Stick With It

Ever had food that sticks to your pan while you're cooking? Not everyone has a nonstick pan and to be quite honest, not all nonstick pans are that great. The truth is, Teflon will eventually flake off and become part of your dinner. Actually if you have a Teflon pan that has just one scratch in it then it will not work properly for you. Unfortunately it's not that hard to scratch a Teflon pan.

Here's what you should know. Teflon pans are only used in the industry for one thing and one thing alone and that is egg cookery. In a kitchen there is two items that a chef will literally chop your hand off if you are caught using; the chefs personal knife and his Teflon egg pan. Unless you like your eggs over easy you don't even really need one.

Now if you don't have a Teflon pan, chances are that you have a problem with your food sticking to your pan. It's an easy fix. Your pan is not hot enough and you don't have enough fat in your pan. Take your pan and put it over med-high heat for 30 seconds. That will get it nice and hot. Then add just enough oil to coat the pan with a thin layer. The oil acts as a barrier between the food and the pan so make sure you have enough. Once you add your oil watch it carefully. You want to add your (meat, vegetables, whatever...) right after it begins to smoke a little. When you put your item in it should sizzle. If your oil is not hot enough your item will just soak it up making the fat content of your dish go way up. Once you put your item in give the pan a good shake to make sure it is not sticking. Do the same when you flip it. This should solve your sticking food problem.

This method applies to whole meat and fish items, cut up meat, and vegetables.

Want to give this method a try? Here is a crepe recipe that will wake your pan right up (Stainless or Teflon.)

Classic Crepes
Serves 2

Bread Flour - 1/4 cup
Cake Flour - 1/4 cup (sub bread flour if you do not have cake flour)
Sugar - 1 tbsp.
Salt - Pinch
Eggs - 2 each
Milk - 1 cup
Oil - 3 tbsp.

Sift and mix dry ingredients together. Whisk eggs, milk, and oil together. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Mix until there are no lumps. Put in refrigerator for 10 minutes. (This will give it a better consistency)

Cooking
In a separate pan melt some butter and set aside. Heat skillet on med-high until hot. When hot, add enough butter to coat pan. Pour off the rest into the pan your butter is in. Using a ladle quickly pour some batter into the hot pan and move the batter around until it coats the whole pan. Add more batter to fill in spots as necessary. With a spatula begin scraping off edges. When crepe is brown on the bottom use spatula to flip crepe. Be aware, the other side will cook much quicker. Finish other side and set aside on a warm plate or warming oven. Add more butter to pan and repeat process until all the batter is cooked. Fill with fruit preserve, syrup, or sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy.