Can I put a stainless steel pan in the dishwasher?
Most stainless pans survive the dishwasher perfectly well, but they rarely come out looking their best — dishwasher detergent is harsh enough to dull the finish over time and hard water leaves spotting on the surface. If the pan has a riveted handle or an aluminium core sandwich base, repeated cycles can also discolour the exterior. Hand-washing takes two minutes and keeps the pan looking like something you'd be happy to put on the table.
How do I stop food sticking to stainless steel in the first place?
Heat the dry pan first, before any oil goes in, and test it with a few drops of water: if they sizzle and evaporate, it is not ready, and if they roll around the surface like beads of mercury, it is. Add your oil at that point, swirl to coat, then add food that is at room temperature and patted dry, and resist moving it. Protein releases itself from stainless steel when a crust has formed — if it is gripping the pan, it simply isn't ready to turn.
Treated this way, a stainless pan quietly outlasts everything else in the cupboard. It will never be the pan you reach for with scrambled eggs, but for searing, browning and anything that ends in a sauce, it is the one worth keeping bright.
