#TakeCareofNon-StickCookware

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How to Take Care of Your Non-Stick Cookware?

We all love that non-stick cookware. However, once that inside coating is gone, all you’re left with is just some common cookware that will, most likely, serve you to only boil food in it. We’ve done some research on the matter and we learned that there are several ways to care for it. This is how you’ll no longer replace it so frequently. From seasoning to storage, we’ve got you covered.

Give a read to your non-stick cookware directions

Well, any product nowadays comes with a sort of instructions manual and such a cookware is no exception. Of course, each cookware brand comes with specific features that require a certain care treatment. This is why we think reading the instructions can greatly help you better understand your products. Once you unbox your items, the first step is to read the instructions. You’ll find anything related to how to clean it and take care of it. There’s no excuse not even if you’ve already thrown the manual to the garbage. Nowadays, everything you need is available online. so just Google the brand and you’ll surely find all the information that you need. What to keep in mind when seasoning your non-stick frying pan Any non-stick coating is bound to wear off at some point. This is why you’ll find that some manufacturers actually advise you to season your pan before you put it to use. Moreover, you should, as they suggest, repeat the seasoning process twice a year just to make sure your item last longer. However, this can be valid only for certain brands. This is exactly why we strongly recommend you to first and foremost read the manufacturers’ instructions. You’ll find, with certain brands, that seasoning is expressly not advised upon. In addition to this, instructions are valuable because not all seasoning can be done to the same degree for all brands of cookware. While some may require a seasoning at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, others will only ask for a seasoning on the stovetop at medium for 5 minutes. Before you do any type of seasoning, you should understand what this process is all about. Similar to an iron pan, the goal of seasoning is to create a chemical reaction, known as polymerization. During it, the smaller molecules are combined in order to create larger ones. Experts explain that this type of chemical reaction basically fills the penetrable cooking surface with carbonized oil. This is how a protective barrier is created, that will prevent any oxidation of your cookware. Moreover, seasoning prevents your pan’s surface to accumulate rust and so prolongs its life. How to season your non-stick cookware? There are several steps that an appropriate seasoning is made of. First you’ll need to wash and dry the item, by making sure that to grease is left on the surface. Next, you can dab either vegetable or canola oil on a paper towel. With it, you can spread a thin coating over the inner surface of your pan. Keep note that you should avoid using cooking sprays because these reduce performance over time. Third comes exposing your pan to heat, but only as instructed by the brand’s manufacturer. And finally, after it gets cooled, you can remove any excess oil with paper towels. Now, your seasoning is complete! Again, with the risk of repeating ourselves, we strongly recommend to carefully read and understand the heat, which you’ll need to expose your pan to. If not certain, read the instructions again and make sure that you know what you’re about to do and that you read the right instructions for your pan’s brand. What stovetops are appropriate to be used with non-stick pans? One of the criteria that stovetops can be categorized by is the way they heat your cookware. Keep on reading to learn some tips for using non-stick pans with certain stovetops. The gas and electric stovetop A common type of stovetops is the gas and electric one. These create heat by using either a flame or a heated metal. This is then transferred to the base of the pot or pan through the process of thermal conduction. No matter what type of non-stick cookware that you have, know that you can use it with all gas and electric stovetops. However, keep in mind that any temperature above 570 degrees Fahrenheit can damage your pans. According to specialists’ opinions, you should always choose much lower temperatures. Just set the burner to a medium or lower whenever you cook in non-stick pans or pots. The smooth electric cooktop For the smooth electric type of cooktop, things are pretty much similar with the previous type we discussed. The sole difference is the smooth ceramic glass coating, which is just a plus for a better look. Therefore, you should follow the same rules. This type of cooktop can work very well with non-stick cookware, but just make sure that you keep medium or lower cooking temperature or even below. You can get really good results in terms of an appropriate thermal conduction is you choose to cook with a flat-bottom pan. The induction cooktop These ones have a similar look with the smooth electric cooktops, but they have a different functioning