A while ago I was attempting to cook a curry.
The early stage involved frying some onions
until they were damn near dry, and a dark brown
colour (like french polished mahogany).

This worked OK, and the flavour was most
distinctive.

However...

The (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly
bonded thin (say 0.3 - 0.5 mm) layer
of black "stuff", which was not easily removable.
I tried soaking the pan (for 2 days) and boiling water
in it, but the stuff wouldn't come off.

I threw the pan out.

Recently, I did the recipe again, using a different
cast aluminium frying pan. I fried around 1Lb of finely
sliced onions, using around 10ml of oil.

Same result :-(

Although this time I eventually
managed to clean the pan, probably damaging the non stick
in the process, since the cleaning was rather "physical".

Am I doing something wrong, either in the cooking
or cleaning process?

Do others have good answers? I'd rather not increase
the amount of oil for health reasons, given the choice.

BugBeasr

In article >,
bugbear > wrote:

> A while ago I was attempting to cook a curry.
> The early stage involved frying some onions
> until they were damn near dry, and a dark brown
> colour (like french polished mahogany).
>
> This worked OK, and the flavour was most
> distinctive.
>
> However...
>
> The (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly
> bonded thin (say 0.3 - 0.5 mm) layer
> of black "stuff", which was not easily removable.
> I tried soaking the pan (for 2 days) and boiling water
> in it, but the stuff wouldn't come off.
>
> I threw the pan out.

I use a small amount of bleach (soak) to remove stuck stuff from the
bottom of the stainless steel pressure cooker on the rare occasions I
manage to scorch it. It sounds like your pan is not seasoned properly
tho'.

>
> Recently, I did the recipe again, using a different
> cast aluminium frying pan. I fried around 1Lb of finely
> sliced onions, using around 10ml of oil.
>
> Same result :-(

Get rid of aluminum and try cast iron.

>
> Although this time I eventually
> managed to clean the pan, probably damaging the non stick
> in the process, since the cleaning was rather "physical".
>
> Am I doing something wrong, either in the cooking
> or cleaning process?
>
> Do others have good answers? I'd rather not increase
> the amount of oil for health reasons, given the choice.
>
> BugBeasr

Some oils have health benefits. Learn them. Olive, coconut, grapeseed
to start.
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

On Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:19:37 +0100, bugbear wrote in post :
net> :

> A while ago I was attempting to cook a curry.
> The early stage involved frying some onions
> until they were damn near dry, and a dark brown
> colour (like french polished mahogany).
>
> This worked OK, and the flavour was most
> distinctive.
>
> However...
>
> The (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly
> bonded thin (say 0.3 - 0.5 mm) layer
> of black "stuff", which was not easily removable.
> I tried soaking the pan (for 2 days) and boiling water
> in it, but the stuff wouldn't come off.
>
> I threw the pan out.
>
> Recently, I did the recipe again, using a different
> cast aluminium frying pan. I fried around 1Lb of finely
> sliced onions, using around 10ml of oil.
>
> Same result :-(
>
> Although this time I eventually
> managed to clean the pan, probably damaging the non stick
> in the process, since the cleaning was rather "physical".
>
> Am I doing something wrong, either in the cooking
> or cleaning process?
>
> Do others have good answers? I'd rather not increase
> the amount of oil for health reasons, given the choice.
>
> BugBeasr

You have to stir them occasionally.;-)

Perhaps too hot? Did you use garlic in the mix, as that can stick easily?
If so, I'd put the onions in the pan before the oil gets too hot, and keep
the temperature a bit lower. You don't need searing heat to get that smoky
flavour from browned onions/garlic, and it can get bitter very quickly if
you're not careful. Lower heat takes only a litle longer and gives you more
time to catch it at the right moment, and it won't stick so much. Plus you
get the chance for another slurp of your "cooking medicine" :-)

--
Tim C.

"bugbear" ha scritto nel messaggio >A while ago I was attempting to cook a
curry.
> The early stage involved frying some onions until they were damn near dry,
> and a dark brown
> colour (like french polished mahogany).
>
> This worked OK, and the flavour was most distinctive. However...> The
> (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly bonded thin (say 0.3 - 0.5
> mm) layer of black "stuff", which was not easily removable.

