Why I Thought I'd Forgotten How to Cook
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
After twenty-five years, I finally retired my cast iron cookware. The enamel had chipped on the cooking surface, so it was time. I always thought they'd last me for life, and to be fair, 25 years wasn't a bad effort.
I replaced them with stainless steel. No coating, nothing to chip or wear away, just good honest metal that, if I look after it, could easily see me through another 25 years.
What I wasn't expecting was having to learn how to cook all over again.
The First Disaster
My dumplings stuck. I mean really stuck.
I wondered whether I'd made an expensive mistake. Turns out the pan wasn't the problem. It was me.
After a bit of reading, I learned that stainless steel behaves nothing like enamelled cast iron. Who knew there was so much to it?
Learning to Heat the Pan
Stainless steel works a bit differently than what I was used to.
You heat the empty pan first, then flick a few drops of water onto the surface. If it evaporates instantly, the pan isn't hot enough yet. If it forms one shiny bead that glides around like a tiny ball of mercury, you're there.
That trick even has a fancy name. It's called the Leidenfrost effect, a simple way of knowing your pan is ready before the oil goes in.
Sticking Isn't Always a Bad Sign
I'd always assumed that if food stuck to the pan, something had gone wrong. Turns out sticking is often just part of the process.
When meat, chicken or fish first hits stainless steel, the proteins grab onto the tiny imperfections in the metal. For a minute or two, it genuinely does stick. As the food cooks, moisture evaporates and the outside starts to brown. That process also has a fancy name, the Maillard reaction. When it kicks in, it gives you that golden crust and all the yummy flavour that comes with it.
Once that crust has formed, the food lets go of the pan on its own. Try to turn it too early, and it'll fight you every time. Leave it alone, and the pan will give it up when it's ready.
What I'd Been Getting Wrong
Stainless steel asks for patience and rewards you for paying attention to temperature rather than rushing in.
It's also made me realise I probably wasn't as kind to my old pans as I could have been. I used to think cast iron was indestructible, so I'd happily crank the heat right up. Looking back, enamelled cast iron never needed that kind of treatment either. Like most things in the kitchen, a bit of patience usually gets you a better result.
Still Learning
I'm still learning. Some things turn out better than others (I've nailed scrambled eggs, for example), but I still occasionally try to move things around too soon if I'm in a hurry.
And I know now that the pan isn't being difficult. It's just waiting until the food is actually ready to let go.
Joanne Webb runs Eatlocal.nz, delivering premium, locally sourced fruit, veges, and artisan foods across the South Island. Passionate about supporting New Zealand growers, she personally packs every order to ensure quality and freshness. When she's not working on Eatlocal, you’ll find her walking her mini Schnauzer, Zac, or contemplating marathon training - again!
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