[shel]

In reading the instructions that came with my recently purchased non-stick pan, this comment stood out:

"Do not use nonstick sprays on nonstick cookware - an invisible buildup will impair the nonstick release system and food will stick in your pan.

Oil is not needed on nonstick cookware, but if you prefer oil for flavor, olive oil or peanut oil is recommended. Heavy vegetagble oils may leave a residue that can affect nonstick performance."

I never heard of such a thing. Does anyone have any comments, especially comments based on experience, with these caveats?

Shel

[Jannie]

Yeah it said something like that with my Berndes pans and I have seen the buildup on the few times I tried Canola and Saffola oil. I poured hot water over the hot pan and scrubbed with a nylon brush and it came clean with a little soap and it stayed very slippery.

In that old book Confessions of a Culinary Underbelly he suggests that you always just wipe out non-stick pans and never wash them, much like cast iron. I tried it but the outside didn't look to great so I went back to washing them in my normal manner.

I tried using no oil when cooking eggs in the Berndes and didn't like them at all, something weird happens to the surface texture so I use a little olive oil or butter. I have cooked a lot of salmon and turkey patties without oil and it worked, just not as nice looking or tasty as using oil in a metal pan.

I'm stuck between wanting food tastes good and living at a lighter physical weight, I'm trying to find a happy medium.
Jannie

[shel]

Hi,

I just use a little oil - very little - in the nonstick pan, which adds some flavor but not much in the weay of calories. Maybe a teaspoon of oil for most things.

Thanks for your feedback about the "proper" oil to use in these pans.

Shel