Onions are sugary. If you cook them to dark brown, they need oil, as a
matter of fact, most curries start with a lot of oil by my standards.You
have ended up with caramel and you could have cooked it off, but there was
always the chance that you would cook the finish off as well.
If I were you I would 1. suck it up and use the oil or 2. do the old boiled
onions bit as in "Curry Secret" and lose the deep taste you liked. If you
keep throwing out pans you'd be better off flying to Mumbai for curry.

In article >, Omelet
> writes
>In article >,
> bugbear > wrote:

>> The (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly

>. It sounds like your pan is not seasoned properly
>tho'.

I thought that part of the point of non-stick pans is that they don't
need seasoning.
--
congokid
Eating out in London? Read my tips...
http://congokid.com

Tim C. wrote:
> Perhaps too hot? Did you use garlic in the mix, as that can stick easily?
> If so, I'd put the onions in the pan before the oil gets too hot, and keep
> the temperature a bit lower. You don't need searing heat to get that smoky
> flavour from browned onions/garlic, and it can get bitter very quickly if
> you're not careful. Lower heat takes only a litle longer and gives you more
> time to catch it at the right moment, and it won't stick so much. Plus you
> get the chance for another slurp of your "cooking medicine" :-)

Interesting. There were (in addition to 1 lb of
sliced-fairly-thin-on-a-mandoline onion, there were
two cloves of garlic (pressed) and some ginger
(sliced super thin on the mandoline, then choppped).

I also note your comments on heat.

BugBear

Mike........... wrote:
> Following up to bugbear
>
>> Do others have good answers? I'd rather not increase
>> the amount of oil for health reasons, given the choice.
>
> use a simple cast iron pan with no coating. You can "season" it by heating
> oil in it. You can then cook things at high temeratures and/or "dry" with
> no fears. You can clean the pan with a power sander if you want to,
> although you then lose the seasoned effect. I have one small non stick
> frying pan for delicate tasks, I use cast iron for everything else, a
> ridged one is useful too. No need to pay silly prices either.

I have a 12" plain cast iron skillet by Holcroft, and a 14"
elliptical griddle pan by the same maker.

I was using an aluminium non-stick
pan because Madhur Jaffrey said so!

BugBear

bugbear wrote:
> A while ago I was attempting to cook a curry.
> The early stage involved frying some onions
> until they were damn near dry, and a dark brown
> colour (like french polished mahogany).
>
> This worked OK, and the flavour was most
> distinctive.

Google woogly:

http://www.cookography.com/2008/the-...nion-soup-ever

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/f...p,1308,RC.html

http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com...n-indian-food/
(mine were much darker than this)

Most recipes seem to be using vastly more oil than I did,
and aiming for a less dark colour.

So I guess my process was too dry, too hot, and
too long!

BugBear

On Mon, 6 Oct 2008 11:53:51 +0100, Mike........... wrote in post :
> :

> Following up to Tim C.
>
>> I'd put the onions in the pan before the oil gets too hot, and keep
>> the temperature a bit lower. You don't need searing heat to get that smoky
>> flavour from browned onions/garlic, and it can get bitter very quickly if
>> you're not careful.
>
> the garlic would, i wouldnt do that with garlic.

It's a vital part to some curry recipes. lentils especially, often have a
mixture of browned, flavoured onions and garlic added at the end. it's
called "tempering" or something.
--
Tim C.

bugbear wrote:
> A while ago I was attempting to cook a curry.

Some more googling and careful reading has
revealed my mistake.

There are (at least) two distinct ways of using
onions in Indian.

One uses moderate temperatures, modest
quantities of oil, and the onions are only
lightly browned, and quite sweet.

The other uses a lot of oil, high temperatures,
and the onions are (in effect) deep fried
until they are very dark brown and crisp.

I essentially mixed these two processes,
very badly. I used the temperatures and
colour target of the second process,
but the ingredients and quantities
of the first process.

As described earlier, this doesn't
work at all well.

BugBear

In article >,
congokid > wrote:

> In article >, Omelet
> > writes
> >In article >,
> > bugbear > wrote:
>
> >> The (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly
>
> >. It sounds like your pan is not seasoned properly
> >tho'.
>
> I thought that part of the point of non-stick pans is that they don't
> need seasoning.

