How do I stop food sticking to the pan?

Why food welds itself to a pan, and the preheating, drying and patience that prevent it.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 10 min
Read: 2 min

Short answer

Heat the pan properly before adding oil, dry the food before it goes in, and leave it alone. Most sticking is a cold pan, wet food, or moving the food before the crust has formed and released naturally.

Protein bonds chemically with hot metal. As a crust develops that bond breaks and the food releases by itself. Move it too early and you tear it apart; the food was never going to stick permanently, you just did not wait.

What you'll need

Pan
Oil with a reasonable smoke point
Kitchen paper (optional)

Step by step

Preheat the empty pan for a minute or two over medium heat.A drop of water should skitter across rather than sit and boil. A cold pan is the most common cause of sticking.
Add the oil to the hot pan, not the cold one.Oil heated slowly from cold breaks down and polymerises into a tacky layer, which makes things worse.
Pat the food dry before it goes in.Surface water has to boil off before browning starts, and during that time the food sits in steam and grips the metal.
Do not overcrowd the pan.Crowding drops the temperature and traps steam. Cook in two batches rather than one crowded one.
Leave it completely alone for the first two or three minutes.This is the step that matters most. When a crust has formed the food lifts freely — test by nudging one edge.
If it resists, give it another thirty seconds.Resistance means the crust is not finished. Forcing it now tears the surface off and leaves it welded to the pan.
Match the pan to the job.Eggs, fish and pancakes are much easier in non-stick. Steak and browning are better in steel or cast iron.

Tips

Cast iron and carbon steel need seasoning — a thin baked-on oil layer built up over time. Wash gently and dry immediately.
Scratched or worn non-stick will stick no matter what you do, and should be replaced rather than fought with.
Deglazing with a splash of water, stock or wine lifts stuck brown bits and turns them into sauce instead of washing-up.

Common mistakes

Adding food to a cold pan — It heats along with the pan, sits in its own released moisture, and bonds before any crust can form.
Poking and moving food constantly — Every move interrupts the crust that would release it. Patience is the actual technique.
Overheating non-stick — High heat degrades the coating, permanently reducing its non-stick properties and shortening the pan's life.

Questions people ask

Why does everything stick to my stainless steel pan?

Almost always an underheated pan or food that was too wet. Preheat until water skitters, then add oil, then the dried food — and do not move it for two or three minutes.

Should I use more oil to stop sticking?

A properly heated pan needs surprisingly little. Extra oil in a cold pan does not prevent sticking; it just makes greasy food that sticks anyway.