I wish I would of found this forum earlier, it looks like it has a bunch of great resources. I'm an at home cook and have been serious about cooking for the last 10 years. It's my hobby and what I do in my spare time. For some reason I'm just getting my first set of stainless steel pans. My question is what do I do about maintaining them? I've "seasoned" them with several coats of oil heated until it starts smoking then let them cool and repeat. I've done that about 5 times and have a nice layer of slick coating on the bottom of the pan. I cooked my first meal in one last night, a steak, seared it in pan then broiled it. It didn't stick at all Because of the heat my layer of coating became dark brown, although some came off when I deglazed my pan for the red wine and balsamic reduction.
My question is what should I do with these pans? Just wash them out with warm water and let a layer continue to build up on the bottom of the pan like you would cast iron? Or, should I be cleaning them out so they are shiny after every use?
I don't season my stainless steel pan. I often cook steaks, eggs, fish, crepes... whatever in them, and they don't stick at all either. It does require a bit of adapting my technique however, mainly heating the pan slowly and for a long time. I've never worked with a seasoned stainless steel pan so I'm afraid I won't be of much help to you here.
I've seen that water trick on rouxbe.com before, but I don't find it necessary. I just heat it really slowly, for a long time, and not too hot (for eggs or crepes), or scorching hot (for steak or potatoes)... I had real problems with sticking in stainless steel when I first switched from Teflon.. but now I can't remember the last time I had any problems with something sticking.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could
be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Chef Forum
A forum community dedicated to Professional Chefs. Come join the discussion about recipes, prep, kitchens, styles, tips, tricks, reviews, accessories, schools, and more!
Because of the heat my layer of coating became dark brown, although some came off when I deglazed my pan for the red wine and balsamic reduction. 
