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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Seasoned my “egg pan” tonight…will give it a try in the morning. : )
Please let me know how it turns out! I knew you would be the first to give it a whirl 🙂
just make sure to use oil with high boiling smoking point, even if you toss it away, some oils have low points and can incease cancer risk
Hi, I seasoned my new all clad frying pan as per your video. I made an omelette but it stuck to the pan. Please help
The omelette was excellent
You know it!
Well…i did something wrong….pan was shiny last night…milky this morning so prob didnt let it smoke long enough or didnt wipe it out well enough. I will try again. : )
Ok,so you should completely wipe the oil out. It will still be shiny and oily but there should be no oil swirling around at all. Round 2 and let me know how it goes 🙂
I wonder if you could use this same principle to make stainless steel baking pans nonstick. Have you tried it? If so, what temperature would you have to bake them at to get them hot enough to absorb the oil?
@TrishFiggers I have not tried this yet, but have several pans that I could experiment with 🙂 I will come back and post my results. Thanks for the great idea!
What a great idea – much better than using non-stick pans! Thank you for sharing this post with us at Hearth and Soul.
@The21stCenturyHousewife Your welcome! 🙂 Thanks so much for hosting such a wonderful blog hop and giving me the opportunity to share with your viewers!
Just brilliant- I had no idea and all my pans are stainless!
Thank you so much for sharing this with us on Natural Mothers Network’s Seasonal Celebration and best wishes for a very Happy Easter!
Warmly, Rebecca x
@naturalmothers Hi Rebecca,
Thank you and I hope you have a great Easter too! I really appreciate the having the opportunity to share this post with your viewers, so thank you for that! 🙂
That is a GREAT tip. Thanks so much!
@Real_Food_Freak Your welcome! Do you have Stainless Steel Pans? This has saved me a ton of headaches in the kitchen 🙂 Thanks again fro hosting at http://www.realfoodfreaks.com/ ! I LOVE your site!!
@hallecottis I have a few. I recently just bought a cast iron which get used all the time now, but for the times when I will use the s.s. this is great. I didn’t know you could do this with s.s..
Awesome! I don’t have any stainless steel frying pans, but I will definitely keep this in mind for when I do. I’m slowly switching to all stainless steel, cast iron, and stone. Thanks for sharing at Healthy 2Day Wednesday and come back tomorrow to see if you were featured!
it sounds easy enough will try today with chicken. I do have a concern: I have electric glass stove top, and I am kinda of afraid to cook with cast iron or steel on my glass top. does any one have any tips?
@nanagiron53 I don’t see why it would be any different on glass top…does it say not to use cast iron or SS pans in your instructions for the stove?
I think the only restriction for a glass stop stove is that your pan not be warped….if it sits evenly there is no problem using it on a glass top. I use a very large canner/pressure cooker and have never had any issues.
We use cast iron and stainless steel on our glass top everyday. And we use our pressure canner, too!
I have always used cast iron and stainless steel on my glass cooktop. Your pan bottom just needs to be flat.
I have a glass top-induction, and wont use my cast iron on it for now… The concern is that one false move (for example, turning or pushing the pan) by my children will result in scratching the glass top. Also, putting it down too heavily may crack the glass top. Other than that, no worries. 🙂
I’ve tried this about 10 times now and still can’t get it right. Some times are better than others, but never even come close to how she cooks eggs in the video. I’m using a Calphlon stainless steel and coconut oil
@Steve725 Can you see your reflection in the pan Steve? My pan is a 5 ply pan, which allows the heat to evenly be distributed. I recommend at least a 3ply. Do you know what ply your pan is. Just trying to figure out why it isn’t working for you…
@hallecottis I can see my reflection when it’s being seasoned, just kinda my head though not a ton of details. But now that it’s dry, no I can’t see it.
@Steve725 It sounds like you might not be preheating your pan after it has been seasoned long enough. Allow your pan to preheat (nothing in it) on medium low heat for 2 minutes. Then add your eggs. See if that helps.