I've always been amused by the fact that non-stick pans aren't. <g> I
went thru a few when I was in college before I learned that.

I still have one small one I keep exclusively for Omelets.

And I still add oil.
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

In article >, bugbear
> writes

>Most recipes seem to be using vastly more oil than I did,
>and aiming for a less dark colour.
>
>So I guess my process was too dry, too hot, and
>too long!

When I tried caramelising onions as instructed by Madhur Jaffrey, the
first few efforts went in the bin because in my hurry to get them to
brown I accidentally burned them.

I've found it to be a very long, slow process that requires almost
constant attention, and the gas burner needs to be turned as low as it
will go. Almost as long as reducing yoghurt based sauces. But worth the
effort, just.
--
congokid
Eating out in London? Read my tips...
http://congokid.com

Mike........... wrote:
> Following up to bugbear
>
>> http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com...n-indian-food/
>
> from above:-
> "Whatever you do, don¢t use a pan with a nonstick surface. Nonstick
> coatings interfere with the proper development of the darkened sugar
> residue that coats the bottom of the pan while the onions cook."

My reading of that was that the food wouldn't be "right",
not that it would stick.

BugBear

"congokid" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, bugbear
> > writes
>
>>Most recipes seem to be using vastly more oil than I did,
>>and aiming for a less dark colour.
>>
>>So I guess my process was too dry, too hot, and
>>too long!
>
> When I tried caramelising onions as instructed by Madhur Jaffrey, the
> first few efforts went in the bin because in my hurry to get them to brown
> I accidentally burned them.
>
> I've found it to be a very long, slow process that requires almost
> constant attention, and the gas burner needs to be turned as low as it
> will go. Almost as long as reducing yoghurt based sauces. But worth the
> effort, just.
> --
A lot of Indian sweet dishes take ages to cook and require constant stirring
etc. to prevent burning. I buy them instead from an Indian shop, thankfully
about 20k away on the other side of town. Delicious but at about one
million calories per bite.........
Graham

On Mon, 6 Oct 2008 12:23:07 +0100, Mike........... wrote in post :
> :

> Following up to Tim C.
>
>> a vital part to some curry recipes. lentils especially, often have a
>> mixture of browned, flavoured onions and garlic added at the end. it's
>> called "tempering" or something.
>
> i thought garlic went bitter is fried too much?

exactly my point. You have to catch it at the point it goes brown and
smoky, but before it goes bitter. So a lower temp. fry would give you that
bit of time to catch it. You want smoky/warm onion/garlic but not bitter.

--
Tim C.

On Mon, 6 Oct 2008 12:03:21 +0100, Mike........... wrote in post :
> :

> Following up to bugbear
>
>> http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com...n-indian-food/
>
> from above:-
> "Whatever you do, don¢t use a pan with a nonstick surface. Nonstick
> coatings interfere with the proper development of the darkened sugar
> residue that coats the bottom of the pan while the onions cook."

I normally use a non-stick pan for that but I don't think it makes a huge
difference to the flavour. A little bit maybe. Nor do I find it sticks.
--
Tim C.

On Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:07:08 +0100, bugbear wrote in post :
net> :

> As described earlier, this doesn't
> work at all well.

lol! Now you do it right next time, boy! <thwack> :-)

--
Tim C.

bugbear wrote:
> Mike........... wrote:
>> Following up to bugbear
>>> Do others have good answers? I'd rather not increase
>>> the amount of oil for health reasons, given the choice.
>>
>> use a simple cast iron pan with no coating. You can "season" it by
>> heating
>> oil in it. You can then cook things at high temeratures and/or "dry" with
>> no fears. You can clean the pan with a power sander if you want to,
>> although you then lose the seasoned effect. I have one small non stick
>> frying pan for delicate tasks, I use cast iron for everything else, a
>> ridged one is useful too. No need to pay silly prices either.
>
> I have a 12" plain cast iron skillet by Holcroft, and a 14"
> elliptical griddle pan by the same maker.
>
> I was using an aluminium non-stick
> pan because Madhur Jaffrey said so!
>
>
Try sprinkling baking soda/bicarbonate in the pan, and then rubbing it
with a barely damp microfiber cloth. It always works for me.

