How do you clean a fired egg pan?

[Lance22]

I want to eat eggs more often but I often don't want to stress about the dreaded egg pan needing to be scrubbed 1/2 an hour and it to only STILL be 90% clean before I give up and leave it dirty for a week until I finally get it clean another week later and then another week later before I am dumb enough to make eggs and start the whole process over again.

Right now Im in an apartment but am planning on going back to my minivan soon so water will be limited. Please help with advice. I don't want to use sprays like pam but maybe there is something Im doing wrong. Please help!!

EDIT. I usually eat my eggs and toast right out of the pan so I don't get to cleaning RIGHT after it's done... maybe that is the issue?

 

[vanbrat]

Find a better pan.... I use a 50+ yr old cast Iron pan with a bit of oil, it still needs a bit of scrubbing, but not much. If you have trouble with your pan maybe heat pan first, then add oil or fat. don't add your oils until pan is hot. If it is still sticking add a bit of water and reheat and scrape with your spatula to loosen bits. I hate those nonstick things they inevitably lose their nonstickyness and to many weird stories about how unhealthy the coating is and nothing like a good well-seasoned cast iron. My hubby's granny gave me one of her cast iron pans 49 yrs ago when she found out I did not have one. Hubby said I should be happy she always cooked his eggs in that pan. I still prefer to cook eggs in that thing.

 

[eDJ_]

Do you have any preference in pans ? Or phobias of non-stick surfaces ?

I use the copper toned non stick and cooking spray (lite) and never have the stick issue.

Back when I did have stick issues I'd soak the pan for awhile and clean it as best as I could and then set it out into the sunlight. Something about the sun that breaks down stuff. Then use a nylon scrub ball to finish the cleaning.

Health and Cooking Spray Usage

 

[maki2]

No problem here, I use a non stick pan. But sometimes for other items if I do not wash them right away o rd the nonstick surface is getting old I find that adding a bit of water to the pan and then heating the pan, swirling the pan so that the hot water gets onto the stuck on food works great to soften the food so that it is easily removed with minimal scrubbing.

If I have a bowl or plate that has stuck on food that is hard to remove then the small amount of boiling hot water heated in a tea kettle and poured into the bowl also works to almost instantly soften those food bits. A small tea kettle is in daily use in my camping life, not just for hot beverages but also for this trick of quickly and easily removing stuck on food or greasy residue with very minimal water when needed. Often it only takes a teaspoon or tablespoon of boiling water and a couple of minutes to let it work its magic to soften the food residue so it can be removed with a paper towel.

 

[maki2]

Do you have any preference in pans ? Or phobias of non-stick surfaces ?

I use the copper toned non stick and cooking spray (lite) and never have the stick issue.

Back when I did have stick issues I'd soak the pan for awhile and clean it as best as I could and then set it out into the sunlight. Something about the sun that breaks down stuff. Then use a nylon scrub ball to finish the cleaning.

Health and Cooking Spray Usage

Sun shining on the pan equals heat equals hot water. Nothing mysterious about what the sun is doing.

 

[bullfrog !]

When I was younger and living out of a tent a cast iron skillet well seasoned didn’t get much stuck to it but if it did I would set it near an ant hill and by evening it would be clean. Simply wipe it out with oil and set it on the fire to heat a few minutes then it was ready for the next morning.

 

[Frood]

If you are spending that much time cleaning your egg pans on a regular basis, I think you most likely have a problem in your process somewhere. Any non-stick pan, seasoned cast iron, etc, should be pretty easy to clean if you are cooking your eggs right. The times I have issues cleaning pans (even stainless steel that isn't non-stick) after cooking is usually after I screw up somewhere in the cooking process.

 

[WanderingRose]

What Frood said.

Get your pan hot over moderate heat, then add your bacon and cook, drain most of the grease and cook your eggs.

Too hot of heat and not allowing your pan to preheat will cause a mess.

And a good pan, cast iron or a non stick.

 

[NctryBen]

My sister says putting the nonstick in a dishwasher killed a set she had. I don’t know...

Cast iron works for me... and like bullfrog, I just bring it to my aunts house. She’ll clean and season it for me. Haha!

 

[abnorm]

^ and you have KIRA to lick it clean !

 

[maki2]

My sister says putting the nonstick in a dishwasher killed a set she had. I don’t know...

Cast iron works for me... and like bullfrog, I just bring it to my aunts house. She’ll clean and season it for me. Haha!

Dishwasher chemicals are not good for older versions of nonstick. But I have no idea it that is true of all newer versions of nonstick pans. When in doubt read labels and manuals.

It is not an issue for me since I have no dish washing machine. Of course now that Kira is a very close by neighbor….

 

[maki2]

I was taught to start cooking bacon as well as hamburgers in a cold pan. Times have changed, cooking gear and methods have changed. However I really like having a minimalist kitchen now that I am only cooking for myself. Easier on my grocery budget as well as a lot fewer cleanup chores.

 

[vanbrat]

No problem here, I use a non stick pan. But sometimes for other items if I do not wash them right away o rd the nonstick surface is getting old I find that adding a bit of water to the pan and then heating the pan, swirling the pan so that the hot water gets onto the stuck on food works great to soften the food so that it is easily removed with minimal scrubbing.

