Let's be real, you're probably using your nonstick pan for everything, but it's time for some tough love: you're ruining your food and your nonstick cookware. That slick, convenient surface (as well as teflon) is great for eggs, but it's actively working against you when you're trying to get a decent sear on a piece of meat.
Here's the deal: nonstick pans are low-heat pans, and they will never give you that beautiful, golden-brown crust you want. Instead, you get a sad, gray, steamed piece of protein. Even worse, by cranking up the heat and using the wrong utensils, you're literally scratching and chipping away the nonstick coating, which can end up in your food.
Stop using your nonstick pan as a one-size-fits-all solution. It's a specialized tool, not a workhorse. Before you ruin another meal (or another pan), learn what you should never, ever cook in it.
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We all love easy cleanup as much as the next bloke, but most of your culinary projects fare better in stainless steel, carbon steel or cast iron. These pans impart high surface heat, giving food char, depth and flavor development. I grilled a career cooking teacher to compile the ultimate nonstick no-go list.
Richard LaMarita is a chef-instructor of Health-Centered Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. LaMarita describes nonstick cookware, including ceramic, as "niche."
"Scrambled or fried eggs, pancakes and fried tofu are great for cooking in nonstick pans," LaMarita told me via email. "These sticky foods must come out completely without leaving remnants in the pan. Nonstick pans are popular, easy to clean and convenient, and I recommend every cook have one."
They're not designed to handle high heat, be placed in the oven or scrubbed vigorously. The coating that makes a pan nonstick can deteriorate faster when confronted with certain foods or cooking techniques.
So, what foods should never be cooked in nonstick cookware? Here's what Chef LaMarita says.
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