Frying an egg in a high-quality, slip-slidey nonstick pan or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet is pretty straightforward. But when a stainless steel pan is involved, it can quickly turn into a sticky situation. Maki Yazawa from NYT Wirecutter recently investigated this problem with a hack using salt to prepare the pan and make it less sticky:
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/stainless-steel-egg-slide
Handling delicate foods in stainless steel cookware is a finicky process: If the surface of the pan isn’t hot enough, stuff clings to it. This can be a good thing if you’re searing a steak, but it’s a disaster if you’re trying to produce creamy scrambled eggs.To help with this, she enlisted Emory Physics Professor Justin Burton and his lab. Prof. Burton’s lab has investigated the Leidenfrost effect, where liquids levitated on hot surfaces, which is important for cooking sticky, protein-rich foods like eggs and tofu.
Check out the full article to see how it’s done!