I love using stainless steel, and not having to worry about the aluminum in most cookware these days that can seep into your food, but I haven’t been able to solve the problem of getting them fully cleaned. I have used a hard scrubby numerous time, soaked them, put them in the dishwasher, boiled with baking soda, etc. but the black stains still remain. Any suggestions? I have only had my set for almost 2 years and they already look like they have endured 10!
Secondly, is it possible to cook omeletes/crepes in stainless steel? I have not found a solution to them sticking terribly to the pan and ending in a lovely mess no matter how much oil I put in. I would love to hear anyone’s alternative to this! Do you use cast iron? If so, how do you season these pans? This is new to me.
Thanks!
One of my favorite things to use to shine and clean my stainless is just a mild dish soap (I use Seventh Generation, or make my own using Sal Suds) and a little vinegar, then use a green scrubby to gently get things off.
As for keeping things from sticking, I use mostly butter – I’ve found that coconut oil works well with meats and veggies, but with anything like pancakes, crepes or eggs, it’s got to be butter. Why, I’m not sure – perhaps the higher fat content? Even grape seed oil doesn’t work as well – butter only, and I’ve had no issues.
We do use cast iron as well, and I love it! I picked mine up for super cheap at Winco, and seasoned it myself. Take some coconut oil, rub it generously into the pan and up onto the sides (inside of the pan only). Then stick it into a 350* oven for 1/2 to 1 hour (it will smell gross, so I set mine to run while we’re out of the house). After the time is up, turn off the oven and let it cool with the pan inside. Repeat this process three to five times over the course of a week or so, and by the end, you will see a bit of a patina start to appear. Use it to cook with – I used it mostly for things like bacon, stir fry, etc at first – something to give it a good base. *Note: DO NOT use soap to scrub your cast iron!! It will ruin the patina, and you will have to start from the beginning. Once you are done with the pan for the morning/evening, allow it to cool, then wipe it clean with a paper towel or if there are some stuck on bits, simply use a scrubby to gently dislodge them and rinse with warm water, drying immediately. Store the pan in your dark, cool oven, and re-season every few months if needed, or if your well meaning hubby does the dishes…
As you use the pan, it will naturally season and the non-stick will build up. I have used mine quite sporadically for about 8 months now, and it’s great – had I used it more, it would be even better. *Note: When cooking, cast iron does get hot enough in every use to kill any unwanted bacteria – so I’ve never had any issues or worries over not using soap to clean it.
Hope this helps!
Krista
I’ve had my stainless steel cookware for about 35 years. I still love it. The cleaner I have used is Kleen King. I’ve never found anything that I like as well. We moved to Texas from California 3 years ago and I can not find the product here. On a recent trip back to California, I stocked up on it as I do not want to run out again.
I stumbled across your website while looking for information about overnight soaking flour prior to baking. I love your site and am reading more and more about you as I find time. I do find you interesting since my daughter’s name is Lindsay Renee. She shares many of your values and interests. She lives in Eastern Washington and has two children 3 and 5. I’ve shared your website with her and hope she can find time in her busy schedule to check out some of the wonderful information you share on your site.
By the way I baked bread using the flour soaking method and your recipe with a few variations and my bread turned out heavenly. Thank you so much and God Bless your website homemaking ministry.
i clean all my cookware including the stainless steel with scratchless comet and a scrubber made by scotch brite i think ,which is stratchless also..i make a paste like consistency with the comet and water and scrub away . pots and pans look great
My father had diners ’til he was in his ’70s, then he switched to produce delivery. His egg frying pots (2 stainless, 1 rarely used aluminum) were NEVER washed. One time of soap and water will take months to get back to their original super slippery finish. So, like someone mentioned above, use just one pan for frying eggs. Things will stick during the initial uses. Wipe them out with a paper towel or your nails. If it doesn’t feel slick when you put it away, wipe some oil on the inside of pan before you put in away. Over time, it will become SUPER non-stick if the pan never sees water (or esp. soap).
