Knowledge Base > Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

This event was on Tuesday, November 28, 2023 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern

Join Chef Eric Wynkoop in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to Ask Anything – from cooking techniques to co… Read More.

Recorded

Question:

I have a non-stick pan that I use to make pancakes. It is sticking a bit. Is it the heat? Do I need to clean it with something?

— Sabrina Bowker

Answer:

You know, the, the stickiness in my experience is gonna come from the oil, um, that might be used, or any fats that might come out of ingredients. It also, uh, has to do with any sugars or, you know, um, uh, starches that might, uh, convert to sugar or whatever is going on chemically. You know, as we're cooking foods that's just leave, you know, proteins are part of that as well. But those things leave a little film, um, on our cookware and, you know, wiping it with a a, a dry cloth, um, is effective. Um, certainly for a while before that film builds up a little bit, and we might notice it. And, uh, you know, it might be rough to our touch or other foods might start to stick to the pan, uh, in which case, just a little, uh, gentle rubbing, you know, uh, with a, a soft sponge, maybe with a little bit of a, a cleaning solution to break through, um, the fats and sugars and proteins to loosen up those things on the surface, uh, you know, would be an order. Okay. That's just part of the periodic maintenance. That's what I find to be successful. Okay. Now, uh, the other thing I wanna mention with, with non-stick pans, uh, is that, um, uh, I, I'm not speaking for xcl because I haven't used them yet, but, um, most any other pan, um, out there, and certainly the ones that I've used that have some sort of lining in them, okay, over time, uh, they will accumulate scratches. I call them micro scratches. Um, you know, over time, uh, that pan starts sticking, uh, and it'll need to be replaced. And so with that in mind, I think about non-stick pans as being disposable items in my kitchen. And with that in mind, I steer folks away from buying full sets of non-stick cookware instead, just by one or two pieces. Um, and, and have the rest of them as something else, stainless steel or, or cast iron, for example. Um, that will last a lifetime. And then, you know, you can replace that one or two, uh, non-stick pans as they get scratches and start to stick as needed.
Eric Wynkoop

Eric Wynkoop

Director of Culinary Instruction

rouxbe.com