How To Use and Care for Non-Stick Cookware, To Make Them Last for Years
Non-stick cookware and pans cook meals with less oil and require minimal after-use effort. They remain durable, if cared for, and used with prudence. In this blog, we elaborate on the best ways to use non-stick cookware.
Table of Contents:
- What is non-stick?
- Why should one use non-stick cookware?
- How to make a non-stick pan, last for years?
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is non-stick?
The non-stick coating prevents food from adhering to the pan while it is cooking. The term “non-stick” is often used to describe surfaces that have been coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Anodized aluminum, ceramics, silicone, and enameled cast-iron are just some of the materials that have been marketed as non-stick coatings.
Why should one use non-stick?
The benefits of non-stick cookware include their easy cleaning prowess, the liberty to use less oil and their faster cooking capabilities.
How can one go about using a non-stick pan, such that it lasts for years?
To extend the life of non-stick cookware and make sure that it gives optimum service and needs to be replaced after a duration of three to four years only – these techniques maybe used.
- Use cooking oil as good pre-seasoning choice
Even though the pan is labelled “non-stick,” it still requires lubrication before use. The food may absorb the oil or butter, increasing the amount of fat in your meal. Hence, apply oil on a paper towel and clean the non-stick surface with it, to minimize absorption.
- Metal Cooking Spoons Should Be Avoided
It’s best to avoid turning or stirring food in a non-stick pan, with sharp objects like metal spoons or knives, if you want it to last long. Otherwise, the non-stick coating will wear down and need to be replaced.
- Proper Cleaning Techniques
To begin, use a soft sponge and warm-water, to wash the kitchenware. Prepare a mixture of baking soda and water to remove any burnt or oil residues. After applying the paste, wait 15 minutes, before washing it off. Use a paper towel soaked in vegetable oil to wipe the non-stick pan after cleaning it.
- Proper Storage
Try hanging your pans such that they don’t stick to each other. If you don’t have such an arrangement in your kitchen, keep the pans away from sharp items, to prevent damage and scratch the non-stick coating.
- The Pan is Not a Good Place to Store Food
If you keep your meal in a non-stick pan for a lengthy period of time, you may end up with a metallic flavour in your food – hence refrain from doing so.
- Do Not Prepare Acidic Foods
The non-stick coating on your cookware, may come off if you cook acidic food-items in them. Tomatoes and lemons, for example, have a tendency to remove even thin layers of nonstick lining.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Should you use oil on non-stick pans?
In comparison to regular stainless-steel pans, you don’t require as much oil while cooking, as you would if you used non-stick cookware. There’s no need or necessity to coat the entire pan. It’s alright to use a little oil, to create a barrier between the food and the pan. Olive oil or coconut oil are ideal cooking companions at low to medium heat. Ghee or avocado oil should be used when cooking at a high temperature. Since these fats are heat-tolerant, they can be cooked at high temperatures, without affecting the flavour of the food.
Always start by heating non-stick utensils with oil in them. The surface of your non-stick cookware, in such case, shall stay better protected.
- Is olive oil bad for non-stick pans?
Yes, if you heat olive oil over its ‘smoke-point’, it could damage even the best non-stick cookware. If you keep your nonstick pan on low heat, olive oil isn’t likely to do any harm. When one would want to understand how olive oil might damage nonstick cookware, one would need to know what “smoke point” is. Fat breaks down and burn at this temperature. At their smoke point, oils start emanating smoke. Olive oil that has reached its smoke point, forms thick residue on the pan’s surface. To get rid of this residue, you’ll need to use cleaning products that could damage your pan’s non-stick surface.
- Can you use PAM on non-stick pans?
Using cooking-spray (most often PAM), may destroy the coating of your non-stick utensils. These products, are supposed to lubricate your pan. However, oil isn’t their sole component. Cooking sprays also comprise the emulsifier, lecithin; anti-foaming agents like dimethyl silicone; and a propellant like propane or butane. The lecithin in non-stick sprays, cook into the pan’s surface, building up and becoming extremely difficult to remove.