@hallecottis I just tried that again, I preheated on level 4 until the pan started to smoke, then put in egg whites only without additional fat. Didn’t work 🙁 Maybe season with a different oil?
@Steve725 No coconut oil is one of the best oils to use. If your pan was smoking when you preheated it then you overheated it. You should still be able to touch the rim of the pan for 2 seconds without burning your hand. My only other thought is the quality of your pan. It might not be distributing the heat evenly and that would also alter the final product.
I bought an All Clad pan. Not sure how many ply it is, but it does have a copper looking ring in the middle of the bottom. I have tried to season it 4 times now and it hasn’t worked like your video. I have timed it 2 minutes, and one time 3 minutes before putting the egg in. I even read about a water ball test and tried that too. Mine still sticks with eggs. Not as bad if I add oil and fry the eggs in coconut oil. I paid a lot for the pan thinking that would be the one to work well.
Barb, make sure that you preheat the pan before you put the eggs in the pan and you should be fine.
@Steve725
Steve, a few suggestions that may help…
First, since you’ve already had food stick in the pan, clean it thoroughly. You can use soap and water, however, you might want to try bringing water to a boil in the pan. Since the metal expands when heated, the boiling water can loosen microscopic particles that are stuck in the microscopic pits in the steel. Wipe the pan dry with a towel when it is just cool enough to do so.
Second, you may NOT see your CLEAR reflection in the pan. It depends on the TYPE of stainless steel the manufacturer used to make the pan. If they used 18/10 or 18/8 steel, the surface can be shiny. If they used 18/0 steel it will be satiny. This is because of the metals used. The 18 is the percentage of Chromium in the steel. The 10, 8 or 0 is the percentage of Nickel in the steel. Nickel creates the shininess. 18/10 or 18/8 steel is also called 304 steel. 18/0 is called 400 steel. Calphalon uses 18/10 in SOME of their products.
Third, even well seasoned pans will need extra oil for higher temperature cooking. The non-stick characteristic works at low temperatures, so cook your eggs on LOW, and WAIT for the pan to properly heat.
Last, pans can be re-seasoned whenever you feel the need. Halle’s how-to video describes it perfectly. But remember to allow your pan to heat properly before adding the oil.
@hallecottis It’s actually an electric stove, does that change anything?
@Steve725 Really shouldn’t make a difference Steve. Just make sure you get the pan good and hot and then add the oil.
So, after seasoning how do you wash the pan? Do you have to treat it like a wok where you barely wipe it down with a damp cloth or can you wash it with soap and water? Never really dealt with seasoned dishes before….
@domdem You treat it like a seasoned pan, so no you do not wash it with soap and water. If you wash it with soap and water then you have to re season the pan. Just wipe it out with a paper towel and you are good to go.
What about bacteria on the pan’s surface? Surely you can’t not clean it ever?
No worries about bacteria on the surface you preheat it every time you use it so no bacteria on it, when you add food.
LOVE this…. I did this and couldnt believe it worked, Ive alway steered away from stainless pans because everything sticks but now I’m a hugh fan, I can’t wait to get more
I really wish you would use water to demonstrate how hot your pan is. Touching the side and not being burnt seems somewhat subjective, and also dependent on if you are using gas (as the flame will lick the sides of the pan)
Ok, I’ve been testing this out for a few days, and I think the “no oil whatsoever” is a little misleading..
In your video you oil the pan, and then wipe it out. I tried this, and it worked: my eggs didn’t stick! But after using it to cook a few other things, and cleaning it will just hot water and a paper towel (no soap) the oil in the pan seems ‘used up’. I just had an egg stick so bad it was almost comical.
I think when you are wiping the oil out of your pan, you’re kinda just smearing it around. I would say that overall, your technique for seasoning the pan is spot on. But you can’t just ignore it from then on out and never use oil again.
The only thing I’ve done different is using hot water (not boiling) when cleaning, and never soaking for more than a few minutes. I’ll use less water and more regular oil and report back in a while. It’s too embarrassing when the neighborhood ‘chef’ can’t cook an egg!!