As for iron, most of the new iron skillets I’ve seen are sandcast. That is the inside of the pot kinda has a sandy finish from the manufacturing process of poring hot metal into a mold made with sand. DON’T buy these–it will take decades to wear it all down. Instead, hit the garage sales and the antique malls for iron pots that have smooth insides. Doesn’t matter if they’re rusted to hell–you can remove it and season it. These smooth inside iron pots are worth many times what they’ll be sold for.
Nice and usefull post, thanks, this is one for my bookmarks!
I’d always use cast iron, if you get one, only cook egg/pancake type things in it and never wash it, just wipe off unused oil with a paper towel to season it, I’ve always found butter is better than oil to keep stuff from sticking on an unseasoned pan.
High heat and stainless are the only thing I know for omelet making. I have had a stainless 2 to 3 egg omelet pan for 35 years – I only use it for omelets, and I expose it to very little water, and only if I have to, and only briefly. Before I begin an omelet, I always scrub it first with a little table salt(a tsp or so) and a paper towel or soft cloth for a couple of seconds – somtimes I repeat this if needed. (Occasionally, I clean my cast iron skillets this way too, it gets rid of all of those almost microscopic particles of food stuck on the surface and leaves it smooth and clean.) I am going to explain how I make an omelet in order to illustrate how to keep your omelet pan from sticking. First, I melt 1/2 to a whole tlb of butter or margarine in the pan on med to med-high. The butter will foam up and then start to clear – now is the time to add your well beaten eggs, before the butter starts to brown which happens pretty quickly – so be ready or you will have to start over. I use a fork to move the eggs around until they start to thicken, then I begin lifting the edges of the omelet with a fork or rubber spatula and tilting the pan so that the eggs run over and under the edges of the cooked eggs until most of the eggs arecooked leaving the top of the omelet still quite wet (1/4 inch of the omelet should still be uncooked and runny.) Now I add to 1/2 of the omelet any ingredients which I have already prepared, sauteed, seasoned, etc., including salt and pepper if desired, and then top with cheese if desired. Then lift and fold the unadorned side of the omelet over with a spatula and finish cooking, I don’t usually turn the heat down at this point but sometimes with a 3 egg omelet it is necessary. When the cheese is melted, it’s ready and you can slide it out onto your plate. Voila! Sometimes the cheese oozes onto the pan surface and you will need to loosen the omelet with the apatula before sliding out. Right after you slide the omelet out of the pan, wipe it clean with table salt and a paper towel or soft cloth – be careful not to burn yourself, and put it away for the next time or cook another one. Very often, bits of either egg and/or cheese have stuck to the rounded bolts which secure the handle to the pan and it is hard to get it off. This is the only time I will use a bit of water and one of those flat green scrubby things to get it clean, while the pan is still hot. If you are going to make a second omelet, the pan is still quite hot and the butter will brown, so I ususally let the pan cool just a little bit before starting the second one.
If someone hasn’t mentioned it, Norwex has great products. No I’m not a distributor, but I do love their stuff. anyways check out the Spirinett or the Spirisponge, they’ll do the trick to get the gunk off.
hope it helps
The best thing for stainless to make it look like new is Cameo Stainless Steel powder. My mother and I have used this for ages and her Farberware. They are over 25 years old and look no more than 5. The key to using Cameo is using it more like a powder on the inside of the pan and the bottom of the pan where you will get stains, discoloration and burned-on food. Don’t waste your time trying to use boiling hot water. Just dump some powder on the burned food stain in the pot and do some scrubbing (I love elbow grease!) The best scouring pad to use for this is something called Golden Fleece. You can use those green pads that are common in every store, but they don’t quite make it as easy.You’ll never want to use anything ever again to clean your stainless. As always, when you want a nice polished shine on the outside of the pan, make a wet paste with cameo (you don’t need much for this) and shine the outside of the pot or pan. The finale is using regular soapy water to wash and rinse off any of the residue from Cameo. It will leave that behind if you don’t rinse thoroughly. All these other Bar Maid or various other white powder cleaners touted for stainless are a waste of time and don’t nearly get the pot clean. I’ve used them before and have had mediocre results. I chucked those powders out and ordered Cameo online as they don’t have that in any store I could find here in San Jose. Happy Cleaning!