On Mon, 6 Oct 2008 14:02:56 +0100, Mike........... wrote in post :
> :

> Following up to Tim C.
>
>> but not bitter.
>
> i'll have yours, get two in while you are there.

I nice pint of Double Dragon or Marston's would go down quit well right
now. Ok with you?
--
Tim C.

bugbear > wrote:

>The (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly
>bonded thin (say 0.3 - 0.5 mm) layer
>of black "stuff", which was not easily removable.
>I tried soaking the pan (for 2 days) and boiling water
>in it, but the stuff wouldn't come off.

>I threw the pan out.
>

>cast aluminium frying pan. I fried around 1Lb of finely
>sliced onions, using around 10ml of oil.

>Same result :-(
>
>Although this time I eventually
>managed to clean the pan, probably damaging the non stick
>in the process, since the cleaning was rather "physical".

>Am I doing something wrong, either in the cooking
>or cleaning process?

Yes, you're doing something wrong, you're using non-stick
cookware.

Steve

S Viemeister wrote:
>
> bugbear wrote:
> > Mike........... wrote:
> >> Following up to bugbear
> >>> Do others have good answers? I'd rather not increase
> >>> the amount of oil for health reasons, given the choice.
> >>
> >> use a simple cast iron pan with no coating. You can "season" it by
> >> heating
> >> oil in it. You can then cook things at high temeratures and/or "dry" with
> >> no fears. You can clean the pan with a power sander if you want to,
> >> although you then lose the seasoned effect. I have one small non stick
> >> frying pan for delicate tasks, I use cast iron for everything else, a
> >> ridged one is useful too. No need to pay silly prices either.
> >
> > I have a 12" plain cast iron skillet by Holcroft, and a 14"
> > elliptical griddle pan by the same maker.
> >
> > I was using an aluminium non-stick
> > pan because Madhur Jaffrey said so!

There's nonstick and then there's really good nonstick. We never use it
cos the coating always gets damaged eventually. Wondering how much
Indian home cooking in India is done in nonstick cookware.

> >
> >
> Try sprinkling baking soda/bicarbonate in the pan, and then rubbing it
> with a barely damp microfiber cloth. It always works for me.

Was going to suggest the baking/bread soda, but as a soak first. It cuts
through grease and burnt-on bits quite well.

Seemed silly to throw out the pan.

Steve Pope wrote:
>
> bugbear > wrote:
>
> >Am I doing something wrong, either in the cooking
> >or cleaning process?
>
> Yes, you're doing something wrong, you're using non-stick
> cookware.

I have a well-seasoned cast iron pot, and I do fried
onions every now and then. No sticking. Start out
moderate to hot to drive off the water, then turn it
down to medium-low for the long hard slog toward
browning, stirring every few minutes. When they
are uniformly light brown and very crispy, remove
and place them in an airtight jar. When ground to
a powder, they're a very good addition to soup.
The powder is very hygroscopic (absorbs water from
the atmosphere), so they have to be ground immediately
before use.

In article >,
congokid > wrote:
> In article >, Omelet
> > writes
> >In article >,
> > bugbear > wrote:

> >> The (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly

> >. It sounds like your pan is not seasoned properly
> >tho'.

> I thought that part of the point of non-stick pans is that they don't
> need seasoning.

I agree. Logic says that non-stick pans use a lining that things don't
stick to. In which case, the thing you want is the lining absolutely clean
without any sort of covering. Seasoning a non-stick pan will just add a
layer on top of the lining and food can stick to that layer. I suggest what
happened with the onions may have been polymerisation - you formed a type
of plastic which was resistant to water and detergents and that's why you
couldn't remove it.

I remember causing offence on this group some time ago over this issue. I
said that IMO it was vital to keep non-stick pans "sparkling clean" and got
the response that her pans were always clean! I obviously didn't get the
message over. I am old enough to remember the time before non-stick pans
were widely available - cleaning frying pans was not an issue. "Wash a
frying pan?" It never happened; not in our house anyway; my mother just
added more fat when the existing fat dropped too low. Breakfast was fried,
often including fried bread which soaked up the fat, and as for health
issues, a much larger proportion of the population did active manual work;
and, I expect, they had heart attacks.

