Stainless steel cookware is a versatile choice for everyday cooking, from searing and browning to sautéing vegetables and making flavorful pan sauces. Its durable cooking surface and responsive heat performance make it a favorite in home and professional kitchens alike.
If you're new to cooking with stainless steel, learning how to manage heat, when to add oil and when to turn your ingredients can make a noticeable difference. With a few simple techniques, you can achieve beautifully browned food, develop rich flavor and get more from your cookware.
Explore these tips for cooking with Le Creuset stainless steel cookware, from preparing your pan to making the most of the flavorful browned bits left behind after cooking.
Shop Le Creuset Stainless Steel6 Tips for Cooking with Stainless Steel
1. Wash Your Cookware Before First Use
Start by removing all packaging and labels. Wash your new cookware in warm, soapy water and rinse and dry thoroughly. Once clean and dry, your cookware is ready to use. No additional seasoning is required.
2. Preheat Your Pan Properly
Proper preheating is one of the most important steps when cooking with stainless steel. Adding food to a pan that hasn't reached a suitable temperature can contribute to sticking and uneven browning.
Start by placing your empty pan over medium heat for a few minutes until the pan is hot.
You can use the water droplet test to ensure your pan is properly preheated: add a few drops of water to the hot pan; if they form small beads that dance along the surface, the pan is hot enough and ready to use.
3. Prepare Your Ingredients
Bringing your ingredients to room temperature prior to cooking with stainless steel is also key, as cold food lowers the pan’s surface temperature, which in turn can lead to sticking. Excess moisture can also cause sticking, so it’s recommended to pat food completely dry before adding to the pan. Use a paper towel to remove excess surface moisture from vegetables, seafood and proteins before cooking.
4. Add Fat
To prevent food sticking in your stainless steel pan, it’s important to use some kind of oil, butter or other kind of fat. After your pan has properly preheated, add your fat source and continue heating on low to medium heat until the oil is shimmering, but not smoking.
Recommended fat sources:
- Butter: for cooking eggs on low heat
- Olive oil: for sauteing vegetables or cooking delicate fish on moderate heat
- Grapeseed or vegetable oil: for searing proteins on high heat
While counter intuitive, we do not recommend using a non-stick aerosol spray on your Le Creuset stainless steel cookware.
5. Let Food Release Before Turning It
While sometimes the hardest to master, patience is key when cooking with stainless steel cookware!
When cooking with stainless steel, it's tempting to move food around the pan as soon as it hits the surface, but allowing it to cook undisturbed produces better results.
If a piece of fish, chicken or another ingredient resists when you try to turn it, give it a little more time rather than forcing it loose. When your food is ready to turn, it will start to release from the edges.
This approach encourages an even sear and helps develop the browned bits that add flavor to sauces and other dishes.
6. Use Fond to Build Flavor
One of the advantages of cooking with stainless steel is the ability to develop fond, the browned bits that form on the bottom of the pan as ingredients sear and caramelize. These flavorful bits are the starting point for a pan sauce.
After cooking, remove the food from the pan, adjust the heat and add a splash of wine, brother or another liquid. Use a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits as the liquid simmers.
The fond dissolves into the liquid, creating a flavorful base for sauces, gravies and reductions.
More Tips for Cooking with Le Creuset Stainless Steel
- Refer to your cookware's care and use instructions. Le Creuset stainless steel cookware is compatible with all cooktops and seamlessly transitions from stovetop to oven, safe up to 500°F. If placing the pan under a broiler, be sure there are at least 2 inches of space between the heat source and the top of the pan.
- Protect glass cooktops. If you have a glass-topped stovetop, be sure to lift the pan to move it instead of sliding it across the cooktop surface.
- Adjust the heat as you go. A slow temperature transition ensures even heat distribution. When transitioning your stainless steel from stove to oven, warm your dish on the stovetop before transferring to a preheated oven.
- Avoid overcrowding the pan. Too many ingredients at once can lower the temperature and release excess moisture, making it harder to achieve a good sear.
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