Have you tried using baking soda? For 1 pan, I would use probably about 1/3 cup of baking soda and mix in water slowly to make a thick paste. Then use your fingers to rub the paste into the stain. I have stainless steel and this works for me everytime.
His,
Mrs. U
Goodness! I don’t know if my opinion will add anything to what has already been said, but…
-I cook eggs in stainless all the time (that’s all we had for the first few months of marriage). No need to cook them on high – keep the heat low and use oil/butter.
-the manufacturer’s instructions say to use Bar Keeper’s Friend (which we had to use once with a terribly burned-on crust) but other than that it’s stayed clean with just soap and the scrubby side of the sponge. Are you maybe using too high heat/too little fat?
I received a cast iron pan as a wedding gift and I am still learning to cook with it but have learned a few things! Bacon grease is great for it…it just soaks in great and keeps everything else from sticking! As for cleaning it just wipe it out with a wet rag or paper towel. Then I turn the burner on for a few seconds to dry it quickly. You don’t want to let it sit around wet as it will be more likely to rust!
Hope that is helpful!
Bar Keeper’s Friend! It will get just about anything off those stainless steel pans and it removes rust! It is a miracle product to me. You get the pan wet then sprinkle some on and rub it in and then rinse off and it comes off. I’ve used it on our drip pans for our oven and it has done wonders on those as well!
There are more cleaning tips with Bar Keeper’s Friend here:
http://barkeepersfriend.com/Cleaning.html
I have stainless steel pans but they are the waterless ones; not sure if that will make a difference here but I was told to use Bon Ami or Bar keeper’s friend. Either works great if made into a paste and allowed to sit for a short time. I then just wash as normal with dish soap to remove any residue. As for your omelet, turn down the heat. Things only stick in mine when the heat is up too high.
Hi there,
Wanted to give you my two cents. My first preference for any kind of cooking but especially eggs, omeletes & crepes is cast iron! I use the Lodge Logic that is preseasoned. I got a fabulous flat fry pan (about 10″ round) for about $10 at Walmart. It never leaves the stove. We have laying hens so we eat eggs for breakfast about every day. My husband likes his eggs VERY runny but I never have a problem with my pan. I spray it with a little EVOO first. I also do not clean it between every use…seeing that it is usually only used for eggs. If I use it for something else I clean it. It makes excellent omeletes and crepes. When I do clean I do not use soap. I use one of those pampered chef scrapers for the stones to scrape everything off and then dry it really well and spray a little oil on it. I don’t do a heat in the oven season for it but maybe 1-2 times per year. I will NEVER use a teflon pan again!
All of my pots are SS and I recently was given a LARGE wok pan that is SS that I really like. I’ve used it 1-2 times for eggs and don’t like it anywhere near as much but have found if I keep the heat medium-ish I don’t have as much sticking.
For cleaning stainless…I turned on the wrong burner once and REALLY burned the bottom of my stainless steel pot BADLY. My mother in law was up and she used a little bit of lemon juice and some baking soda. It took a little elbow grease but came off. None of my pans are in shinny SS condition anymore. I try not to worry. I know they are clean.
Good luck!!
I love your blog by the way. I’ve used a few of your recipes and plan to start using your monthly baking plan. Well, except for maybe bread. There are 4 of us here and we eat 2-3 loaves a week! UGH!
THanks for all the great ideas!
