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Arrow-Circle-Down WHEN TO USE NONSTICK:

Sometimes, you just need the ease of an omelet sliding gently from pan to plate or a guarantee that your thinly pounded, lightly breaded pork schnitzel isn’t going to fall apart at the crucial flipping moment. That’s where a nonstick pan comes in. Ideal for delicate foods that need to be treated tenderly, like flaky fish, nonstick pans work best over low-to-medium heat. The ease of cleanup also means they’re perfect for making gooey, cheesy weeknight quesadillas, or even impressing guests with perfectly fluffy pancakes with minimal mess. piece of meat or create a pan sauce. The coatings that make nonstick pans so useful in many circumstances can become altered under the extremely high heat required by searing, ruining the pan. Also, never put a nonstick pan in the oven. ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT TRY THIS PRODUCT: If you’re looking for an alternative to the traditional Teflon nonstick pan, consider purchasing a ceramic nonstick pan. Sure, they might not be quite as slick at the classic, but with greater scratch resistance and longer heat retention, more and more people are choosing to keep both types in their kitchen arsenal. Sarah Baird is the author of multiple books, including New Orleans Cocktails and Flask , which was released in summer 2019. A 2019 Knight Visiting Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, her work has been featured in The New York Times , Washington Post , Saveur , Eater , Food &Wine and The Guardian , among others. Previously, she served as restaurant critic for the New Orleans alt-weekly, Gambit Weekly , where she won Critic of the Year in 2015 for her dining reviews. ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT DON’T USE IT WHEN... ... you want to get a good sear on a

Arrow-Circle-Down WHEN TO USE A STAINLESS STEEL PAN:

Stainless steel is all about two words: browning and crusting. Forgivingly tough, non-reactive (acidic foods like tomatoes — welcome!) and with a thin profile that makes heating easy to control, stainless steel pans are a reliable kitchen workhorse. As well suited for caramelizing onions or stir-frying tofu as searing off a pork shoulder to get the perfect bark, the lack of coating on stainless steel pans allows for crispiness that you just can’t find when using nonstick pans. (Avoid uneven heating and too much sticking by always preheating your stainless steel pan for three to five minutes and adding oil before use.) Endlessly versatile, there’s a reason stainless is the staple of professional kitchens. ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT DON’T USE IT WHEN... ... you’re cooking items that have an ultra- high potential to stick — even with the best preparation — like lightly breaded chicken cutlets or crumb-coated snapper filets. ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT TRY THIS PRODUCT: Keeping a bottle of distilled white vinegar on hand can go a long way toward cleaning up any blemishes or issues that might arise with your stainless steel pan. Vinegar can easily remove “overheating” spots on stainless steel with a quick swipe of a soft cloth, and get rid of hard water stains as part of a 3-to- 1 vinegar and water mixture. Bonus? It’s probably already in your pantry.

PHOTO BY ROMNEY CARUSO

and you risk being left with a metallic-tasting meal (not to mention a stripped pan). Cast iron also isn’t the most hospitable cooking vessel for eggs, so keep your nonstick at the ready for any sunny-side-up breakfasts.

ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT TRY THIS PRODUCT: Thanks to its ultra-high smoke point,

grapeseed oil is the “seasoning” oil of choice for most cast iron enthusiasts and professional chefs. For the uninitiated, seasoning the cast iron simply means heating oil in the pan and allowing it to absorb into the pores of the metal, creating a rough-and-tumble layer that prevents the cast iron from rusting and eventually making the pan’s interior smooth and slick. Grapeseed oil accomplishes this best, but canola oil and flaxseed oil are good options.

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