Anyway, back to the topic, when the first non-stick pans came out, the
suggestion was that you just had to wipe them out after use with a dry
tissue (or maybe newspaper at that time) and I'm sure many people did that;
IMV that would leave enough of a deposit to build up and kill the non-stick
property which might have been one of the reason why why the early ones
didn't last as non-stick.

Cheers
Jane.

I wash my non-stick pans thorughly with hot detergent and don't use them
for anything likely to polymerise, like the example given. They seem to
keep their non-stick.

--

Jane Gillett : : Totnes, Devon.

Jane Gillett wrote:

> Anyway, back to the topic, when the first non-stick pans came out, the
> suggestion was that you just had to wipe them out after use with a dry
> tissue (or maybe newspaper at that time) and I'm sure many people did
> that; IMV that would leave enough of a deposit to build up and kill
> the non-stick property which might have been one of the reason why
> why the early ones didn't last as non-stick.

In my experience with early non-stick pans is they didn't stay
that way very long because the coating would peel off if you
looked at it wrong. I stayed away from them for a long time
because of that.

> I wash my non-stick pans thorughly with hot detergent and don't use
> them for anything likely to polymerise, like the example given. They
> seem to keep their non-stick.

I need to replace one of my skillets (I have no interest in non-stick
pots) because someone burned sugar in it and it's never been the
same. Bad use of a non-stick pan.

nancy

Steve Pope wrote:
>
> Yes, you're doing something wrong, you're using non-stick
> cookware.

What's your preferred way to do scrambled egg?

BugBear

On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:33:22 +0100, bugbear wrote in post :
> :

> Steve Pope wrote:
>>
>> Yes, you're doing something wrong, you're using non-stick
>> cookware.
>
> What's your preferred way to do scrambled egg?

Non-stick for me every time, I can tell you.

--
Tim C.

On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:33:22 +0100, bugbear wrote:

> Steve Pope wrote:
>>
>> Yes, you're doing something wrong, you're using non-stick
>> cookware.
>
> What's your preferred way to do scrambled egg?
>
> BugBear

with butter in a stainless steel pan. cleanup is trivial unless you're
really abusing the egg.

your pal,
blake

"Jane Gillett" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> congokid > wrote:
>> In article >, Omelet
>> > writes
>> >In article >,
>> > bugbear > wrote:
>
>> >> The (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly
>
>> >. It sounds like your pan is not seasoned properly
>> >tho'.
>
>> I thought that part of the point of non-stick pans is that they don't
>> need seasoning.
>
> I agree. Logic says that non-stick pans use a lining that things don't
> stick to. In which case, the thing you want is the lining absolutely clean
> without any sort of covering. Seasoning a non-stick pan will just add a
> layer on top of the lining and food can stick to that layer. I suggest
> what
> happened with the onions may have been polymerisation - you formed a type
> of plastic which was resistant to water and detergents and that's why you
> couldn't remove it.
>
> I remember causing offence on this group some time ago over this issue. I
> said that IMO it was vital to keep non-stick pans "sparkling clean" and
> got
> the response that her pans were always clean! I obviously didn't get the
> message over. I am old enough to remember the time before non-stick pans
> were widely available - cleaning frying pans was not an issue. "Wash a
> frying pan?" It never happened; not in our house anyway; my mother just
> added more fat when the existing fat dropped too low. Breakfast was
> fried,
> often including fried bread which soaked up the fat, and as for health
> issues, a much larger proportion of the population did active manual work;
> and, I expect, they had heart attacks.
>
Mum used to wash the FP from time to time, I suspect after frying fish. She
then seasoned it by boiling potato peelings in it leaving a "skin" of
starch, I suppose.
Graham

In article >,
"Tim C." > wrote:

> On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:33:22 +0100, bugbear wrote in post :
> > :
>
> > Steve Pope wrote:
> >>
> >> Yes, you're doing something wrong, you're using non-stick
> >> cookware.
> >
> > What's your preferred way to do scrambled egg?
>
> Non-stick for me every time, I can tell you.

I use well seasoned cast iron.