Someone may have already pointed this out, so if so, forgive me–I didn’t read through all the comments. I just switched to stainless from a lifetime of using non-stick teflon junk. Oh, what a difference! But my husband has to remind me often to keep it on lower heat and cook slowly. So far, I haven’t found anything that I can’t cook on my stainless, though I do enjoy using cast iron for certain jobs (it’s GREAT for grilled cheese!). Here is some info from the user’s manual on my set:
-Low to medium heat offers best cooking performance.
-Use high heat only for boiling or reducing liquids
-Medium to medium-high heat for sauteing, stir frying and frying
-Low heat for warming food, simmering and preparing delicate sauces
FRYING WITHOUT NATURAL FATS:
-Add oil, butter, or margarine to the cold pot; just enough to cover the bottom surface
-Preheat over low heat 1 to 2 minutes; Add food for frying.
CLEANING THE STAINLESS STEEL:
Immerse in hot water. Use a fine powder cleanser with water to form a paste. Apply paste using a soft cloth. Rub in a circular motion from the center outward. Wash in hot soapy water, dry immediately.
A side note–we just use regular dish soap and the soft side of a sponge, and that seems to work fine for us. But the powder way may be better. Also, make sure to let the pan cool completely before cleaning. Cleaning while it is still hot can damage the surface.
Sorry for the long comment…hope this information was helpful!
I too have Emeril’s All clad cookware. And I also have cast iron pans. All you do to season them is pour some cooking oil in the pan, and I use a paper towel to make sure the oil goes all over. (sides bottom etc) And then i put it in the oven on 250 (or so) for a few hours. And voila!
Cleaning stainless steel? I’ve had GREAT success w/Dawn dishwashing soap. I know you do your own soap and stuff, but I recommend Dawn. It cleans ANYTHING
I “flash” the pan when I am done cooking with it. I all do is take some water and while the pan is still hot pour it on it and scrape the pan. It cleans the food off and then you wash the pan as you normally would.
Hi, I’m fairly new to your site… but I’ve been here a few times by way of Tammy’s Recipes. I would like to tell you that I have used cast iron for 25 years and have had the same set of waterless stainless steel cookware for 16 years. Here’s what has worked for me: First of all, I can’t imagine not using soap on my cast iron pans!
For CAST IRON: if your food is a stuck-on mess, fill it with water and put on the stove to boil while you wash some other dishes. After a while, I use a metal spatula to scrape the bottom and sides (gently so you don’t splash)until most of it is unstuck. Put it in the sink and scrub it with a metal scrubbie (should be right next to the plastic net type ones at the store)and SOAP. The good thing about cast iron is that you can’t scrub too hard. I have even used a sanding sponge on mine. Anyway, after rinsing well, place on the stove on low to heat up so that it dries completely. While it’s warm, re-coat… the best thing to use is bacon grease, (I know it sounds nuts, but it really is the best!). I save mine in a jar just for this purpose. You can also use shortening, but oil tends to get gummy or sticky too fast. If you keep up with your cast iron they will eventually get as good as teflon. The main thing is that you clean all the food off of them completely, every time. The surface should be smooth. One time, my husband took my pan outside and forgot it for WEEKS! It rusted SO BAD… and since it was passed down from my Mom, he felt terrible and offered to fix it. I thought it was lost forever, but he used a hand grinder with a wire brush wheel on it and sanded it smooth again and believe it or not, it’s still my best pan!
For Stainless Steel: I use a stainless steel cleaner like Cameo, Bon-Ami, or BarKeeper’s Friend. For scrubbing, use it dry… for instance, on the inside of the pan. For the outside, use more water to make it soupy and it will work more like a polish. I use it very often (almost every time I wash them) and find my food sticks less if it’s CLEAN.
Just go back to the shop where you bought your stainless steel.
Sometimes there’s a manufacturing mistake.
Eggs.
I never make them in stainless steel, but you could try baking paper underneath.
I like to wok the eggs.
Just a little oil, high heat and eggs.
