When it comes to cookware, my 12" and 10" cast iron skillets have ruled the roost in my kitchen for several years now. And for good reason, cast iron cookware is extremely resilient (it actually gets better the more you use it) and is able to handle whatever types of heat you can throw at it. My pans are also well seasoned, which makes them virtually non-stick, I've fried an egg on them with no problems.
Naturally, since I had developed such an affection for cast iron cooking, my Calphalon stainless steel pan has been lacking in love for some time now. And that's a shame really, because stainless steel is one of the most versatile forms of cookware that there is.
Why Isn't Stainless Steel More Common in the Average Household?
For the average home chef, nonstick pans are the go-to, at least in my observation. Nonstick pans coated with PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene, the most common brand being Teflon) came into existence during the 1950s, and have become incredibly popular because...well, food doesn't like to stick to them. A fun fact is that one of the first uses of PTFE was to make seals resistant to uranium hexaflouride gas during production of Atomic bombs during WWII.
While PTFE-coated cookware is convenient when it comes to food stickage, it does have one major problem. Above a temperature of about 350 °C (660 °F), they begin to dissociate and cause toxic fumes. For this reason, it's not considered wise to use PTFE-coated nonstick pans above about the "medium" setting on your stove, or put them in the oven. This problem has been addressed in recent innovations in ceramic-coated nonstick pans, however, which can withstand greater heat demands.
Why Use Stainless Steel?
They look nice and shiny when you first get them...not so much after a few times on the stove
To sum it up in one term: pan-sauce.
Pan-sauces are a staple in French-inspired cooking. For any recipe that involves making a pan-sauce, your mind should immediately think "stainless steel" (or any other pro-stick surface). Why? Because a pan-sauce algorithm involves three main components: brown, deglaze, reduce.
The first step, browning, involves sauteing meat and/or vegetables over medium to high heat until they are, well, browned. In this step, the use of stainless steel is key, because stainless steel lets food stick to the pan. This sticking is what promotes browning, and without it the food will be lacking in rich flavor. Also, stainless steel has no problem operating at high temperatures (unlike PTFE-coated nonstick), and more often than not high temperatures are needed to get a nice seared crust on the food.
The second step is to deglaze, which is basically a term for putting some liquid (often times a wine or spirit) into the hot pan. The heated liquid will bring up the little bits of food stuck to the bottom and form the base of a rich sauce.
The third step is to let the sauce reduce. Sometimes, other liquids are added during this stage for increased flavor. This, however, usually makes the sauce watery. Since a watery sauce is not particularly desirable, let the sauce simmer for several minutes until some of the water evaporates and the sauce is nice and thick.
That's it, it's a simple formula yet has endless variations.
How to Cook with Stainless Steel (without food sticking too much)
As I said before, it's sort of the point of pan-sauce recipes for food to stick to the surface, but we don't want to have to pry the food off with the jaws of life. So, how does one go about this? It's pretty simple really, just let the pan preheat (with nothing in it) for a few minutes over medium-medium high heat. To check that it's done pre-heating, put a few drops of water in the pan. If they dance around and sizzle, it's ready. Then, add just enough fat (olive oil, butter, vegetable oil, coconut oil, bacon grease, lard, etc.) to lightly coat the entire pan surface. Let it heat up for a few seconds, and then add the meat (or whatever you are cooking). If cooking meats such as chicken or steak, don't touch them for a good 2-3 minutes. This allows a nice crust to form, after which they will actually begin to separate from the pan without sticking. One type of meat that is pretty dicey to cook on stainless steel is fish. Fish is really high in protein and has practically no fat, so it sticks to stainless particularly easily.
"But...but...I'm on a strict diet and don't want to put fat in the pan!" Get over it. Fat serves a few purposes in cooking. For cooking on stainless, it acts as a necessary lubricant to keep food from sticking too much. It also, consequently, forms a conductive layer between the pan and the food, which promotes browning. Remember, browning = flavor. Yes, fat has 9 Calories per gram (more than any other macro-nutrient), and 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil contains about 100 Calories, so it's not a great idea to guzzle the stuff if you are on a diet. But, fat is also an essential macro-nutrient, meaning you need it to survive. It also helps your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins, so if you avoid fat altogether then you are actually being unhealthy. A little fat in the pan to keep food from sticking isn't going to break the Calorie bank, if you are trying to lose weight just eat less overall, don't think avoiding 1 tablespoon of fat is the secret to weight loss.
A Simple Recipe Perfect for Stainless Steel: Chicken with White Gravy
So, if you wanted some inspiration for something to cook in a stainless steel pan, here you go. It's basically an easy way to add some life to boring old chicken breasts with minimal ingredients. Because I'm lazy, I won't include any measurements (since I didn't measure anything when I made it) but you really don't need them, sautéing is more of an art than a science.
You will need:
1-2 Chicken Breasts
Olive Oil
Butter
Flour
Chicken Broth (I prefer the low sodium stuff, you can always add salt but you can't take it away)
Heavy Cream
Salt
Pepper
So here we go, start out with two chicken breasts (or one thick breast cut in half) and let them sit at room temp for 20-30 minutes. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Heat a stainless steel pan over medium high heat for a few minutes, then add olive oil to coat the pan. Add the chicken breasts and brown (about 3 minutes per side). If you are a real pro, remove the chicken from the pan when it is just a little undercooked, otherwise let it cook through.
Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add a tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is melted, add a tablespoon of flour and whisk together. This is called a roux (pronounced "roo") and it will thicken and flavor the gravy. Let it cook for about a minute, or until it starts to change color (don't let it burn!). Add enough chicken broth to fill the bottom of the pan and whisk vigorously, scraping up all the little bits from the bottom. Let simmer for a minute or two, and then add the heavy cream, enough to give the sauce a light tan color (about 1/2 cup). Stir and let simmer for a few minutes, until the sauce is nice and thick. Add the chicken back to the pan and simmer for another minute or two, until the chicken is cooked through.
Put the chicken on a plate with some rice and veggies and serve some gravy on the side, or just do like me and dump it on everything. Add salt and pepper to taste.
