If you use butter, the key is to use it sparingly, preferably along with a nonstick pan. Drop a pat of butter in your pan and using a paper towel or your hands, rub it all over the surface of the pan before filling in your baking mix.
To properly grease your nonstick pan, rub a small amount of butter or oil directly onto the pan before putting it on the heat. You don't need a lot of fat here—you are using nonstick after all. Depending on the size of the pan, one tablespoon or so should do.
When it comes to greasing pans, vegetable oil and shortening are actually better choices. They may not impart any extra butter flavor to the ``crusts'' of your cake, but they are both more effective at preventing cakes from sticking than butter. Remember that little bit of water I mentioned?
A simple rinse and scrub should get your pan back to good as new. Note that if you're regularly scrubbing stuck-on food residue out of your pan, that probably means the non stick coating has begun to wear down—plus, aggressive scrubbing can do further damage to the coating.
To season your pan before cooking, you'll heat the pan with a thin layer of neutral oil (like vegetable, avocado, or olive oil).
The Olive Wellness Institute team often gets asked questions about this common myth, and the answer is NO, cooking in extra virgin olive oil will NOT ruin your non-stick pans. There IS technical evidence to support it.
Mix One Part Vinegar and Two Parts Water
To make this buildup-busting and non-stick-restoring mixture, you'll combine one cup of water and half a cup of white vinegar. That's it!
Over time, many non-stick pans tend to develop a sticky coating. In most cases, this coating forms due to repeated use of cooking sprays or cooking oils.
Use gentle cleaning tools: To protect the nonstick surface, use a soft sponge or cloth. Avoid using abrasive scrubbers or steel wool, as these can scratch and damage the coating. Stick to a mild detergent: A mild dish soap and warm water are usually sufficient for cleaning.
Heating the pan or sauce pan before cooking is the best way to avoid the food from sticking as a slightly hot pan creates a layer of steam, which helps in cooking the dish easily without adding oil. But make sure the pan is greased and then heated.
There are several different types of grease that are suitable for greasing cookware, including shortening, nonstick cooking spray, olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, bacon fat, and butter. Be aware that a little bit of the grease's flavor is likely to make its way into your baked goods.
Works well: Low-fat, low-calorie cooking
If you're counting your calories, cooking spray is the way to go. A one-second spray contains about 7 calories and 1 gram of fat. By comparison, a tablespoon of butter and olive oil both contain over 100 calories and 12 to 14 grams of fat, respectively.
We recommend using oil and flour in the Calphalon nonstick bakeware pan prior to baking cakes.
The extra step of lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper is an even surer method for getting the cake out of the pan, especially those that are more likely to stick (we're looking at you, carrot cake). Keep in mind that you can only use this method for cakes baked in flat-bottom pans.
At the very least, add a few drops of oil before heating it. If you heat an empty pan, the non-stick coating can overheat, which is not a good thing if you want non-stick pans. In fact, one of the main enemies of non-stick pans is overheating. Excessive heat damages them and causes them to stick over time.
Soak, Rinse, and Dry Your Non-Stick Pan
Fill up your sink with hot water and soap, then place the pan into it. This will help to release any remaining residue. Now and then, change the oily water. Once the pan finishes soaking, rinse the soapy water off and dry it with a paper towel.
Try boiling water with a few tablespoons of bicarb soda. Usually if you experience sticking, it's due to a thin film over the coating. This should remove that and get you slipping and sliding again!
A good rule of thumb to follow is that a warped, chipped, deeply scratched, or pan with flaky coating should be replaced. These conditions not only affect the cooking experience with these pans, but could be hazardous.
Vinegar to the rescue! Bring one part vinegar and two parts water to a simmer, and then cool and wash with soap. This should take care of all the sticky residue that has built up on the pan over time. Test Kitchen tip: Don't use cooking sprays on your nonstick pan.
While most non-stick pans can last up to three years (read the manufacturer's instructions) if used and taken care of properly, poor-quality non-stick pans can start feeling sticky in under 6 months.