@Bobagain thanks for the feedback bob! I also have found that if my food sticks to the pan, the pan most likely wasn’t hot enough. I will try the experiment tomorrow with my eggs and NO butter/oil and make sure my pan is hot enough and I will see if it sticks or not and report back. Keep us posted!
As promised today I washed my seasoned pan with hot water and there was absolutely no oil whatsoever. I preheated the pan over medium heat (gas range) for about 4-5 minutes so it was quite hot. When I put the eggs in the pan (with oil I get a sizzle) I heard a quick sizzle noise that quickly disappeared. I then cooked the eggs while constantly moving the egg liquid around (scrambled eggs) so that the egg wouldn’t overcook. In less the 30 seconds my eggs were done and did NOT stick to the pan. Now was it as clean as the oiled pan, NO, but I still could wipe it out with a paper towel. The key…your pan has to be hot enough so it won’t stick. Oh and one more thing to note..the eggs taste a whole lot better with a bit of oil in them 🙂
hallecottis
I need to know about cake pans. Mine are sticking sooo bad does the same apply to them . Would you let them get hot before pouring the batter in??
DebWalker hallecottis are you greasing the pans and dusting with flour? That will help tremendously. If you are still having issues, line the bottom with unbleached parchment paper. I have a SS Lasagna pan and it does not stick at all and I do not need to heat it at all. Is your cake pan real stainless steel? Does a magnet stick to it?
hallecottis DebWalker
Thanks so much for responding…Ok I actually I have two different pans, both stick and on one the magnet does stick to it and on the other very expensive pan the magnet does not stick to it…I always grease the pans (usually w/Pam) but I have tried shortening, oil, and butter w/the sprinkle of flour and it does not make any difference. Any more suggestions would be greatly appreciated
DebWalker hallecottis I would try the parchment paper then. We also put ours in the freezer for half hour before taking the cake out and that helps. You could try preheating the pans but I am afraid the bottom will get to brown to quickly. Try the parchment paper.
I did an article on stainless steel pans…this might help a bit.
https://wholelifestylenutrition.com/videos/buying-and-cooking-tips-for-stainless-steel-pans/
Well, I’ve been at it for a couple weeks now. Here are my findings:
It does not matter if your pan is “seasoned”! I mean, assuming that a deep scrub with soap and Barkeepers Friend removes the seasoning, which I do regularly. If you follow these steps, you’ll be A-OK.
The most important step is PROPER PREHEATING (of pan and egg!). Your pan is hot enough when a drop of water rolls around without evaporating (mercury ball/Leidenfrost effect). This link provides some helpful tips and a good video http://www.houseboateats.com/2009/12/on-properly-heating-your-pan.html A thoroughly heated pan will allow the water to roll up the sides as well.
But, any super high temp will float some water while also burning your oil and destroying your eggs. You want the lower end of the spectrum. What I do is ignore the preheating pan for a few minutes. Come back, add a drop of water which will float, REMOVE THE PAN FROM THE HEAT until the water begins sticking/evaporating, and then return it to the heat for a moment. It might seem complicated, but it will guarantee you have the perfect temperature. One final note: if your pan is nicely “seasoned”, the oil will come out of the pours and you will NOT see this effect.
Now is the time to add oil. I use the smallest amount of coconut combined with the smallest amount of butter, although either by itself may work fine. I believe the water content of the butter might help the non-stick action. Let the oil heat for 20-30 seconds. A lot of people say “hot pan, cold oil, food wont stick!” well, the oil may go in cold, but it needs to warm up.
Drop in your room temperature eggs (scrambled or whole), and let them set-up before mixing or don’t! If you follow these steps, they will not stick. Any excuse to add a little water may also help. I mix a spoonful of water in with my scrambies, and add a spoonful under the lid for perfectly steamed sunny-side up.
Bobagain, I’m confused, is this for an already pre-seasoned pan or a non-seasoned pan?
