[dclowd9901]

I usually use stainless and cast iron but with green chef meals I’m often tasked with searing chicken or fish in a pan and cleaning those types of pan after a cook like that gets mighty old. So I bought a Tramontina non stick exclusively for those cooks. I suspect it may last a bit longer since it’s a secondary pan I only use for those cases so it feels less wasteful as a purchase.

[williamdclt]

Can you sear with a non stick? Searing requires preheating the pan hot, which isn’t recommended with Teflon I think

[EGreg]

Asking the biochemists here…

Is all searing associsted with carcinogens regardless of how it is done — eg toaster, grill in open flame, in a pan? I tend to really like the seared pieces on bread, steaks, and especially slices of Schwarma / Gyro / Doner

[mplanchard]

AFAIK almost all charred compounds contain some amount of carcinogens of some kind. The question is just whether it’s worth it to you.

[dclowd9901]

You’re not really supposed to blast heat stainless without anything in it either. But you can certainly get it hot. Just as with nonstick. At least to Leidenfrost temps.

[ruined]

you can deglaze that on the stove. heat a very shallow layer of water in the pan, the stuck layer will soften and dissolve. push a roux spoon gently around the bottom and then simply pour it out.

beyond that, if you are using stainless, go ahead and clean it with steel wool. a bundle of small chain is a good equivalent for cast iron.

[devbent]

White vinegar does a better job deglazing than hot water.

[dclowd9901]

Yeah I usually deglaze my dishes at some point if I am cooking with my stainless.

[morsch]

Huh. Stainless steel is like the perfect cooking surface for searing chicken and salmon. Cleanup is super easy, ten seconds with a steel wool and/or, unique among pans, you can put it in the dishwasher with zero worries.

[dclowd9901]

I mean you’re not wrong (well kinda wrong, it’s more like a few minutes). But with 2 kids, a full time job and myriad other hobbies, I couldn’t be arsed to spend another 10 seconds on dishes.