Maintaining the right temperature is the foundation of successful egg cooking in stainless steel. A medium-low heat setting around 320°F creates the optimal cooking environment, preventing both sticking and burning. This sweet spot allows proteins to set gradually without becoming rubbery.
Proper preheating is crucial for cooking eggs in stainless steel without sticking. Start by heating your pan on medium to high heat (around 6 or 7 on most stovetops). To determine if the pan has reached the ideal temperature, perform the water test: sprinkle a few droplets of cold water into the pan.
Carbon steel is great for eggs and pretty much everything except simmering acidic stuff. For that, stainless steel is best. I'd suggest getting a 9'' carbon steel for eggs, and a 10'' or 11'' stainless steel for the times you'll want to make something acidic and all the times you need the larger size.
Sticking often occurs when you use too much heat. Our technology allows our cookware to heat up much faster than typical cookware. We often find that new customers tend to cook on too high of heat, but low heat is key! We recommend starting on medium-low heat with a little bit of oil.
pre-heat the pan on high, add oil/butter, and then lower the flame to medium before cracking your eggs. Also make sure you do use enough oil. Stainless isn't like seasoned cast-iron or Teflon non-sticks. There's a reason why pro chefs keep oil in those squeeze bottles.
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.
Food Sticking
Stainless steel sticks more easily than other cookware options, and that's simply the nature of the beast. While you can reduce the amount of sticking by properly preheating your pan, as well as by using enough fat, you'll never get the exact same results as a non stick or seasoned cast iron pan.
Coarse scrubbers and harsh cleaning solutions like bleach or household cleaners can scratch your stainless steel and damage its finish. And although baking soda and more abrasive scrubbers (like fine steel wool) can be useful in cleaning a burnished pan, beware that using these products might void your warranty.
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.
Both butter and oil serve the same practical purpose: they prevent the scramble from sticking to the pan. Butter also adds flavor, and in a dish as simple as scrambled eggs, that extra push can make a difference—especially if you make it brown butter.
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.
DON'T use chlorine bleach, chloride, oven cleaner, or other abrasive cleaners. Many different cleaners contain chlorides or chlorine. These chemicals and other abrasive cleaners will cause surface pitting. They can also strip the protective chrome oxide barrier from stainless steel.
Does Stainless Steel Cookware Need to be Seasoned? No, we don't recommend seasoning stainless steel cookware.
Most stainless-steel pots and pans are meant to be used at moderate heat and technically can withstand up to 500 or 600 degrees Fahrenheit. A grill has the potential to get much hotter, which can damage and warp the metal.
HexClad Cookware advertises its nonstick pans as free from harmful chemicals. But, according to recent reports, HexClad may be using a chemical compound called PTFE as a non-stick coating on its pans. PTFE is a type of PFA, or “forever” chemical, that can build up in the human body and does not break down over time.
Does HexClad have Teflon in it? Teflon is a proprietary brand of PTFE made by Chemours that is not used by HexClad. Instead, the brand now uses ceramic to coat the nonstick valleys of its cookware.
Cookware Backed by Chef Gordon Ramsay
“HexClad stands up to my demands at home and in the studio.