I love my non-stick pans. There is something deeply satisfying about sliding a perfectly cooked egg from the pan onto a plate, not a speck of dirt anywhere in sight. And such joy to cook—no more battle to clean a burnt pan. I do have some pans that are on the older side and do tend to stick. These pans are not just any pans; they belonged to my grandma, and they come with love and a history. Too much feeling there to toss out.
Oh, a few days ago I was frying an egg with oil in the pan. You know, one of those that people love so dearly. Damn, it stuck. I ended up having to scrape at a sorry little egg. What should have been sunny side up, turned out to be scrambled mess! I get angry at this point. I swore to find some way of making these old pans non-stick without killing them. Fortunately, I learned a method that not only works but is also very simple to execute. All you need is one ordinary kitchen staple: salt.
Yes, that’s right — salt! Here’s how you do it: Heat your pan over medium heat, sprinkle in a good amount of salt and reach for a potato. Halve the potato, and using a fork, rub the cut side of the potato over the salt in the pan. The roughness of the salt and the moisture of the potato combine and use abrasion to fill minute grooves and any imperfections in the pan, creating a non-stick surface. A minute or two later, throw away the salt and potato, give the pan a quick wipe, presto, it’s ready to cook.
In addition to the potato and salt trick, I’ve also experimented with other methods. One classic trick is to season the pan with oil. For cast iron skillets, this is especially amazing but can also work for other metal pans. Here’s the deal: Wash your pan really well to remove any lingering gunk. Dry it, then light coat it with a high smoke-point oil like canola or vegetable oil. Preheat pan until smoking, then cool pan and wipe out. This forms a polymerized coating on the surface that is akin to a natural non-stick film. Do this several times and you’ll build up a nice layer. And you’ll find that foods being to glide off the surface.
Others like flour to prevent sticking—a popular concept when baking. They’ll flour the greased pan as well. It’s not ideal for frying or everyday cooking, but it’s great to make sure your cakes and breads won’t get stuck. That coating of flour separates the pan from the batter, and can help keep it from sticking and make it easier to lift the cooked cake out of the pan.
Another little story I would like to tell is the one about a trick I got from a friend who is a cook. For his pans, he applies a paste of oil and salt — heated until the salt dissolves — and uses it as a scrub. After scrubbing, he washes the pan, dries it and lightly oils it. Not only does this clean the pan, it builds its non-stick properties over time.
And there’s the vinegar and baking soda combo for pans that could use a little saving. Just combine same amounts of white vinegar and water in the pan, heat until boiling, and then add two tablespoons of baking soda (prepare for some fizzing!). The paste can be used to scrub off burnt-on food and nasty looking stains. After the pan cools, scrub it, because very commonly, that combination will bring back a large measure of the pan’s glory.
Flour worked great, as I said. I simply warmed up my pan, poured in some oil, put some flour in the oil, then fried some eggs. Well, they didn’t stick to the pan, so that’s good.
Whether you’re washing with salt and potatoes, seasoning with oil or using a baking soda scrub, every method has its charms and effectiveness. The secret is patience and application. Something my grandma certainly had in droves, when she was cooking dinner in these very pans, packed with love. Now, armed with these tricks, I can carry on her legacy by making sure that these pans can fry an egg. Or sear a fillet of fish — with none of the previous drama. Who knew that a little kitchen chemistry and some elbow grease could make cooking with grandma’s beat-up old pans a pleasure again?
