Let’s take for granted you have already read chapters 1 and 2 of The Wonderfull World of Non-Stick Coatings and you already know which is the best non-stick coating for you and main trues and lies about non-stick components. It’s not necessary you read them before reading this post, but it would be useful, especially chapter one.
 
We are also going to take for granted you have finally decided to spend a little bit more to buy a good pan with a good non-stick coating. If given the choice we would be very happy if your pan is one of ours, but these tricks are also valid if not. Anyway, you must take into consideration they will not make low quality non-stick coatings last as the good ones.
 
We are finally going to take for granted when you read these kind of advices you usually get as bored as when you read instruction manuals –in case you read them, of course- so we will try to make it as entertaining as possible.
 

The 8 commandments of the non-stick coating

 

1. Wash it with a mild detergent in warm water and rinse clean before using for the first time.

 
This is not going to increase non-stick properties nor to make it last longer, but it will remove dust and stains, which is always nice when we buy something new, especially if we are going to cook with it. Old instruction manuals also recommended to condition non-stick coatings with oil to preserve and activate non-stick properties but, to be honest, we know hardly nobody did it, so technology has been improved so as this is not necessary anymore.
 

2. Being able to turn the heat on full doesn’t mean you should do it

 
As we explain in our post Instruction Manuals are Boring. I Never Read Them, we already know you love using all energy and power available because waiting until the fry pan is super-hot to cook anything seems more practical. But we can ensure this only wreaks pans and burns food, so let us suggest two alternatives instead:
 
– Stop doing it, man. Just get used to medium to low temperatures to preserve all nutritional properties and you will note food tastes even better.
 
– If there’s an extraordinary reason to do it, preheat the pan to a low temperature before turning the heat up so at least the non-stick coating will suffer a little bit less.
 

3. Do not heat empty cookware

 
Always be sure that oil, water or food materials are in the cookware prior to heating it. Heating empty cookware can overheat it which is not good if you want it to last.
 

4. Treat it as your skin

 
Non-stick coating is less delicate than it used to be. It can even stand up to rough treatment. If fact nowadays it can survive to scrubbing pads and metallic utensils abrasion –we know sometimes you use them even though you know you shouldn’t-. But don’t use them. We would never suggest this possibility in an instruction manual. You can neither use a pan as a dish because even the most reinforced non-stick coating can’t resist knife cuts and fork scratches forever.
 

5. A pan is not a tupperware

 
Do not use cookware as a food storage container although it seems a very practical and tempting idea. Fridge cold and food is not going to damage the non-stick coating, but we recommend keeping cookware clean when not in use so as not to encourage staining.
 

6. Allow cookware to cool before immersing in water

 
Water is not dangerous itself, temperature is the problem. This is just like when somebody tells us we have to wait two hours after eating before having a bath because we could suffer a stomach cramp. In fact we can have a bath if water temperature is not very cold. The same happens to non-stick coatings: it’s not good to heat up or cool them suddenly.
 

7. Non-stick is perfectly safe to put into the dishwasher but in fact it’s not necessary

 
As we have given for granted you have bought a good non-stick coating and food never sticks on its cooking surface, cleaning your pan is going to be really easy. Although you can clean it in the dishwasher with no risks, pans take up a lot of space in the dishwasher and any misplaced knife could damage the non-stick coating if you are not careful. For this reason handwash is usually the best option.
 

 

8. Our secret formula to remove the most extreme residues

 
Even the most faithful followers of these commandments can have a moment of distraction. Even though most residues can be removed with warm water and a mild detergent, in an extreme case, such residue can be removed by a thorough cleaning with this solution: 3 tablespoons of bleach, 1 tablespoon of liquid dish detergent and 1 cup of water. Apply to the cooking surface with a sponge or plastic scrubbing pad and it’s ready to go!
 

Read More

 
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STOP MISTREATING YOUR FRYING PANS. 10 MISTAKES YOU SHOULD NEVER COMMIT.