You can find my “works for me” at:
Laane on the World
Have a great day!!!
I have just started using cast iron pans in our house and I love them. They did take some getting used to for me, but my husband grew up with his mother using cast iron. She has quite the collection.
I bought a pre-seasoned skillet last year and just got a 2-burner griddle/grill pan. There were instructions that came with it (we got Lodge) on how to season it when needed. To clean the pan, I just use a scrub brush(no soap), dry it with a towel and then put a little oil in it and wipe it around.
I also never use the cooking spray when cooking ith it. I just use butter or oil.
There’s a difference between permissible and recommended. The high heat and harsh chemicals in dishwashers do not mean your All-Clad will be ruined, but it’s not recommended.
Good Morning,
I have All Clad Stainless Steal – a wedding gift – and it RECOMMENDS it be dishwashered! When it stains I soak it with dishwasher detergent overnight (put a couple table spoons in and fill with boiling water – ignore until the morning). My friend swears by Bar Keepers friend to maintain hers. (Available with the comet in the grocery store)
As for eggs, maybe try turning down the heat a bit. Also, I like to add a bit of water and cover with a lid, and that always helps too!
Hope this helps!
Hum, it didn’t publish my comment, I think because I had a link in it. Anyways, the quality of your pans affects how they wear and tear, and I have the Emeril set from All-clad and I’ve only had black crusties to deal with a few times. Those times, I used a technique called deglazing to get my pans clean. You just, while the pan is still hot, add enough liquid to thinly cover the bottom of the pan and get to stirring. Take the pan off of the heat while you add it and then put it back on. I usually use a little bit of white vinegar.
And polishing stainless steel with lemon juice seems to work too.
Another thing to consider is your heat. My pans are best utilized around medium to medium-low. Stainless steel heats more evenly and stays hot a lot better than thin, cheap, teflon pans. They usually aren’t meant to be high-heat affairs.
It IS possible to make crepes/omelettes in stainless steel, and the trick is VERY low heat and allowing the oil to heat in the pan first before adding the mixture. That way, instead of combining, it cooks the surface quickly and stays separate.
That works for me.
I agree that cast-iron works great for eggs, though. If you have a well-seasoned pan, even if it’s a new lumpy one like mine is, grease the pan, and use a lower heat, it works awesome. I love to make “oven omelettes” in my cast iron skillet.
I have the Emeril set, and I’ve not really had a problem with black stuff. One thing you might try is deglazing your pans. I use white vinegar to deglaze mine on occasion.
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/deglazing.htm
My mom told me that the quality of your pans affects how they wear and tear, which is one reason I splurged on the Emeril set (I think All-Clad makes it).
I use an SOS pad on my SS. Every 6 months or so I go nuts with Comet and an SOS pad to get the black stuff off. I don’t worry about it too much. I’ve had my set for 14 years now and give it a pretty hard workout.
For eggs and other things, nothing beats cast iron for healthy and earth friendly. Just make sure you get the smooth, old stuff. I learned the hard way about CI and you can read about it here:
http://janelmessenger.blogspot.com/2007/03/works-for-me-using-and-seasoning-cast.html
hth
Try using “Bar Keeper’s Friend” on the SS pots.
As for cast iron to season that my mom always wipes it with a thin layer of Crisco and then bakes the pan in a 250° oven for an hour(or til it looks dry).
HTH!
Have you looked into getting some enameled cast iron pans? (that is a link to some less expensive brand as opposed to the Le Creuset pans, and a website with some great articles) I haven’t yet used them myself, but that would take care of the health concerns and sticking… I’ve heard lots of great things about them, and am looking to get some pans myself. Maybe for my birthday
I always get great results with Bon Ami. It is a gentle, earth-friendly polishing cleanser.
Oh, and dishwashing stainless steel pans is not recommended. Also, don’t dishwash cast iron, anything wood, or kitchen knives.
I worked in a highend kitchenware boutique for a while so I know a lot of these answers! yay.
