How to Cook Eggs with Waterless, Greaseless Stainless Steel Cookware

Most foods can be cooked the waterless or greaseless way because they have natural water or fats in them. Eggs, however, are the exception to the rule. Since they have no natural oils, a small amount of some type of lubricant is required to prevent the eggs and egg-based recipes from sticking to the pan. Another important thing to remember when cooking eggs is to use a clean pan. Finally, the heat must be adjusted to medium or medium-high heat to cook.

Charles Knight is recognized worldwide as the foremost expert on the methods of waterless, greaseless cooking. He has written three cookbooks that offer tips as well as recipes to use with waterless, stainless steel cookware. He suggests that you use unsalted butter as the lubricant in your pan. This will help you achieve the proper cooking temperature for cooking the eggs. If the butter burns, the pan is definitely too hot. Once you have identified the proper cooking temperature for eggs, you may witch to oil as a lubricant.

Frying Eggs

Preheat your gourmet chef’s pan over medium heat. Place a small amount of unsalted butter in the pan—make sure it is enough to cover the bottom of the pan when melted. When the water bubbles release from the butter (usually about 2 – 3 minutes), add the eggs. When whites cook to the desired firmness, flip eggs and cook on the other side to desired firmness. As an option, you can cover the gourmet pan with a larger cover and cook to the desired firmness.

Scrambled Eggs

Prepare eggs to scramble by placing 2 eggs in a bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. of water and whip thoroughly with a whisk or fork.

Preheat gourmet chef’s pan over medium heat. Place a small amount on unsalted butter in the pan—make sure it is enough to cover the bottom of the pan when melted. When the water bubbles release from the butter (usually about 2 – 3 minutes), add the eggs. As the eggs begin to cook, draw cooked part from the edge of the pan toward the center with a fork allowing unco0ked egg batter to move to the surface of pan. Continue to repeat the process until the eggs are scrambled to desired firmness.

Soft Cooked Eggs

In a cool small saucepan, place eggs and 2 Tbsp. water for one egg, adding 1 Tbsp. for each additional egg, up to six. Use 1/2 cup water for more than 6 eggs. Cover pan and open vent. Cook on medium heat until steam appears, about 2 minutes. For electric range, turn off heat. For gas range, turn flame as low as possible. Time the eggs from the instant steam appears through the vent. Close the vent and continue cooking 3 – 4 minutes for soft cooked, 5 minutes for very firm white and medium soft yolk.

Hard Cooked Eggs

Use the same method as above, additional water for additional eggs. Cover and close the vent. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn burner off and leave covered 10 minutes. Cool in cold water, then peel.

Poached Eggs

Pour 1 cup hot water into a small saucepan or small skillet with egg poaching rack. Break eggs into lightly buttered egg cups. Place on egg poaching rack. Cover and close the vent. Cook over medium heat until steam appears. Reduce to low. Continue cooking 3 – 4 minutes for soft cooked eggs, or longer to desired firmness.

We hope you found this information helpful. Click http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/ for other great cooking tips and recipes! We have also included some great waterless cooking recipes on our site http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/healthywaterlessrecipes.html, including some new ones for July. Also check out the great deals on waterless cookware sets and pieces.

Adapting Recipes for Waterless Cookware

Many of us want to cook healthy meals that are both pleasing to the eye as well as to the palate. There are literally thousands of cookbooks on the market that help us with that daily task of meal planning and preparation. Yet when it comes to waterless and greaseless cooking, there are very few cookbooks available. To enjoy a variety of recipes and receive the benefits of cooking without water and added fats, you will need to adapt recipes. The easiest way to do that is to know and trust your cookware. Three things are important in this process:

Use Lower Temperature Settings

One of the benefits of quality stainless steel waterless cookware is the way it conducts heat—on low. One common mistake is to use a heat setting that is too high. Waterless cookware has a flat bottom. This bottom of a waterless cooking pan needs to be flat to provide for even heat distribution. The special design of the encapsulated bottom of each stainless steel pot provides strength and rigidity that prevents warping. It also eliminates hot spots that may burn food. Heat is distributed evenly in all directions.

Understand Waterless Cooking

Rinse and freshen vegetables. Pour off excess water, cover utensil, close vent, set on low heat, and remember not to peek. These are the basic principles of waterless cooking. Every time you lift the cover moisture is allowed to escape. This can result in burned foods and/or extra cooking time. Always use the correct size pan. Vegetables should fill or almost fill the pan. If there is too much air inside the pan, the vapor seal will not form, and vegetables will burn. Many foods, like fruits and vegetables, have their own moisture. You can retain the natural moisture by cooking with low heat, the cover on, and the vent closed. There is an exception however. Dried foods, such as rice, pasta, or dried beans will have to additional moisture added to rehydrate.