If I have a bowl or plate that has stuck on food that is hard to remove then the small amount of boiling hot water heated in a tea kettle and poured into the bowl also works to almost instantly soften those food bits. A small tea kettle is in daily use in my camping life, not just for hot beverages but also for this trick of quickly and easily removing stuck on food or greasy residue with very minimal water when needed. Often it only takes a teaspoon or tablespoon of boiling water and a couple of minutes to let it work its magic to soften the food residue so it can be removed with a paper towel.

So another use for a microwave.... If you are using a glass plate or bowl and it is yukky stuck, fill or so with water and boil for 5 or so minutes in microwave, don't let it go dry add a mug of water if you are doing a flat plate let sit for 5 more minutes (don't open) and it should wipe out also so should the microwave. Never use harsh cleaners in microwave if there is a chance some may stay in, it will make food taste like cleaner stuff, the boiling water and steam will work on everything or it has so far for everything I have had to deal with.
I also make the morning egg sandwiches and cook the bacon there so..... Just always pierce the yolk on your egg before starting the cooking.

 

[VanFan]

Eggs may be a different matter, but I learned how to easily clean burned on food from stainless steel pans from a van friend way back. A thin paste of baking soda and water, left on for several hours, makes it a simple matter of wiping the pan clean and rinsing.

Tips for cleaning pans with baking soda here: https://www.thespruce.com/baking-soda-and-pots-and-pans-1900441

I use cast iron almost exclusively, and rarely have eggs stick. On those few occasions, I wait for the pan to cool and use a polycarbonate scraper (Lodge makes one) to loosen the particles, then brush or scrub lightly, using a bit of hot water, if needed.

 

[LoupGarou]

I've been using a RidgeMonkey. Just wiping it out with WaterWipes when done cooking.

 

[rockloper]

I use a Thomas Rosenthal Group pan and I've never used a better nonstick pan then that. It's fantastic.

 

[quilting22]

I want to eat eggs more often but I often don't want to stress about the dreaded egg pan needing to be scrubbed 1/2 an hour and it to only STILL be 90% clean before I give up and leave it dirty for a week until I finally get it clean another week later and then another week later before I am dumb enough to make eggs and start the whole process over again.

Right now Im in an apartment but am planning on going back to my minivan soon so water will be limited. Please help with advice. I don't want to use sprays like pam but maybe there is something Im doing wrong. Please help!!

EDIT. I usually eat my eggs and toast right out of the pan so I don't get to cleaning RIGHT after it's done... maybe that is the issue?

Live in a van. Make fried eggs all the time but do not eat it out of the pan. Put cooked eggs on a plate, put abt 1/2 - 1 " of water in pan. Let pan sit while eating. Then cleans up easily with paper towel. I then wipe clean pan with clean paper towel after a quick spray of vinegar toss make sure all oil residue is removed.

 

[mespringer]

Hot pan - cold oil. Take a look at the frying pans in any cafe that serves breakfast. Despite the blackened edges, no one cleans them. They are seasoned - even the stainless steel. Cast iron is the best but stainless works just fine.

Get the pan really hot (water drops dance across the bottom). Butter works best but olive oil is OK. Just before it looks like the pan will go into meltdown, add enough butter to cover the bottom and sides when melted. Once the butter is melted, immediately pour in the scrambled egg mix or drop in whole eggs. The first time you will see very little egg stuck to the pan but do not wash it with soap. The pan will be sterile and needs no soap.

Use the process several times and the pan will be "seasoned" but you will still need to put butter in the hot pan each time you use it. If you wash it with soap you will have to start the process over again.

 

[RonDean]

Like Vanbrat said...

I use a seasoned cast iron pan and allow it to preheat on low heat while gathering my ingredients. A good cast iron pan that is treated and used properly IS non-stick. I also move/rotate it a few times to make sure it is evenly preheated. The metal of the pan expands slightly when you warm it up, closing any minuscule fissures, pores, or gaps in the surface of the pan. This creates a smoother, tighter, sleeker surface for the oil to slide on, and prevents your food from getting stuck in those pores as they close when the pan heats up. Add a very small amount of "good" oil such as EVOO. I sometimes just wipe the surface with a lightly oil coated paper towel. Cook eggs over a low heat. And use a damned plate! Eating out of your cookware is pan-abuse and should be reported to CPS (Cooking Pan Services).

Seriously, I don't trust other cookware such as some of the ones touted as non-stick and that we later discovered were toxic. Maybe the newer one are safe, but I don't think we can improve much on cast iron. Since I am usually having to watch my water usage, cast iron also fits the bill. Used as I described it is easily cleaned with a chain mail scrubber and wooden scraper. Finish up with a wipe from an oiled paper towel and it's ready for the next meal.

 

[jacqueg]

With my cast iron, I use a metal spatula. When the cooked food is out of the skillet, scrape the skillet with the spatula while everything is still hot. Much harder to scrape cooled food. Besides, I LIKE the browned bits.

Until I started preheating my cast iron skillet, I often wound up with a mess to clean up. With cast iron, if the pan is preheated well enough, you should never have to turn the heat up very much. I understand that if you want to cook meat, you need a hotter pan, but I don't cook meat, so...

When I wash out the pan, I use a little Dawn. No, it doesn't hurt the seasoning. Avoid soaking your cast iron at all costs, it's amazing how quickly a flash rust can happen. Wash it out and dry it off.