It's pretty much non-stick and the "coating" is replaceable.
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

Graham wrote:

> "Jane Gillett" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>In article >,
>> congokid > wrote:
>>
>>>In article >, Omelet
> writes
>>>
>>>>In article >,
>>>>bugbear > wrote:
>>
>>>>>The (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly
>>
>>>>. It sounds like your pan is not seasoned properly
>>>>tho'.
>>
>>>I thought that part of the point of non-stick pans is that they don't
>>>need seasoning.
>>
>>I agree. Logic says that non-stick pans use a lining that things don't
>>stick to. In which case, the thing you want is the lining absolutely clean
>>without any sort of covering. Seasoning a non-stick pan will just add a
>>layer on top of the lining and food can stick to that layer. I suggest
>>what
>>happened with the onions may have been polymerisation - you formed a type
>>of plastic which was resistant to water and detergents and that's why you
>>couldn't remove it.
>>
>>I remember causing offence on this group some time ago over this issue. I
>>said that IMO it was vital to keep non-stick pans "sparkling clean" and
>>got
>>the response that her pans were always clean! I obviously didn't get the
>>message over. I am old enough to remember the time before non-stick pans
>>were widely available - cleaning frying pans was not an issue. "Wash a
>>frying pan?" It never happened; not in our house anyway; my mother just
>>added more fat when the existing fat dropped too low. Breakfast was
>>fried,
>>often including fried bread which soaked up the fat, and as for health
>>issues, a much larger proportion of the population did active manual work;
>>and, I expect, they had heart attacks.
>>
>
> Mum used to wash the FP from time to time, I suspect after frying fish. She
> then seasoned it by boiling potato peelings in it leaving a "skin" of
> starch, I suppose.
> Graham
>
>
I don't know what boiling potato peelings was supposed to accomplish,
but a layer of starch is not likely to render a pan non-stick. Just the
opposite, I would think.

Kathleen wrote:
> Graham wrote:
>
>> "Jane Gillett" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>> In article >,
>>> congokid > wrote:
>>>
>>>> In article >, Omelet
>>>> > writes
>>>>
>>>>> In article >,
>>>>> bugbear > wrote:
>>>
>>>>>> The (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly
>>>
>>>>> . It sounds like your pan is not seasoned properly
>>>>> tho'.
>>>
>>>> I thought that part of the point of non-stick pans is that they don't
>>>> need seasoning.
>>>
>>> I agree. Logic says that non-stick pans use a lining that things don't
>>> stick to. In which case, the thing you want is the lining absolutely
>>> clean
>>> without any sort of covering. Seasoning a non-stick pan will just add a
>>> layer on top of the lining and food can stick to that layer. I
>>> suggest what
>>> happened with the onions may have been polymerisation - you formed a
>>> type
>>> of plastic which was resistant to water and detergents and that's why
>>> you
>>> couldn't remove it.
>>>
>>> I remember causing offence on this group some time ago over this
>>> issue. I
>>> said that IMO it was vital to keep non-stick pans "sparkling clean"
>>> and got
>>> the response that her pans were always clean! I obviously didn't get the
>>> message over. I am old enough to remember the time before non-stick pans
>>> were widely available - cleaning frying pans was not an issue. "Wash a
>>> frying pan?" It never happened; not in our house anyway; my mother just
>>> added more fat when the existing fat dropped too low. Breakfast was
>>> fried,
>>> often including fried bread which soaked up the fat, and as for health
>>> issues, a much larger proportion of the population did active manual
>>> work;
>>> and, I expect, they had heart attacks.
>>>
>>
>> Mum used to wash the FP from time to time, I suspect after frying
>> fish. She then seasoned it by boiling potato peelings in it leaving a
>> "skin" of starch, I suppose.
>> Graham
>>
> I don't know what boiling potato peelings was supposed to accomplish,
> but a layer of starch is not likely to render a pan non-stick. Just the
> opposite, I would think.
>
I would think it was more to remove any lingering fishiness.

In article >,
bugbear > wrote:

> Steve Pope wrote:
> >
> > Yes, you're doing something wrong, you're using non-stick
> > cookware.
>
> What's your preferred way to do scrambled egg?

