[noi'mnot]

I bought a new stainless steel saute pan with some Christmas money. It's big - 32cm - and quite deep. I'm really enjoying cooking with it.

I used to have similar in non-stick, but got a bit freaked out by the non-stick coming off. The stainless steel was a bit of a whim, but I am enjoying working with it. It has taken a bit of getting used to the different way that it reacts to heat, but I'm particularly appreciating being able to use higher temperatures, and putting it in the dishwasher! I've also figured out how to clean it when something burns, I have found bicarb soda gets anything off super easily.

Anyway, I was just wondering - how does everybody else use their stainless steel? How does it go with more delicate things - I didn't think I'd be able to do pancakes or fish in it when I bought it, but has anybody had success with these things? What else is it wonderful for, and what are its limitations?

Thanks!

[Sofia*]

We bought All-Clad pans last year and love them.
I've cooked all kinds of things in them and haven't found anything that's a problem so far. I do use more oil in them (compared to non-stick - not surprising!), but that doesn't worry me.
I've cooked fish, fritters, meatballs, steaks, omelettes, lots of chicken dishes, casseroles etc. No problem.

They heat up pretty fast, so I've learnt to pay attention to how high the gas burner is (which is a problem with my crummy stove not the pans).

The main thing I've learnt is not to panic if they go really brown on the bottom while I'm cooking, adding in some hot water while they're hot makes them so easy to clean.

For any marks that don't come off with regular washing I use Barkeeper's Friend, it's magic.

[noi'mnot]

Ace, that's fantastic! Yes, I find that it heats up to very very hot, very very quickly (although it has quite a thick base). I'm just worried about things like fish sticking all over the place and falling apart.

Likewise, with my gas stove, I've found it a bit of an adjustment getting used to how the temperature is different. I think I will try some fish in the next couple of days, but I'll use a lower heat and see if that prevents the sticking and falling apart.

It would be ace if I could do pancakes/pikelets, with that surface area I'd get so many done at once! I'm just not quite game yet.

I'll take a look at barkeeper's friend if I ever have any problems with bicarb. It's getting all sorts of black marks off at the moment, but I'm sure I'll manage a doozy of a burn at some point and need something stronger!

[aratiaw]

I use cast iron for most things, but I've found my stainless steel pan is really good for pikelets!
A trick I discovered accidentally is to preheat the pan really hot then turn it down to the desired temperature before cooking. It just seems to cook much more evenly if I do this.

[noi'mnot]

Aha, that's really helpful, thanks Ariataw! I might give it a go this weekend. If worst comes to worst I'll just have a bigger crusty clean-up than usual, right?

[Chelara]

It's fine for fish but you need to get the temp and oil levels right. I often make fish in mine and its fine.

You will need to use more oil with it and yeah sometimes it will stick but I cook meatballs, rissoles, spaghetti sauce, schnitzel pork chops, sausages etc in it without too much trouble. I prefer cast iron or the BBQ for steak.

Oh and it's great to clean. Just add water and a little washing liquid and soak. You can heat the soaking water for a quicker job.

This post has been edited by Chelara: 16/01/2013, 07:24 AM