales). ✰
How To Season A Stainless Steel Pan Video
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So glad I found this! My non stick pans are all worn out and I was considering buying new ones, but since I have a set of SS pans I haven’t used in years, now I can save the money and season them instead. Thanks!
I just purchased my first ever set of all clad stainless steel 10 pc set. I also purchased an extra 10” frying pan. Before I saw this post I made the mistake of trying to cook over easy eggs for my husband; he had Alzheimer’s and will only eat the over easy eggs. It was a complete disaster! After the entire dozen eggs were completely ruined I took my husband out for breakfast. That night I googled for help and came accross this post. I must admit, I was skeptical at first. But I followed to a T and the eggs slid around the pan and my guy was a happy man this morning with his breakfast with perfectly cooked eggs. I’m going to try and clean up the first pan and start over with it. I like to have 2 frying pans and this is a very healthy way to eat your food without the poison that steps out of the traditional non stick coated pans. Thanks a bunch for your post.
Happy to help and glad it worked for you MaryAnn!
Followed the coconut oil directions exactly but did not work for me. Food stuck still and had to transfer everything to a non-stick to finish cooking.
Sounds to me MelFree that you need to heat the pan a tad bit longer to create your non-stick surface.
I have been looking for an answer about cleaning/not cleaning my wok inside-please, can you answer this? I find small golden “island” spots when I wipe the wok. Do these need cleaning out?
I have been looking for an answer about cleaning/not cleaning my wok inside-please, can you answer this? I find small golden “island” spots when I wipe the wok. Do these need cleaning out?
I simply got into cooking pan change of state and it’s quite challenging! I make sure preheating my pan over medium heat for a minute before adding in any oil. this is great idea.
Need help! Halle!
I’ve only read this a day too late! I used my new stainless pan without seasoning and now it’s all brown with oil residue and I’m in need of a good solution to bring it back!!!
?
Thank you!
Use some Bar Keepers Friend on it and it will come right back to its original glory! 🙂
One of the pans turned a little brown and I used the flax seed oil… Not dark just a hint of brown. Should I wash it and start over?
Thank you, Linda
So I just bought the Calphalon tri-ply stainless steel pans and have had terrible luck. There needs to be directions about seasoning or preheating the pans. My husband totally burndt the small pan. I had not gotten the Bar Friend cleaner yet and he took steel wool to it. Can we still season this pan? Also, how long does the seasoning last before you have to reseason? At this point my husband swears we will never have stainless steel again and I’m hoping the company will exchange them out for nonstick ones. I thought I had done my research and the pans were quite expensive.
This discussion is too long to read the whole thing but perhaps I know the source of the problem. Dishwashers! If your pans were ever run through a dishwasher even once, the seasoning will not work. I have no solution for new pans.
It is possible to season steel but this is not the right method. You are wasting oil and achieving a less desirable effect. The oil needs more air contact.
1. Heat you pan but not so hot you cant handle it with a glove.
2. Pour a very small amount of oil in it and using a paper towel or clean cloth rub it all over the pan coating it in a very thin layer.
3. Take a clean paper towel or cloth and wipe off any excess oil. You shouldn’t even be able to see any oil.
4. Put it on the stove at medium-high heat so it just starts to smoke. Leave for at least 30 minutes
If you do this a few times you will have a pan you can run through the dishwasher and still have that coating. Use Flaxseed for best results.
Flaxseed is the only available “drying” oil and will give you the hardest possible seasoning due to its chemical properties. Coconut oil is a bad idea, stick with oils with higher polyunsaturated fat for a harder seasoning. Think vegetable seeds oils or proper lard.
Marcell,
One of the pans turned a little brown… Not dark just a hint of brown. Should I wash it and start over?
Thank you, Linda
The pans you recommended were outrageously expensive e.g. $1000 for a set of pans? How about a less expensive option. Thanks!
I just purchased a set of Anolon Nouvelle Copper and Stainless and I can’t wait to try this “seasoning” step. Thank you so much for sharing!