I made scrambled eggs for my wife and me for breakfast yesterday. First
I took three small potatoes, stood them on their sides on the skinny
part, cut the sides off (so they would lay flat in the pan) and cut them
into two or three slices. Put them in a non-stick fry pan with canola
oil. Since they were thick (about 1/2 inch), they needed to start
cooking first or they would burn on the outside and not cook inside. I
then broke six eggs into a bowl, and added a splash of milk and two
kinds of spice mixes. I stirred well, and stirred occasionally while
the potatoes cooked and I prepped. I put a generous glob of butter in a
small non-stick fry pan and added a small amount of fine dice of onion
and green bell pepper. I cut up some deli sandwich ham into little
squares and tossed that in the small pan with the onion and pepper. I
just cooked it until it separated, with a layer of butter on it and it
wasn't cold anymore. I grated some mild cheese (1/2 cup). Sharp would
have been better, but my wife buys mild because that's what our daughter
likes. Since our daughter doesn't live with us and hasn't eaten a meal
at home with us for months, that doesn't make sense.

When the potatoes looked done, I threw a couple of pieces of bread in
the toaster and cranked up the heat on the small pan. I added the eggs
and cooked until almost set. I then added the grated cheese while
flipping the eggs around.

It was a feast. We had plain oatmeal this morning.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

In article >,
Graham > wrote:

> "Jane Gillett" > wrote in message
> ...
I am old enough to remember the time before non-stick pans
> > were widely available - cleaning frying pans was not an issue. "Wash a
> > frying pan?" It never happened; not in our house anyway; my mother just
> > added more fat when the existing fat dropped too low. Breakfast was
> > fried,
> > often including fried bread which soaked up the fat, and as for health
> > issues, a much larger proportion of the population did active manual work;
> > and, I expect, they had heart attacks.
> >
> Mum used to wash the FP from time to time, I suspect after frying fish. She
> then seasoned it by boiling potato peelings in it leaving a "skin" of
> starch, I suppose.

We had a separate frying pan for fish. That was probably wiped out and the
oil replaced sometimes.

Cheers
jane
> Graham

--

Jane Gillett : : Totnes, Devon.

In article >,
bugbear > wrote:

> A while ago I was attempting to cook a curry.
> The early stage involved frying some onions
> until they were damn near dry, and a dark brown
> colour (like french polished mahogany).
>
> This worked OK, and the flavour was most
> distinctive.
>
> However...
>
> The (Meyer) non stick pan ended up with a tightly
> bonded thin (say 0.3 - 0.5 mm) layer
> of black "stuff", which was not easily removable.
> I tried soaking the pan (for 2 days) and boiling water
> in it, but the stuff wouldn't come off.
>
> I threw the pan out.
>
> Recently, I did the recipe again, using a different
> cast aluminium frying pan. I fried around 1Lb of finely
> sliced onions, using around 10ml of oil.
>
> Same result :-(
>
> Although this time I eventually
> managed to clean the pan, probably damaging the non stick
> in the process, since the cleaning was rather "physical".
>
> Am I doing something wrong, either in the cooking
> or cleaning process?

Yes. You're trying to get the job done too fast, with too much heat.

Isaac

On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:33:12 +0100, Jane Gillett
> wrote:

>I suggest what
>happened with the onions may have been polymerisation - you formed a type
>of plastic which was resistant to water and detergents and that's why you
>couldn't remove it.

You have the problem to a tee! And, probably, the only thing that will
shift that now is methylene chloride.

In article >,
Corey Richardson > wrote:

> On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:33:12 +0100, Jane Gillett
> > wrote:
>
> >I suggest what
> >happened with the onions may have been polymerisation - you formed a type
> >of plastic which was resistant to water and detergents and that's why you
> >couldn't remove it.
>
> You have the problem to a tee! And, probably, the only thing that will
> shift that now is methylene chloride.

Easy off Oven Cleaner out in the sun should work too.
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

On Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:38:34 -0500, Omelet > wrote:

>In article >,
> Corey Richardson > wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:33:12 +0100, Jane Gillett
>> > wrote:
>>
>> >I suggest what
>> >happened with the onions may have been polymerisation - you formed a type
>> >of plastic which was resistant to water and detergents and that's why you
>> >couldn't remove it.
>>
>> You have the problem to a tee! And, probably, the only thing that will
>> shift that now is methylene chloride.
>
>Easy off Oven Cleaner out in the sun should work too.

That's not a bad idea either...