Khaberni - Some struggle with cooking using stainless steel utensils, because cooking can lead to a buildup and sticking of food residues to the pan.
According to Simply Recipes, to avoid hours of soaking, scrubbing, and tiring effort, some people avoid using the fancy and beautiful cookware made of stainless steel; however, there is a clever trick to use a stainless steel frying pan as if it were non-stick.
The trick lies in heating the pan well before adding any fats, and using the water test to make sure it's ready.
A Clever Trick
Place the stainless steel pan on the stove over medium heat. Then the user places their hand above the pan—careful not to touch its surface—to check the heat transfer to the palm of the hand. Once the pan has heated for about a minute, it is ready for the water test.
A little water is sprinkled into the pan. If it evaporates immediately, this means the pan is not hot enough, then the water test is repeated every 30 seconds until the water forms droplets and appears to float or move around inside the pan. After that, reduce the heat to medium or low before adding fats (like butter or olive oil, etc.), and then the desired food to cook.
It is important to lower the heat to medium or low after passing the water test, otherwise, the pan will be too hot for the fats, and this can cause smoking to spread in the kitchen or fires due to the fats exceeding their burning point.
The "Leidenfrost" Phenomenon
The success of this trick is due to a physical phenomenon called the "Leidenfrost effect," where the temperature difference between the pan surface and the boiling point of the liquid creates a barrier between the liquid and the surface of the pan.
The water test helps in determining if the temperature has reached the appropriate level, which allows you to know if the pan is hot enough to put food in it without it sticking severely.