*Stainless steel–sometimes the grunge won’t come off. Get a stainless steel cleaner (it may have some ingredients you won’t like though; I don’t know). Have you tried a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (again with the cleaning ingredients, though; sorry)? You can call the vendor directly, too, or call AllClad (here’s AllClad’s website: http://www.all-clad.com/ and their 800 number: 1-800-255-2523. Even if your cookware isn’t their brand, they are very helpful and can give you some more particular pointers.
Also with the stainless steel: do not use spray-on oils like Pam on them. The propellant builds up on the pan and it’s practically impossible to get it off.
*Omelettes/crepes: I always recommended teflon. If you do not heat it to screaming-hot, it’s not dangerous, won’t kill your birds, and won’t cause flulike symptoms. (Follow the manufacturer’s instructions!) However, teflon still creeps some people out, so you might try a cast-iron crepe pan. The only one I know of is by Le Creuset (here’s their site: http://www.lecreuset.com/ AND here’s the crepe pan: http://www.lecreuset.com/usa/products/guide.php?category_id=13 ). Le Creuset is really a great product and should last generations if you care for it properly. It’s worth the cost–it’s expensive but you have to pay for quality.
*Seasoning cast iron: Lodge Manufacturing has a great tutorial. Here’s the link: http://www.lodgemfg.com/usecare2.asp?menu=logic Except I HATE cooking sprays! Just use oil/shortening! (Don’t use oil with a strong flavor, like olive oil. The flavor will seep into the pan and flavor all of your food, even if you don’t want it to.)
Hope these help! Good luck.
Teflon!!! Please don’t. Teflon has some frightening chemicals in it, and I have never had a problem with my cast iron pans. I have grown up with cast iron, never used anything else, and have never had a problem making perfect omletes and fried eggs while using very little oil.
A couple tips:
Wash with very hot water and minimal soap
Never let soak or sit in water, especially soapy water
Hand dry immediately (or rust spots can form)
Place the cleaned cast iron pan on the heated burner of your stove for a minute or two to make sure that it is bone dry. While the pan is still hot and on the stove burner, lightly oil inside of pan (I mean a light coat). Coconut works great. Vegetable oil or other that are liquid at room temp tend to leave a sticky film.
This is almost exactly how I clean my Lodge cast iron skillets, except I never use soap. A short soak with HOT water, and a stiff scrub brush gets them clean. After towel drying and heating for a minute or two on the burner, I use a light coating of lard as maintenance seasoning. I LOVE my cast iron skillets!
I make my 1 1/2 year old son an egg daily for breakfast, and I have almost no problems with sticking. I follow the cleaning and seasoning steps above, and when I’m ready to cook the egg, I add a little grass fed butter to the skillet. After it melts, I fry the egg. Works beautifully.
My skillets are fairly new (one is 7 months old, and one about a month old) and already the seasoning is fine. I expect it to get better and better with use.
I was reading a seasoning tutorial which warned against using lard for a seasoning because of the possibility of the lard going bad or something (rancid?) and recommended sticking with plant-based oils to season. If you use everyday, I’m guessing that wouldn’t be an issue though…just something to consider.
Hello. I have only had my SS cookware since Christmas and I have Pampered Chef so I have no idea if that makes a difference since this is the only SS I have owned, thanks to my mom. Anyway, I use the PC nylon scrapers, after soaking a while I just scrape and except for some discoloration they are clean. I don’t have a dishwasher so all my stuff is handwashed. My DH complains about seeing the pans soaking for so long but it does work. I haven’t attempted an omelet but I have made pancakes and I use the Aldi brand of non stick cooking spray and coat the pan quite a bit and haven’t had much of a sticking problem.
Hope that helps some.
My blog is at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/OhioSarah
To get some stains/sticky stuff out of SS I use a little bit of baking soda and some elbow-grease…too bad elbow grease didn’t help w/seasoning cast iron.