Cooking an egg in a stainless steel pan does not take very long, but cleaning the pan can. Rather than serving your kids something else to avoid the hassle of a stuck-on mess, follow some easy preparation tricks so they can get the protein, vitamins and minerals in eggs. Simplify your morning routine by learning the correct way to cook eggs without having them stick to the pan.
Clean Pan
Start with a clean pan to avoid having your eggs stick. Although it can seem tempting to reuse the pan that you just used for cooking breakfast meat or another batch of eggs, the pieces already in the pan will encourage the eggs to stick. Take a minute to wipe out the pan or just use a very large pan so you don't have to cook multiple batches.
Temperature
One of the keys to cooking eggs in stainless steel without making a mess is getting your pan to the right temperature before starting the eggs. A small pan for just one or two eggs should be on low heat, whereas a larger pan should be on medium heat. Preheat the pan for a few minutes and test its temperature by running your hand underwater, then shaking a few drops onto the pan. When they dance around the pan without evaporating immediately, it is ready.
Fat
Put a thin coating of oil on your hot pan to keep the eggs from sticking. For best results, use a cooking spray. The tiny particles in the spray spread evenly throughout the pan, giving you a coating without too much fat. If you use a solid form of fat, such as butter or margarine, just put a little bit in the pan and spread it around with a spatula to coat it.
Cooking
Put the eggs in the pan right after the fat goes in. If you are making scrambled eggs, crack them into a bowl and mix them as your pan heats to save time. Allow the eggs to set on the bottom for at least one minute before touching them with a spatula. If you are scrambling the eggs, start stirring them after the bottom layer has set. If you are cooking the eggs over easy, add about a tablespoon of water after the bottom has set and put a lid on the pan for a minute to help release the eggs. Run the spatula around the edge of each egg before flipping it, to ensure that you get the whole egg.