Our AUS-ION™ is often praised for its ability to achieve a natural non-stick surface, but did you know that you can also achieve non-stick cooking with our nöni stainless steel cookware? The trick is science, but once you've got the conditions right, food will glide around your pan with ease.
What Makes Stainless Go Non-stick?
As you gradually heat stainless steel cookware, a scientific principle called the 'Leidenfrost effect' occurs, expanding the metal and shrinking the pores in the surface of the stainless steel. This results in a smoother cooking surface, that is much less prone to sticking.
Want to learn more about the Leidenfrost effect? Check out this article written by Hugh Neill in Popular Science.
Can Stainless Steel Cookware Really Be Non-stick?
Yes. Stainless steel can achieve a naturally non-stick cooking surface through the right heat and oil technique, no synthetic coatings required.
Follow our tips below.
Tip #1: Keep Your Pan Clean and Smooth
Any stuck-on food will act as Velcro, grabbing onto whatever you cook next. By maintaining a smooth surface on your cookware, you can achieve the ultimate non-stick, non-toxic cooking experience without relying on harmful chemicals or synthetic coatings.
Tip #2: Let Your Pan Heat Slow, Over Medium Heat.
You'll know it's ready when a drop of water will roll around in little beads, rather than evaporating.
Tip #3: Add Oils or Fats Only Once the Pan is Hot
This prevents the oil from breaking down prematurely and becoming 'sticky'.
Tip #4: Let Meat Reach Room Temperature Before Cooking
Cold meat is a common culprit for sticking, it cools the pan right where it lands, letting the meat's proteins latch onto the pores in the surface.
Tip #5: Let the Food Tell You When it's Ready to Flip
Once your food is cooked enough, it will 'release' from the pan's surface. If you're having trouble flipping, just let your food cook for a little while longer before trying again.
Adopting them as standard practice will boost your everyday cooking experience and help you achieve a natural, non-stick surface free from PFAS (and PFOA and PTFE). Whether you're cooking on nöni™ stainless steel or AUS-ION™ wrought iron, the path to a naturally non-stick cooking comes down to the same simple habits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is nöni™ stainless steel cookware non-stick? Yes, by developing a proper heat and oil technique you can achieve non-stick cooking with our stainless without coatings.
Why does food stick to stainless steel pans? Food usually sticks because the pan wasn't heated gradually enough, oil was added before the pan was hot, or the food (especially meat) was cold when it hit the surface. Any one of these interrupts the natural non-stick effect.
Is it possible to cook non-stick without PFAS, PFOA, or PTFE coatings? Yes. Uncoated cookware like stainless steel, wrought iron, and cast iron can all achieve a non-stick surface through heat and technique alone, without any synthetic non-stick coatings.
Why does a clean, smooth pan matter? A clean, smooth surface is the foundation of non-stick cooking. Any stuck-on food acts like Velcro, grabbing onto whatever you cook next.
How do you know when your pan is hot enough? Heat your pan gradually over medium heat until a drop of water beads up and rolls around the surface instead of evaporating — that's your sweet spot.
When should you add oil or fat to the pan? Only once the pan is already hot. Adding oil too early causes it to break down prematurely and become sticky.
Why should meat reach room temperature before cooking? Cold meat lowers the pan's surface temperature and causes proteins to bond directly with its pores, which is one of the most common causes of sticking.
How do you know when food is ready to flip? Let the food tell you — once it's cooked enough, it will release naturally from the surface on its own. If it's resisting, give it more time.
