How to Prevent Food From Sticking to Pans

Preventing food items from sticking to the your cooking utensils can be a real challenge, and anyone who likes spending time in the kitchen has experienced this at least a couple of times, if not more. Here are some simple guidelines that can help you keep food from clinging to the pots and pans, especially if they are metallic, making it easier to clean them afterwards.

 

• If using non-stick pots or pans, clean them using non-metallic scrubber and non-abrasive cleanser, and prevent using non-metallic cooking utensils, as these may scratch the non-stick coating, which eventually may lead to the food sticking to the pan.
• Ensure the cooking utensil is completely clean and old food residue can burn and make food stick.
• Heat your pot or pan before adding oil, and add the food items only when the oil is hot. With non-stick pot or pan, do not heat up for too long without any food item in it, as that may damage the coating.
• To know if your stainless steel has the right temperature for cooking, drop 2-3 drops of water in it. If it does nothing, then the pan is too cold and needs to be heated up. If the water forms bubbles and steams, the pan is still too cold and not suitable to start cooking. If the water forms a bubble that glides across the pan then the temperature is just right for cooking.
• If food starts sticking to the bottom of pot or pan in middle of cooking, use a spatula to loosen the items cooking and push them to one side of the utensil. Then tilt the pot or pan slightly to have the empty side over heat, add oil as needed, let the oil get hot and then move back the food items. The newly added hot oil will create a non-stick surface and prevent food items from sticking to the bottom of the pot or pan.