mechanism. To put it differently, they don’t actually generate heat. Just below the ceramic surface, you can find a coiled wire for each induction burner. This generates an oscillating magnetic field. This heats up the magnetic metal located inside the cookware directly. This is highly probable to result in faster heating times and more even cooking temperatures. Therefore, instructions are more than obvious. With any induction cooktop, you’ll need magnetic metal cookware. This means that any aluminum, glass, and copper won’t do a good job with an induction range. Instead, choose the cast iron, steel, and magnetic stainless steel items. Now, you’re not completely forbidden to use non-stick cookware with your induction cooktop. Actually, there are several brands to choose from, such as Nuwave, Techchef, Royale, Update, and Cuisinart. These offer magnetized bottoms, which work well with this type of cooktop, but the prices are a little spiced up, though, from $15 to $30+ each. All in all, whenever you’re not sure if a pan will work with your cooktop, just use a magnet. If it sticks, then you’re good to go and start cooking. So if you have a non-stick magnetic bottom cookware, always follow the same rules we mentioned in the previous lines. Maintain a medium or lower temperature for your burner. This is how you’ll provide sufficient protection to your pans’ inner coating. What to know when using non-stick cookware? A golden main rule when using non-stick cookware is that there are certain ingredients that just don’t go with this type of cooking items. We’ve gathered some rules you should follow, in terms of foods and utensils. Also, we’ve got you covered on some cooking tips. Learn what meals go best with non-stick pans Not all meals will be cooked the proper way with non-stick pans. Here are the foods that go well with a non-stick pan. Foods with a delicate texture because these easily flake or become tattered. So non-stick pans work with eggs, pancakes, and fish fillets. You can very well warm up any of the leftovers you have around. Foods that require a low to medium cooking temperature. By now, you should know already from our article that non-stick coatings get damaged at too high temperatures. Therefore, the ingredients you choose should cook well at no more than 350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. To help you more, here’s what foods don’t work well with non-stick cookware. Steaks and meat that you want to sear will not cook well in a non-stick pan, for instance. You’ll need almost 600 degrees F in order to get an appropriate sear. This is far too much of a temperature for non-stick cookware because the inner coating will surely not withstand. Having really low heat conductive features, non-stick pans will give your steak quite the uneven crust. Friendly stovetop dishes are mandatory to be used when cooking in the oven. Even though some non-stick cookware is oven safe, the vast majority is not. Therefore, think twice before cooking up casserole or shepherd’s pie. Here’s a tip: if you want to get a good sear for your meat, a cast iron pan is the best choice! Always use silicone or wooden cooking tools Inner coatings can be easily scratched, especially with non-stick cookware. Therefore, never use metal spatulas, spoons, and other such tools. Otherwise, your non-stick pan’s great features will be ruined quite fast. A best choice is to turn to those silicone, wooden, or even plastic cooking tools. These won’t scratch the inner coating of your non-stick cookware. Don’t try to pre-heat your non-stick pan When you pre-heat a dry pan on the stovetop in order to reach a certain temperature before you add your fats and ingredients, that’s called “charging”. This is done so that you get an evenly heated surface of your pan. However, when it comes to non-stick pans, charging is definitely not an option. These are usually made from a thin metal and so they will never retain heat. This results in exceeding the maximum recommended temperature too fast and so damaging the inner non-stick coating. Moreover, such high temperatures lead to harmful gases being discharged, which are known to cause flu-like symptoms in humans and can be fatal for birds. Always be aware of those temperatures By now you should’ve already understood that any non-stick cookware has a certain heat maximum limit. The challenge comes when you need to measure heat on a stovetop. How to do it, then? A common answer cannot be valid for all types of such cookware. What will tell the difference is the thickness of the metal base. This will definitely make a difference. Here’s our three- point rule book for avoiding risky temperatures: always choose those non-stick items made with a thick metal bottomcheck your stovetop burner to stay below mediumas you use such a cookware for the first times, it’s best advisable to track the heat inside the pan with a kitchen thermometer If ever the case that your pan will start smoking, just remove it form the stovetop and place it under a fan. Before doing any examining and washing, let it completely cool. Make sure you use cooking fats with your non-stick cookware This might sound intriguing, but non-stick