It is a non-seasoned pan to start.
Hi Halle,
Thank you for your absolutely great tip.
I have a stainless steel crepe pan I thought was pretty much useless. I just could not make crepes that stay in one piece on that pan.
So, I have been using it for other purposes and have not been very careful with it. The pan already had quite a few light scratches from using steel utensils.
Anyway, I wanted to give your tip a try.
And this morning I made a batch of perfect, very thin crepes.
And best part is that I used butter only before the first crepe. After that I did not have to add butter at all for the rest. The crepes did not to stick to the pan at all.
Next time I will test making crepes with no added butter at all.
For me crepes has always been the only food I can not make on stainless steel pans. But not anymore thanks to your great tip and excellent instructions.
Thanks for the information. I was struggling with my new stainless steel pan especially with hash browns potatoes. One word of advice. Even though washing with soap will unseason (if there is such a word) a pan or pot, You always should wash the outside of the pans with some type of soap if you care about how your pans look. Any oil or greasy residue left on the outside of the pan will cause discoloration the next time you use the pan. I just take a sponge and put a little bit of dishwashing detergent on it a wipe the outside of the pan and rinse, trying to avoid letting the soap suds get inside the pan.
Great tip. It works very well. The one thing I did incorrectly was heat the pan too much on a electric stove. When I added a “bit” of safflower oil, poof, fire.
In the video you say to use high heat and get the pan hot. Maybe that should be explained. Otherwise bravo. Thx.
Thanks for the feedback. I did put a comment in the video that says it is important to not get the pan to hot and to test with a little splash of water is also a good idea to make sure the pan isn’t to hot.
I have recently bought 18/10 stainless steel pots and pans. I watched the video and followed the instructions as well as read the entire blog. I have a cpl questions. 1) can the pots be seasoned? 2) they didn’t come ou right and I’m chalking it up to inexperience. When I redo the seasoning steps, do I start all over by washing with soap? 3) how long do I let the pans smoke before I pull em off the heat?
As soon as the oil smokes pull off immediately and allow to completely cool. As long as you don’t use soap to clean the pans, you do not need to re-season the pan.
I’ve been doing this for the last few days and have a nice layer of non stick oil built up on my pan. I cooked a steak today, and it didn’t stick at all. However, the layer is starting to turn dark brown because I am just cleaning with warm water. Do I continue to build this layer up like you would on cast iron, or do I wash it clean after each use back to shiny?
When it becomes brown, usually the pan is a bit to hot. I would wash it and reason it and reduce the temperature a bit the next time you use it.
I don’t know why, I tried all above and eggs still stick badly to my two layer camping SS+ Aluminum frying pan. Only thing that worked and worked well was pulling oil in cold pan, putting in egg then turning flame on low. Egg sails out of pan now??? and saves gas 🙂
I see I cannot edit post ha, “pulling oil” should have been putting oil. Tried cold method for both real egg and egg substitute, used both Coconut and Canola, neither stuck.
Wow! I had no idea. I’ve always thought only cast iron was capable of this. Thank you for such an informative post.
Great idea. I bought the entire set of Emeril cookware because it’s made by All Clad and is cheaper than the branded All Clad cookware. The other thing I love about my set is that it has glass lids vice the solid stainless steel lids. I absolutely love, love. love my cookware. I accidentally boiled a pot dry once and I thought for sure it was a total loss, but after soaking it with a thick baking soda paste, it cleaned up perfectly and looks brand new! It pays to have good, sturdy cookware! 😀
I love this idea, but isn’t there some sort of concert about bacteria being on the pan from only being wiped clean, and not being soaped? I suppose I have the same concern about cast-iron pots like that, if you could reply about this, that would be great. Thanks!
Sounds great, but I have a concern. One of my children has a very severe dairy allergy. Usually I cook anything with cheese (eggs for example) I add it at the very end after taking out his portion. If I do not wash the pan well after cooking with the cheese or whatever it might be, am I posing a cross contamination risk the next time I cook something for him? I’m def too scared to try this out without gathering all the information first and learning more. Anyone?
