I haven't mastered stainless yet either, it helps to get the pan hot before adding the food. As for eggs, they are probably going to stick unless you use some butter to cook them in.
I'll be watching to see the advice you get.

I preheat the pan, then add either olive oil or butter and then the food, on medium heat.

One problem I am having is that after washing the pans, there's sort of like a shadow of whatever food I cooked on the bottom. For instance, black eyed peas that I had to cook on the stove longer to get them soft the other night.......after emptying out the pot and washing it, there was shadows of the little peas on the bottom. I used comet to get it off. You can't "feel" it, you can just "see" it.

I dont like that part of these pans. I read somewhere to get Bar Keepers Friend to clean them. What a hassle.

I have had my set of Allclad for a couple of years now.

I never cook eggs in them.....I use either a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a non-stick skillet. I will always have a non-stick pan for eggs. However, if you keep the cast iron well seasoned, which I have to do on a regular basis, it works as well.

As for the stains in the stainless steel, legumes are the worst offender. I do use Barkeeps Friend but not every single time. They are cooking utensils and not meant to be on a showroom display. My kitchen is the same way....it is a working kitchen and most times would not look good in a magazine display! I love the pans. Even if things stick, I just soak them a while in soapy water and the stuff just floats off. My biggest complaint (I am a grandma) is they are so heavy! If I use the largest skillet, I have to have my husband help me with it if I am pouring.

I still think they are the best pans I have every owned and I have been cooking since 1961. They should be for what they cost!

I hope you begin liking yours more. They don't require high heat.....that will help with the sticking somewhat.

glenda

I have the Health Craft SS. I was told to use 1 T. of butter in the skillet to keep eggs from sticking. It does work, but I prefer my non-stick for eggs.

As to cleaning it when you get that "shadow" of the food you cooked, if it bothers you, use the Bar Keepers Friend, similar to Comet. This is what my manual says. For stains on the outside/bottoms, use stainless steel cleaner, like you would for ss appliances.

For meats, heat the pan first, put your meat in, and DO NOT move the meat for at least 3 minutes. It is ready to turn when it completely releases from the pan on it's own. When the layer of protien against the skillet is cooked is when it will release on it's own and is ready to turn.

Tami

I admit for eggs I use an AC non stick pan but anything else. Heat the pan, add the oil and heat the oil, then add the food items. I agree with using Barkeepers friend which AC recommends.

OMG my husband just burnt pizza in one of my new ss pans. Smells awful in here. Black triangles burned into the bottom of the pan.......... Off to get Bar keepers Friend.

All my pans are all-clad. I have one non-stick pan we use for eggs.

Everything else cooks and cleans up like a charm. There is a skill to using SS. You MUST heat the pan on high heat for a minute or two, then add about 1 Tbsp (more if it's a big pan) of fat, swirl it around till it shimmers, then add your ingredients and turn down the heat if required. SS is VERY responsive so turning down the heat will instantly lower the temp of the pan.

As Tami said, leave the meat in till it releases on it's own, then flip.

For cooking legumes, if you have a residue, as others have said, use Bar Keepers friend.

I've used white vinegar in my SS stockpot for "bean shadow" and after a couple minutes, the shadow is gone.

Bar Keepers Friend is great stuff! Took off all the shadows! My pans look new again.

Found this on Serious Eats (I think.) It might give too much scientific detail, but it works!

Here is a link that might be useful: properly heating your pan

I may not get my pan hot enough before adding the oil and then food. I will try that and see.
Last year for Christmas DH told me I could get a new Electrolux range, but I just got it a few months ago. So I am cooking on a new stove also, which I love, but it cooks alot different than my old one, hotter!

My Mother always cooked with SS, she had waterless cookware. She fried eggs and everything else and I don't remember anything sticking. She also had a can of barkeepers friend for cleanup.

Thanks for all your help and Ovenbird, thanks for the link. I am going to try the water technique.

Bar Keepers Friend now has a cookware/stainless cleaner, only avail thru their website - I use the regular Barkeepers Friend, but keep meaning to order this cookware cleaner.
I use the same technique as loves2cook for cooking in my stainless - the stainless that sticks no matter what or how I cook in it is the All Clad Brand pan -grrrrr

Here is a link that might be useful: Barkeepers Friend for Cookware

trixietx:

Loves2 , has it right !!!

Let us know how you made out.
LOU

Trixie, my Health Craft SS is waterless also! I am still getting used to it, but have put most of my old stuff away, which is making me use the good stuff! I still tend to use more water than I should for veggies, but at least I am not burning them. What flavor! And I am not a veggie person.

Shaun, you can also put some baking soda and water in your burnt on pan, bring to a boil, then turn off the burner, letting the pan sit on the burner to cool completely before washing as usual. It might take more than once, but it works!

Tami

Tomato sauce or catsup removes all shadows for me. And cleans all my copper bottoms too! No scrubbing at all, just either cook sauce in it or cover bottom with sauce for 30 minutes and rinse.

But like someone else said, my pans are for cooking and I don't worry much about the stains.

I have a couple Revere Ware cookies sheet pans that my mother bought back in the late 50Âs. I didnÂt remember her ever using them but thatÂs what my dad said when he gave them to me. Even with parchment paper they leave a cloud from the cookies and bar keepers friend is the only thing that takes it off. They are beautiful heavy stainless pans but I donÂt like them for cookies so maybe thatÂs why they looked like they had never been used. They are 15 ¼ x 10 ½ x 1 if not cookie pans what would you use them for?

Claudia

gldnol: I'm in the same boat you are with the heaviness of some of the fry/saute pans. I sure wish we didn't lose what muscles we have as we grow older. Unfortunately, sometimes you have only one hand to use to to lift the pan to pour out the contents and the first time I did this the handle of the pan rotated in my hand due to the weight and I narrowly averted a big time disaster with hot liquid splashing over everything, including me. I did call the wonderful place where I had mailordered the pan and asked for advice. They sent me, free of charge, several heavy rough suede handle covers that were stitched in such a way that they kept the handle from rotating. I still don't take anything for granted when I pour hot stuff from the pan, and try to stabilize the handle on my arm, grabbing the handle as close to the pan as I dare.

As far as the iridescence and discoloration: I just try not to look at it until I have the time and inclination to get out the BarKeepers Friend.

Wow, I learn something almost every time. I always thought the reason my eggs stuck to my Healthcraft or Revereware was I used oil instead of butter. Butter seems to help a lot but had never seen the water test. Mom always told me to use butter or lard in the cast iron and it always seemed to work until the pans were heavily seasoned, then I could use any kind of oil for eggs. But I'll probably continue to keep a nonstick pan for eggs when cooked without frying bacon first as I'm always in a hurry it seems.

I feel the same way as Glenda pretty much. They are utensils to be used and build character upon! :)

My non-stick pans are needed but disposable. When they aren't as non-stick as they used to be, I replace them.

LOVE my All Clad!

Claudia, those are jelly roll pans. I have used them for cookie sheets for years, but most usually for desserts or jelly rolls/pumpkin roll breads.

Tami

Thanks Tami, IÂm sure you are right itÂs just funny to me because my mother was a good cook but hated to cook. I canÂt imagine her ever making any kind of jelly roll or many cookies for that matter. IÂm pretty sure she must have gotten them when she bought the restaurant stove for the lake house. My dad did all the cooking on that stove and still dose. Mom didnÂt like using it so when they built there last house dad had the big stove and mom had a small cook top. Dad was a cook in the Navy and still fryÂs everything on the griddle. LOL He will be 89 next month eats fryÂs everything and his cholesterol numbers are that of a healthy 12 year old.

Claudia