Pancakes Are Sticking to My Pan

[SaraP]

Help!

Everytime I try to make pancakes with my stainless steel frying pan, they don't work out. The bottom stays stuck to the pan and I can't flip them.



I usually cook on low heat because that's usually how I cook with my ss pan since any higher than that leads to burned food and the manufacturer mentioned that if things stick, the pan is too hot. I've been trying different things, like making sure my pan is hot and the oil is hot before I put in the batter, but to no avail.

My pan seems clean, but I've heard cleaning them with salt can renew them, but the manufacturer (Lagostina) doesn't recommend it.

What can I do to enjoy pancakes from my ss pan? Any help will be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks,

Sara

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[KeeperOfTheGood]

Hey oh

I hate pancakes for this exact reason. However, a few things that I have learned that work 7 times out of 10, is that my best element heat for my stove is 6 (exactly what 6 means, I have no idea, I just know its not as hot as 10 and a whole lot hotter than 1) Also, I find that adding oil to the frypan only invites trouble. I add the oil to the batter mix and not the frypan and they work! Oh, and NO butter! Oil.

I am as interested in the professionals opinions too

[BearBoxer]

Salt and oil usually works best in cast iron skillets. The salt acts as the abrasive and scours the pan. I heat the pan up and add a little oil and scrub it with a paper towel with the salt added. Then I place the pan in a HOT oven for about one hour to finish seasoning it.

I don't know about stainless as much. I'd make sure the pan is at the right temperature and add a little cooking oil to it. Let is sit for a few minutes so that the oil heats up to the pan temperature. The first few cakes might be a little oily....I also would try making sure the pan is not directly on the elements (electric range). I place an old coat-hanger between the pan and the element to keep indirect contact.

See if any of this helps...

Great Luck!

[Jock]

Is it a sacrilege to say use non stick?

Jock

[Kerryclan]

The pan should be on medium-high you need to quickly sear the pancake on each side to prevent sticking. The same is true for meats and other things. And use the non-stick, we won't tell anyone!

[beefcheeks]

Originally Posted by Jock

Is it a sacrilege to say use non stick?

Jock

YOU'RE HIRED!!

[MarkV]

SaraP:

You have it backwards. Low heat lends itself to sticking. When you sear a protein you need high heat to caramelize the exterior and produce that seared crust. That prevents sticking, (Iin addition to intensifying flavor). If the heat is to low, you don't produce a good sear.

Pancakes, of course, are not a protein but the same general principle applies, albeit with some modifications. You wouldn't need quite as high a heat for pancakes as a steak, but defnitely not low heat. If you're not going to use a non-stick pan or griddle do this:

Heat the pan first over medium maybe medium-high heat. You could use butter but you run the risk of it burning. Use a butter/oil combo or just oil. Add the fat to the pan and allow it to get hot before adding the batter, (this is a vitally important step). Then pour in the pancakes and leave them alone until they are fully browned on the one side.

If you follow this you may still get a little bit of sticking, (the stainless steel will have microscopic cracks that cling to the batter), but it shouldn't be as bad.

Mark

[SaraP]

You guys are awesome. I will take all your advice and whip up a batch soon.

Thanks for all your help!

Sara

[SaraP]

I used everyone's advice. Thanks Markv and everyone for the great tips, and to those of you who told me to turn up the heat. We made some delicious pancakes last weekend that DIDN'T stick!!

My husband didn't want to stop making them in case we couldn't get it just right again! We ate a lot of pancakes But since then, we've made pancakes, eggs, and more without anything sticking. I appreciate all the help!

Sara

[FoodieNews]

Medium heat usually works best for me on a non stick pan and quickly turning on each side reapeatldy also does the trick.

[Pinot]

A little off subject , but last week (when the kids where at Grandma's) I got up early and headed to Balmain , a trendy "foodie" village in Sydney and picked up some French butter , French sourdough , some organic free range eggs and some fresh organic Jersey cow milk.
Came home and cooked my wife french toast on my little well seasoned raw steel pan.
Perfection ! Medium heat and no sticking !
Fresh coffee , Sunday papers and a couple liesurely of hours . Sometimes I forget why I love to cook , but other times its so just easy.

Forget the SS and non-stick . A well seasoned traditional French made heavy steel fry pan and your pancakes wont even dare stick.

[FoodieNews]

Originally Posted by Pinot

Forget the SS and non-stick . A well seasoned traditional French made heavy steel fry pan and your pancakes wont even dare stick.

Before your very first use with the fan did you season it at all for better cooking?

[Pinot]

When using these pans for the first time they need to be well cleaned and seasoned. This is done by wiping over some oil or fat and heating the empty pan. There are numerous ways to do this and many of them are listed in this site on the equipment forum. It can be a bit tricky getting them to work really well in the begining (or at least I did) but they certainly do improve the more you use them.

[JT]

A few tips:

use other than stainless steel such as cast iron.
use butter - but that's my preference and it works for me
proove the pan - heat over a long period with salt - and keep pan just for pc's
get the pan really hot
they should'nt be too large - actually traditional pancakes are quite small
some people add a little oil to the mixture
don't wash the pan
if all this fails become a plumber