Can anyone tell me if they have used the seasoned pan with steak? How well has it cleaned up after frying steak at a reasonably high temp to get the outside nice and brown and not a wishy washy grey colour….?
This would work great. The pan will get tidbits that will adhere to the bottom and that is fine. When your steak is to the desired doneness, take it off and deglaze the pan and make a delicious sauce. The pan will clean right up!
I have a question about re-using the pan without washing. I know there’s nothing left in the pan, but I would think the contact with raw food would leave some kind of residue that even after you wipe it out could cause someone to get sick when it’s re-used if not washed…. any thoughts?
Why would you be worried about raw food in a cooking pan. First this method requires that you pre heat the pan this would kill any bacteria on the surface of the pan (from previous cooking or from just the air around us). Then the raw food you are putting in the pan is being cooked killing all the bacteria on its surface and tuning it into cooked food , no longer raw. Heat cleans much better than any soap or detergent you would use.
Wow. Great post. But wondering the pan if not washed, doesn’t it collect bacteria/ germs?
I have thick pan for making Dosa (indian pancakes). Ever since I started using ghee/ coconut oil, it sticks to the pan and I cannot take out pancakes (tried onion/ paper towel/ more oil, waited until its hot enough before pouring batter etc.,) any idea how to deal with it? It is I think cast Iron (very heavy and 25yrs old)
Be careful doing this. I let my pan get too hot and when I put the coconut oil in it burst into flames and ruined my favorite pan.
In the video it says to heat the pan on high. I did and got a grease fire in my pan and my stainless steel pan is toast. This might work if you follow the written instructions and don’t pay attention to the video. The lady on the video says high heat while the instructions say medium. I wanted to post this as a warning to all the other folks like me that ain’t too bright.
This is tougher than it looks. I’m sure it’s user error. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong yet. I appreciate the comments from others who, like me, were having trouble but got it to work. Nice to read the troubleshooting, so I’ll keep trying. I have an all clad omelette pan, an apt size gas stove, and have tried flaxseed oil (fail), then after a scrub w/ bartenders friend, used coconut oil (fail). This next time I’ll focus carefully on pan heat.
Make sure you are preheating your pan over medium heat for a minute before adding in any oil. Once the pan is preheated THEN add the oil and continue on with cooking whatever it is you desire. Preheating is key.
I’ve also been having difficulty seasoning my SS. I did it two times carefully following the video instructions. I had a mirror finish and everything, but when I used the pan the egg still stuck with extreme prejudice. I read the comments here and saw that pan heat is critical, so I re-seasoned the pan and heated it until the water drop rolled around like mercury. As soon as the egg hit the pan….STUCK. I’m at a loss.
the music is distracting
noted
oops! got distracted by baby. not only smoked but burned! do I scrub it all out and start over?
I tried it. it worked , but only for one time. ive done this several times. the first thing I cook in it doesn’t stick but after that it sticks again.
My wife has a set of really heavy gauge aluminum pans. When I retired and started making my own lunch I found it irritating to use a five inch pan on a six inch burner. So after looking around, I found a six inch stainless steel pan just right for heating up soup for lunch? Such a useless piece of kitchen junk I’ve never used before. It’s just the right size for the burner, and it’s definitely long lasting because I will never use it again. After I get my soup eaten, I discover the pan has a deposit on the bottom that Sherwin Williams would like as a recipe for long lasting anti-skid paint. I’ve found that when I have a problem, I can look on the web for a solution because other folks usually have the same problem, and I can often learn by their experiences. All these comments prove that to be partly true, but not always for practical solutions. As an old fellow growing up with cast iron frying pans and grills, I certainly would never use stainless steel instead of them. After successfully using my wife’s five inch aluminum saucepans, I’d sooner buy a stove with a five inch burner than use stainless steel again. (I haven’t been successful in finding a six by three inch, heavy duty aluminum saucepan) All the comments here suggest to me that a lot of food is wasted every day trying to follow advice on how to use stainless steel cookware. But then, I guess we’re an affluent and wasteful society.
