[BigFoot]

I have a nonstick pan that annoys me to tears. Since I'm not on a diet and love butter, I use it liberally. The trouble is it beads up and collects in little pools all over the bottom of my pan and resists spreading evenly. The practical upshot is part of my eggs cook in butter (which I love), and part cook tastelessly on the part of my pan where the butter didn't stick.

Do I have to live with this, or do I need to buy another pan?

[castironchef]

Physics is physics.

Try using a stainless steel or carbon steel pan. OR, use a whole lot of butter.

[cookie jim]

BigFoot; I don't want to sound like a smart elic but you only need to rotate the pan if the pan is that slick.Give this a try; crack room temp.eggs in a ramakin or very small bowl.Bring pan to medium heat,let heat throughly.Add unsalted butter shaking pan around and back an fourth.Put pan down and emidiatley put eggs in pan. (principle of the saute).The egg will be cooking on a layer of steam and you can swirl the eggs with ease coating the underside with the butter...good cookin...cookie

[Luc_H]

other then using a little sand paper on your non stick... may I suggest seasoned cast iron.

I have a well seasoned cast iron pancake pan (no rim). I think it's 60 years old.
melting butter coats it perfectly.

Sorry not for sale.

Luc (grin)

[shel]

Originally Posted by cookie jim

[...] you only need to rotate the pan if the pan is that slick.Give this a try; crack room temp.eggs in a ramakin or very small bowl.Bring pan to medium heat,let heat throughly.Add unsalted butter shaking pan around and back an fourth.Put pan down and emidiatley put eggs in pan. (principle of the saute).The egg will be cooking on a layer of steam and you can swirl the eggs with ease coating the underside with the butter...good cookin...cookie

I do something similar -put the butter/oil in the preheated nonstick pan and swirl it around, then add the egg. I get a nice crust all over.

Shel

[phatch]

I'm of the opinion that if you're generating crispy/crusty bits of egg, you're cooking them too hot.

Phil

[shel]

Originally Posted by phatch

I'm of the opinion that if you're generating crispy/crusty bits of egg, you're cooking them too hot.

Phil

To whom are you addressing your comment?

Shel

[bubbamom]

phatch, I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion, and if your opinion is correct, well then so be it because I like a few of those crispy bits on my occasional fried egg.

Big Foot, I also enjoy a bit of butter for frying my egg and do as Shel and Cookie Jim have suggested.

[kuan]

Just use a more butter and baste it while cooking.

[phatch]

Originally Posted by shel

To whom are you addressing your comment?

Shel

Well, you, and Bigfoot and Bubbamom as you all mentioned liking that on your fried egg. It's fine if you like it, I just think it means the pans too hot to cook an egg properly if you get that crackly brown ring around a fried egg or that tough brown sheet across the bottom of the egg.

[shel]

Originally Posted by phatch

Well, you, and Bigfoot and Bubbamom as you all mentioned liking that on your fried egg. It's fine if you like it, I just think it means the pans too hot to cook an egg properly if you get that crackly brown ring around a fried egg or that tough brown sheet across the bottom of the egg.

Just for the record, I don't eat fried eggs, like sunny side up or over easy, so there's no crackly ring around 'em. I keep the temp down on my omelettes and frittatas to less than med heat, but I sometimes leave the eggs in for a while until they brown evenly on the bottom. There's no ring around the eggs - the browning is nice and even across the entire egg surface. Is somewhat less than med heat still too much heat?

Shel

[phatch]

Some would say that a properly cooked omelet shouldn't brown.

But I like my omelettes not so runny with egg in the middle as in the classic french version. So I often have a little browning on my omelettes. It does toughen up the egg more than I would like so I haven't hit on a perfect omelet for me yet.

In fritatta or spanish tortilla with all the fillings, a little browning is unavoidable and probably even desirable to help hold the thing together.

I suppose a technique for omelette a la phatch would have to start with a thin layer of egg as when you cook eggs for many Chinese dishes. A light scattering of toppings and rolled quickly to melt any cheese with the residual heat. Maybe a crepe technique with only beaten eggs for batter describes it best.

Phil

[kuan]

There's a time and place for crispy edges, like when it's cooked in a wok. I like the edges browned and the yolk runny with reheated biryani rice.

[cookie jim]

Originally Posted by shel

Just for the record, I don't eat fried eggs, like sunny side up or over easy, so there's no crackly ring around 'em. I keep the temp down on my omelettes and frittatas to less than med heat, but I sometimes leave the eggs in for a while until they brown evenly on the bottom. There's no ring around the eggs - the browning is nice and even across the entire egg surface. Is somewhat less than med heat still too much heat?

Shel

Hi Shel! I like the lower temps for my omlets also. My technique is to push the edges to the center as they cook first which allows egg to run to the side to be cooked etc...I keep a lid on my shallow pan as much as possable and the water in the whites steam and cause the omlett to rise.They look like I folded egg whites into the egg batter,which I sometimes do.Just throwing around a thought...good cookin...cookie

[cookie jim]

Originally Posted by cookie jim

Hi Shel! I like the lower temps for my omlets also. My technique is to push the edges to the center as they cook first which allows egg to run to the side to be cooked etc...I keep a lid on my shallow pan as much as possable and the water in the whites steam and cause the omlett to rise.They look like I folded egg whites into the egg batter,which I sometimes do.Just throwing around a thought...good cookin...cookie

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