While olive oil is a staple in many kitchens, it's not the best choice for high-heat cooking. Its relatively low smoke point means it can start to burn quickly, leading to a bitter taste and potential residue buildup on your stainless steel pan.
If you're going to cook over high heat, use oil with a high smoke point, such as grapeseed or sunflower. If you're only cooking over medium heat, olive oil works too. Avoid cooking sprays, which can polymerize onto the pan's surface and become difficult to remove.
The best containers for storage are glass (especially tinted glass), ceramic, porcelain, or non-reactive metals such as stainless steel. Olive oil will oxidize rapidly if it is not kept in a sealed container. If olive oil is stored in a bottle, always replace the cap on the bottle and keep it tightly sealed.
For a stainless steel pan, achieving a non-stick surface starts with preheating. Before adding food, let the pan heat up for about two to three minutes. Next, add a thin layer of oil with a high smoke point, such as canola or vegetable oil. Let the oil heat until it shimmers but isn't smoking.
Quick tips to remember as you roll up your sleeves: a little elbow grease works wonders, and never use an abrasive sponge such as steel wool, Brillo® pads, or copper pads, as these will permanently damage the finish on stainless steel cookware and appliances.
Fat is your friend
Using oil when cooking with stainless steel is crucial for preventing food from sticking. Begin by preheating your pan over medium heat for a few minutes. After about 2-3 minutes of preheating your pan, add a fat source such as butter or oil.
The key to cooking with stainless steel is understanding temperature control. The surface of all stainless steel is somewhat porous at the microscopic level. As the pan expands with heat, these pores shrink. Foods will stick to your pan if they get pinched by contracting pores.
While olive oil is a staple in many kitchens, it's not the best choice for high-heat cooking. Its relatively low smoke point means it can start to burn quickly, leading to a bitter taste and potential residue buildup on your stainless steel pan.
The answer is quite simple: light is another enemy of oil, and is responsible for its oxidation just as much as oxygen. The bottles should therefore be stored away from the light, in a cool dry place. The oil used on a daily basis should be kept in small cruets, ideally made of steel, tin, porcelain or dark glass.
Olive oil is a great option for cleaning stainless steel, such as pots, pans, and appliances.
Does Stainless Steel Cookware Need to be Seasoned? No, we don't recommend seasoning stainless steel cookware.
The best oil to season your stainless steel cookware is one with a high heat smoke point. Some of the best oils for seasoning are peanut oil, vegetable oil, and grapeseed oil. You will want to avoid oils which smoke quickly when put on high heat, such as coconut oil, canola oil, and olive oil.
Once the pan is preheated, add oil or cold butter and allow the fat to heat up before adding food. “This 'hot pan, cold fat' method prevents food from sticking,” Staley says.
The emulsifiers, in particular, have a tendency to build up into a sticky, cooked-on coating. “Cooking sprays are very gummy and virtually impossible to get off the pan,” says Stafford. Use butter or oil instead!
The key lies in proper preheating and temperature control rather than creating a non-stick surface through seasoning. By heating the pan to the correct temperature—around 320 degrees Fahrenheit—and using a small amount of fat, eggs can be cooked without sticking even in a brand-new, unseasoned stainless steel pan.
Drop a few drops of water into the pan. If those droplets start dancing merrily, the pan is perfectly at temperature. If the drops slowly evaporate, then your stainless steel pan is still too cold. If the drops disappear immediately, then the pan is too hot.