But then surely, you reheating the oil that was left over? which is not good for ones health?
Steve, My home economics teacher from long ago said….
“Get the pan hot before you put the butter in and the eggs won’t stick”.
Very easy and works every time~!!
Does doing this affect your ability to caramelize things like scallops?
-Tony
Thank you, I have juist been searching for information about this topic for a while and yours is the
best I have came upon till now. But, what in regards to the
bottom line? Are you sure concerning the source?
I’m confused…above you said as long as you don’t use ‘soap’ your pan will remain ‘non-stick’; however, in another post, you say to wash the pans after each use with warm soapy water because leaving the residue of cooked foods can cause sticking.
Can you straighten this out for me?
Thanks
Cooking with Stainless steel can be trying unless you preheat first. My “old” home-ec teacher said….
“Get the pan hot before you put the better in and the eggs won’t stick”. It has never failed for me.
I preheat, then spray with cooking spray, you can add a little butter for flavor and then the eggs.
Perfect every time~!!
Linda – Have you cooked hashbrowns in a stainless frying pan? I need to know the secret to keep them from sticking to the pan that works like your egg trick. Again, is the secret heating the pan first, then the oil/butter, then the food? I received a beautiful new set of All Clad for my birthday.
Thanks, Beth
Thanks for your reply ‘above’…appreciate your time. I’ll try it. I have one other question that I can’t figure out, given this new way to use stainless.
In my old ‘non-stick’ pan, I usually saute’ greens and once they’re wilted, then add eggs to the pan, cover until done; putting a cover on, kind of saute/steams everything and then I usually flip it once and it’s done. With this new stainless pan, I’m afraid if I pre-heat the pan and then add the greens, they’ll scorch.
Any suggestions?
Thanks again for your time/site. 🙂
Sorry for the misspelling…I meant butter…not better. I’m not sure whether adding the greens would destroy the coating or not, but I would preheat the pan then spray lightly with Original Pam (not olive oil version). If you add other oils to season the greens I would add just after spraying. Then cook the greens in your usual manner. I’m not sure it will work, but it’s certainly worth a try. Pans with a mirror finish work best, but even the less expensive ‘Revereware’ works well with eggs cooked in this way.
Hope this helps.
I’m not sure this is correct. When I season a pan I add a lid cap full of oil and then use a paper towel to spread that over the pan (after the pan was first heated). Then put it on full heat and leave it until all the oil has smoked off and it will not smoke anymore. I also leave it for 5 minutes after that. The pan will look burnt and dirty but that is a polymers. Let it cool and repeat about 7 to ten times. You really are burning the oil off to leave a very dark brown coating. It will look a mess the first time! It’s that coating that is non stick and will last a long time. The pan in the video is t seasoned at all, it just had some oil in it. You need to put small amounts of oil, wipe it round the pan to get a thin coating than burn it on. My pans are thick so timings vary. If you end up with something dark but stick it could be too much oils or it needs longer to burn the oil off
I will try this. Thanks
can you use this method
For stainless pots as well??
Nelly I am not sure why you would want to do them on pots? Most pots are used for boiling, stewing and not for frying up things. You certainly can, but I don’t see the use in seasoning pots.
Pots can be used for things like spaghetti sauce which often sticks to the bottom of the pan. So I’m sure she’s wondering if seasoning would prevent that kind of sticking.
This method worked beautifully for me this morning while making hash browns. I’ve been trying to cook them on my stainless steel pan for weeks, and all the wonderful flavor kept sticking to the pan, even with tons of oil, and it was almost impossible to scrape it off. I seasoned my pan this morning per these instructions, and ta-dah! Perfectly crispy hash browns! Thanks for posting this. Breakfast has been saved! 🙂
Jessica – My hashbrowns stuck to my pan, too. Did you season your pan by burning off the oil first? How many times did you do this before cooking the hashbrowns?
