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A nonstick cookware set is a very popular choice in the Indian kitchens, but if you know how to season nonstick cookware easily, you can really extend its life.
In today’s post, we will discuss “How to Season Nonstick Cookware in 5 Minutes?” since regular seasoning is very significant for the long life of your cookware set.
Whether you are cooking in a cast iron, hard anodized or a stainless steel cookware set, the joy of cooking is very important.
With a nonstick cookware set, you will enjoy cooking as long as the food does not stick to the cookware.
However, over a period of time, as the nonstick coating begins to peel off, the food will stick to the bottom, making cooking and cleaning both very difficult.
This is why, regular seasoning is required if you have a nonstick cookware in your kitchen. The good thing is you can easily season nonstick cookware in 5 minutes with the help of this post.
You can also check out other posts on Best Frying Pan in India, Best Dutch Oven in India and Best Casserole in India.
What is Seasoning?
Imagine using a nonstick frying pan which you bought a couple of years ago. One day, you suddenly notice some pores on the surface of the frying pan, and while you are trying to make an omelette in the frying pan, the food starts sticking to the surface of the pan.
This means, while cooking, not only you will have a hard time while trying to make the omelette, but cleaning is going to be a mess too. In order to make sure this does not happen, you need to season the nonstick cookware.
In very simple words, seasoning is the process of oiling the cookware in a way, that it creates a protective layer against rust and corrosion. Seasoning helps to keep the nonstick layer intact over a period of time, and enhances the life of the nonstick cookware.
How to Season Nonstick Cookware in 5 Minutes?
A lot of people think there is no need to season the nonstick pan, since it already comes pre-seasoned. However, the coating of the pan begins to come off as you use it over a period of time, which makes the surface toxic, especially, if you are going to cook acidic foods in it.
Before, you want to season the nonstick cookware, make sure it is clean and washed thoroughly. If not, follow these steps —
1). Create a mix of half cup white vinegar, two tablespoons of baking soda, and one cup water. Pour this mix in the pan, and place the pan on the gas stove over medium heat, and let it boil.
2). After 10 minutes, take the pan off from the stove, and now wash the pan with dish soap and a sponge.
3). Once washed, dry the surface of the pan with a dry cloth or a paper towel.
1). How to Season Nonstick Cookware using the Gas Stove
Seasoning nonstick cookware on the gas stoves is one of the most easiest and viable ways, especially for Indian kitchens, since every one has a gas stove these days.
You can start by spreading one teaspoon of vegetable oil or flaxseed oil on the surface of the nonstick cookware. While doing this, make sure the oil is spread evenly on the surface.
Now, switch on the gas stove with medium heat setting, neither too low, nor too high. In approximately 2 minutes, you will see the oil drying off from the nonstick cookware surface.
Let the pan cool off and wipe off any excess oil from the surface with the help of a paper tissue. Once the pan is totally dry, you can either put it back in the storage or use it to cook. That’s all, your nonstick cookware has now been seasoned perfectly.
Time taken to season the Nonstick cookware using a Gas stove : 2 minutes
2). How to Season Nonstick Cookware using an Oven
You can also season the nonstick cookware using an oven, provided you have one in your house. In order to season the nonstick pan with the help of an oven, start by pouring one teaspoon of vegetable oil on the nonstick surface of the pan.
Now, preheat the oven to 150 degree celsius, and put your nonstick cookware inside the oven for 60 minutes. As soon as you place the cookware inside the oven, increase the temperature to250 degree celsius.
Switch off the oven and let the pan cool for a while, before you take it out from the oven. Wipe off the excel oil from the pan, and seasoning using an oven has been performed now.
Time taken to season the Nonstick cookware using an Oven : 60 minutes
Both the methods of seasoning the nonstick cookware involves applying medium heat to the surface of the pan. The idea is to fill the pores in the surface with the oil, so that smooth surface can be maintained over a period of time.
Why Should You Season Nonstick Cookware
1). Regular seasoning is crucial to extend the life of your nonstick cookware, so that you do not have to spend again and again to buy a nonstick cookware for the kitchen.
2). Seasoning prevents the food from sticking to the surface of the nonstick cookware. The only reason we end up buying a nonstick cookware is to prevent any kind of sticking.
3). Cooking is a lot more fun, if you do not have to worry about food sticking, while cooking on a nonstick pan.
4). If you have a nonstick pan which is seasoned regularly, you will not have to use a lot of oil while cooking, which will lead to less fats and more health benefits.
5). To avoid the nonstick cookware from any kind of rust and corrosion, you should season the nonstick cookware every now and then.
Conclusion – How to Season Nonstick Cookware in 5 Minutes?
Seasoning the nonstick cookware is pretty simple, there are 2 ways to do it. Whether or not you have an oven in the kitchen, you can simply use a gas stove to season the nonstick cookware. The process will only take 2 minutes to complete. The good thing is you can also use the above techniques to season a cast iron cookware, if you have one in the kitchen.
FAQs – How to Season Nonstick Cookware Easily?
Q. Which oil should I use to season the nonstick cookware?
A. While you are going to season the nonstick cookware with oil, one thing you should make sure is the oil should have a very high smoke point. A high smoke point means a higher tolerance to heat. This is necessary, since an oil with a low smoke point will burn off quickly, and may not season the nonstick surface at all. Some of the best oils for seasoning of nonstick cookware in India are coconut oil, peanut oil, flaxseed oil, avocado and sunflower oil.
Q. Which oil should I not use to season the nonstick cookware?
A. Olive oil may not be a very good idea to season a nonstick pan, since it does not have a high smoke point. However, if you keep the nonstick pan over low heat, olive oil may not cause any damage. In addition to this, you should never use a cooking spray to season the nonstick pan. The chemicals present in the spray will damage the nonstick coating of the pan.
Q. How often should you season non stick pans?
A. While there is no fixed time window to season a nonstick pan, you can try and season it every 6 months. This also depends on your usage, and how well have you maintained the nonstick pan. If you have been using a dishwasher, you should season the nonstick pan every 3 months.
Q. What should you not cook in a non stick pan?
A. While using a nonstick pan for your daily cooking needs, you should always avoid any type of acidic foods such as tomatoes, vinegar, lemon, etc. The acidic foods can accelerate the ageing of the nonstick pan’s surface due to the acid present inside the food contents.
Q. How to maintain a nonstick pan for longer life?
A. In order to ensure the longer life of a nonstick pan, you should never use any type of cooking spray, avoid using metal spoons on the surface of the nonstick pan, avoid using a dishwasher, store the pans properly and avoid cooking acidic foods in it.
We hope this post on “How to Season Nonstick Cookware in 5 Minutes?” was useful and informative to you. We also encourage you to read the customer reviews of any product before buying. Should you have any questions on this, feel free to leave a comment. If you want our team to review a product you are interested in buying, you can reach out to us at askus@betterchoices.in, and we will be happy to review it.