coating cannot provide a complete lubrication, so to speak. Reality is that you’ll still have to use some oil or butter to create a complete non-stick feature. This is required due to the differences in the cooking ware’s surface texture at a microscopic level. There are ups and downs in the surface, which means that not all the food will come in contact with the pan’s surface. As you start cooking your veggies or meat, these foods’ moisture will create steam pockets. Therefore, a buffer of space is formed that will result in an unevenly cooked food. It makes sense that fatty lubricants, such as oil or butter, will greatly improve the way you cook your food in no-stick cookware. Such additions will help your pan to transfer heat evenly. As a result, you’ll get better dishes. A good tip to keep note of is that with you need to add your oil or butter when the surface is still cold. This keeps the temperature not going too high and the pan to not smoke as it heats. First the bubbles and then the ingredients Once you added your butter, wait for it to make the bubbles and only after add the other ingredients. Give it enough time to heat at the appropriate temperature before you add the other foods to the pan. Keeping in mind that non-stick pans can only heat to a maximum of a medium temperature, the bubbles shouldn’t take too long to appear. Just have patience and don’t add the other ingredients too soon. Otherwise, they’ll act like sponges that’ll absorb the fat and heat won’t get evenly transferred. Always cool before washing This one is really important if you want to use your non-stick cookware for a longer period of time. Before rinsing it, always let your pan completely cool. Such sudden changes in temperatures can lead to cracks in the inner coating. In time, those can result in flaking, which means that that non-stick texture will start damaging more and more. What would be a simple way to avoid such cracks? Just have a little patience and don’t rush into rinsing your pan as soon as you finished cooking with it. Let it cool on its own and only then put water in it. Tips to clean your non-stick cookware In order to not have to change your non-stick cookware that often, you need to wash it the right way. Here are a few tips we’ve gathered for you. Use a soft cleaning tool first As you give you pan a well deserved soak in water, after it served you so well in showing your cooking skills, give this rule a thought. Never start rinsing your pot with an abrasive utensil because it will only damage the inner coating. Start with the soft side of your cleaning sponge and then move on to a nylon brush, but only if necessary. Non-stick is no friends with the dishwasher It’s true that non-stick cookware is easy to care for, but keep note that they should always be hand washed. The high temperatures and chemicals in your cleaning substances that your dishwasher uses can damage that so valuable inner coating. Baking soda to deal with those stubborn bits of food that still hang on While it’s really rare to see some leftover bits of food hanging on to your non-stick pan, exceptions can occur. If you’ve brunt the food a little, just use some baking soda and water to soak your pot. After this step, use vinegar and water to remove all the debris. However, after finishing your cleanse, keep an eye for any discoloring. If the case, you should say "bye-bye" to your non-stick pan, that is actually not that non-stick anymore. When should you get rid of your non-stick cookware? The time you get to use the same non-stick cookware is highly linked to how well and how much you use it. As much as you’d like to use it for more than just several years, there comes a time when you certainly need to replace it. There are some early indicators that it’s time to spend some money and buy yourself a new pan. These include surfaces that are peeling or appear pitted. A non-stick coating is non-reactive and so it will safely pass through your system, not damaging your health. However, a damaged inner coating will significantly change the way your food tastes, as it cooked in such a pan. You’ll get quite the trouble trying not to get your food to stick to the pan’s surface. Experts advice that after five years, any non-stick cookware should be replaced. This is the common period after which the inner coating gets worn out and so effectiveness significantly goes down. Conclusions Using non-stick cookware was something that our grand grandparents were not very familiar with. It’s a real help in the kitchen, but we need to learn how to use in order to get the best out of it. Here’s a recap of what we’ve been telling you in this article. Always read the instructions and make sure that you understand the temperatures you can use your cookware at. Make sure that you apply the appropriate seasoning techniques for your non-stick cookware. Each brand comes with its own instructions, so first study them and after apply them. Use wooden, silicone, or plastic utensils only in order to avoid premature scratching of your pan’s surface. And last, but not least, make sure you replace your non-stick cookware once you notice that it deteriorated. Read the full article