Thanks,
Beth
Thanks so much for the tutorial, it worked really nicely for my stainless steel pan! I followed directions exactly as it was in the video, and my eggs no longer stick in the stainless pan, and I was amazed when my omelette glides off the pan and there I was thinking I had to buy non-stick teflon pan, which I know it is quite toxic. Clean up was very easy as well just as it was in the video, I just wiped it off with paper towel. I hope the non stick surface stays longer if I don’t wash it with soap and water. Thank you again for the nice video!
So happy it worked for you! 🙂
Hi, i was wondering about stainless steel racks? I make beef jerky and i smoke it first on racks…but the cleaning afterwards is a real pain…do you think it possible to somehow season the racks so that the cleaning becomes easier? Thanks
Since you are initially heating the pan with nothing in it at a high heat, can you use a glass top stove too? Don’t want the stove to crack from the heat. Thanks.
The glass-top stove should be built to handle the heat, but do check your owners manual and start on medium heat and add more heat if needed.
Am I correct in understanding that you still need to cook on low to medium heat. I have been told that the best way to create a nice fluffy omelette is to add water to the egg mixture and the cook on medium high heat so that the water boils and creates bubbles in the omelette. This does work, but it’s hard to find a non stick pan that works on high heat.
Also, will grapeseed oil work. I understand it is a high heat oil.
I tried doing this while watching the instructional video, and now have one of the worst oil burns I’ve ever seen covering a good portion of my brand new pan :/ I watched the video and waited a couple minutes for my pan to get “really hot” and when I put the coconut oil on, it started smoking a lot and immediately. Within 30 seconds my pan was black and now I have to see if I can get it all off, but I do not have much hope. I’m sure I did something wrong, but this is still a HUGE bummer. 🙁
Hi Natalie,
Your pan will come clean. Get some Bar Keepers Friend and it will come clean. Next time, don’t heat the pan up as long. My guess is that you have a gas stove. Gas stoves heat up a lot faster. Reduce the heat next time and don’t go as long. I’d let it preheat on medium heat for about a minute, add the oil and wait for it to smoke, and then remove and proceed with the next steps.
Did the seasoning yesterday on an electric stove – worked very easily and came out OK – reflection was good too!. This morning, on medium hot, about a teaspoon butter and 4 eggs fried beautifully and no sticking at all. My SS pan is about 40 years old and I have NEVER been able to cook anything without sticking. Thank you so much for this – wish I knew this 40 years ago!!! (although the internet was not yet invented??)
Did the seasoning yesterday on an electric stove – worked very easily and came out OK – reflection was good too!. This morning, on medium hot, about a teaspoon butter and 4 eggs fried beautifully and no sticking at all. My SS pan is about 40 years old and I have NEVER been able to cook anything without sticking. Thank you so much for this – wish I knew this 40 years ago!!! (although the internet was not yet invented??)
Congrats! Happy you are finally able to use your SS pan after 40 years! (I love my older pans too, can not or will not get rid of them)!
I read on another thread where a guy was thankful to his chef school instructor
For the ss non stick trick of heating the pan very hot with oil and then adding several tbsp fine salt and scrubbing with a cloth while still hot. Wipe out, don’t wash, etc. Wonder what difference that would make other that buffing or removing cooking residue?
Thank you for a great post. I’ve practiced with my shiny new Tramontina Tri-ply and have managed to cook scrambled eggs in a nice, non-stick environment. I tried the exact same method with potatoes, however, and have had dismal results. Is there something else to do if you’re cooking room-temperature white or sweet potatoes? I’ve managed to mangle both and am dutifully returning to the kitchen to re-season my skillet. Thanks in advance.
I was told (but you should look this up) if you parboil your potatoes, then slice them, you need to then soak them for a bit in water to remove some of the starches. The starch is part of the reason for the potatoes sticking. I’m going to try this next time, after I successfully season my (now scratched) SS skillet. I do hope the scratches won’t really matter once it’s got a good coat of seasoning…always some concerns, right?
I love this tip! Thank you. But I have one concern (I’m OCD about germs). Is it really safe/hygienic to cook in a pan that only gets wiped cleaned but never washed?
HELP! I was too quick and wanted to season my brand new stainless steel frying pan. I put the coconut oil in before the pan was hot and now it is a sticky mess and brown and discoloured!!! How can I clean it? It won’t come off and I don’t want to do more damage. I can’t believe it!! Can anyone help out?
Apology Halle if this was asked before (trying to peruse the 102 comments above).
You mentioned that on high heat the metal expands, so the coconut oil seeps in causing the pan to become non-sticking. Two things came to mind:
1. Does that mean if you’re cooking on high heat (say Chinese stir fry .. say you don’t have a wok) .. does the gravy from the Chinese stir fry also seeps into the pan?
2. Mold and bacteria growth; after cooking on high heat and if you just wipe off the pan with a paper towel does the stuffs you cooked in high heat (that is seeped into the pan) becomes a concern for mold and bacteria growth? I’m assuming you’ll need to wash with soap and maybe warm water? and then re-season the pan again?
Thanks in advance Halle for your reply!
Thanks for asking this as that was my one question after I seasoned all my frypans.
Hi,
I tried this on a brand new Calphon stainless steel wok- burnt it to a toast! I don’t know if this works on stainless steel pans with aluminum bottoms? Because the Calphon I have is that way. The sides weren’t burnt, just the bottom. So if you wanted my assessment of the sides of the pan which is probably only stainless steel, then yes it seems like this method of seasoning was effective. I spent the rest of the day scouring and treating the pan with a stainless steel cleaner, still some burnt residue but not as bad. The oil I had smoked immediately. I would suggest watching the video instead of reading the instructions (I didn’t watch the video), but I still think my pan would still have burnt. Also, I have a glass top stove so maybe medium was still too hot.
I’m dumb, I couldn’t understand the word ‘seasoning’ relating to non-stick profile of cookware. I just know that some cookwares are non-stick wile some are not. We should try to buy only non-stick cookware for the cleaning convenience and high quality meals cooking.
Thank you, thank you. Have a number of All Clad stainless frypans and really didn’t enjoy using cause of seemingly sticking whether oil or not was used. The process works like a charm. Once again, thanks.
Awesome.. I will be giving it a shot. 🙂
I just got a new set of cookware and wondered if you should also season the pots? Or do you just do the pans? Thanks so much!
I just do the pans.
Stainless steel has very good properties, long lasting and most importantly it does not react with prepared food.
How do I know if a stainless steel pan is all clad? I have a few pans that I love but not sure if all clad. Please help.
While I wait for an answer I’m going to go season my pan. I’m used to doing that I used to cook on cast iron all the time. Not sure why I stopped come to think of it.
Also do you ever use the magic eraser on your pans to clean them?
It will clearly say All Clad on it, usually around the handle.
It works! Seasoned my small Cuisinart pan per your directions, then made an omelet! It slid right out of the pan onto the plate! Hooray! When I complained about sticking, a friend said “Season the pan.” I thought, “What, season a stainless pan?” Well I did it and it works! Thank google I found your site!
Hi, I am a chef. I used many kinds of pan. But I face problem in use of different pan. I get total knowledge from your post about pan. From now I will use this pan.
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!
Hi Halle,
Good work! Thanks for sharing this informative content. I get more ideas from it. I want to buy this wok for survival cooking.
Please forgive me if I don’t understand this, but I though this was supposed to be a “non stick” method where you can cook your eggs “without” any additional oil/butter. However, almost every comment is saying something like wait for the pan to get hot and then add your “oil/butter” and eggs. So, is it vital to add the “extra” oil after it has been seasoned, or can you just cook the eggs in a pre heated pan “without” the oil? Either way, I am going to try both methods, but I am hoping that I won’t have to use extra oil and avoid the extra calories and fat to get the seasoned stainless steel pan be non stick.
Brand new stainless cookware. Wash with soap and water first before seasoning? Thanks!