Enjoy Greaseless Cooking

You really can prepare your foods without added oils and fats. Remember, you are cooking on a surgical stainless steel surface. To prepare meats, preheat the pan on medium to medium high heat until water drops “dance” when they are sprinkled in the pan. Place the meat in the pan. It will immediately begin to sear, temporarily sticking to the surface. You should not try to move them until they are ready to turn. After 4 or 5 minutes, lift the corner of the meat. Do not force. The meat should release itself. When that side is seared, turn and cook on the other side for additional 4 or 5 minutes. Most meats, chicken, chops, and fish have natural fats and oils, so you don’t need to add them. Eggs, however, have no natural oil. You must add vegetable cooking spray to the pan or use a small amount of butter or margarine.

We hope you found this information helpful. Click for great cooking tips and recipes! We have also included some great waterless cooking recipes on our site http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/healthywaterlessrecipes.html. We just added some tasty recipes for July to our site. We also have some great deals on waterless cookware sets and pieces.

Cooking with Waterless Cookware

Switching from traditional cookware to waterless stainless steel cookware may seem a bit threatening—but it needn’t be. If you follow the basic principles of waterless cooking, you will find cooking to be a pleasurable and tasty culinary experience. Initially, you may want to follow the guidelines provided by experts in the field of waterless cooking. However, once you have the basic techniques mastered, you will easily be able to transition your basic recipes to the waterless, greaseless way of cooking. For those beginners who would like a cookbook to help guide them in the initial stages, I would recommend three that are authored by Charles Knight, who is recognized worldwide as the foremost expert on the classic methods of waterless, greaseless cooking.

1. “The Better Health Cookbook” an instructional cookbook by Charles Knight. Copyright: 2005.


2. “Healthy Meat and Potatoes” by Charles and David Knight. Copyright: 2001. This cookbook has a section on waterless cooking techniques as well as a number of great basic recipes.


3. “A Guide to Waterless Cooking” by Chef Charles Knight. Copyright: 2009. In addition to a wide variety of new recipes, it has sections on Basic Cookware Care, The Vapor Seal Method, Basic Product Information, Adapting Recipes, Nutrition Basics, Nutrition Facts and Basic Cooking Instructions.

We hope you found this information helpful. Click for great cooking tips and recipes! We have also included some great waterless cooking recipes on our site http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/healthywaterlessrecipes.html. We just added some tasty recipes for July to our site. We also have some great deals on waterless cookware sets and pieces

Advantages of Using Waterless Stainless Steel Cookware

Whether an experienced cook or just a novice, stainless steel cookware will make your life in the kitchen easy and pleasurable. Stainless steel cookware has become increasingly popular. Why? Stainless steel cookware is made up of a mixture of metals. It combines iron, nickel, chromium, and several metals. Because stainless steel by itself is not a good conductor of heat, the additional metals offer the user the best of all worlds. The encapsulated bottoms normally have copper or aluminum components that allow for even distribution of heat. You never have to worry about hot spots!

Stainless Steel Cookware Advantages

The popularity of stainless steel can be attributed to its advantages. They include:

• Surgical stainless steel is both durable and tough. With proper care, it should last for a lifetime. It is not prone to chipping, rusting, or even staining. It won’t dent or scratch easily. You don’t have to worry about particles from the pan getting into your food. While stainless steel cookware is made up of steel and other metal alloys, it is only stainless steel that is on the outer portion of your cookware. Therefore, you will never taste any of the metal alloys in the food that you cook. The non-stick protective coating prevents that from happening.


• Stainless steel is hard and non-porous. This makes it crack proof and leak proof. Because of its surface, it is typically found in hospital environments because it one of the most sterile surfaces. The 304 surgical stainless steel prevents the growth of bacteria because it is corrosion resistant, temperature resistant and is not easily scratched or warped. With proper care, stainless steel cookware will remain looking like new for quite some of time.


• Easy Maintenance. Proper maintenance is not time-consuming; yet, it can insure will look like new 10 to 20 years from now. Stainless steel contains nickel, an alloy that helps it maintain that polished new look.


• Multi-ply stainless steel cookware disperses heat evenly. Stainless steel is not a good conductor of heat. However, the aluminum added to the bottom improves this heat transfer process. This ensures that heat is distributed throughout the pan and food is cooked evenly and quickly.


• Stainless steel cookware is perhaps the safest cookware to use. Unlike Teflon, particles from the pot or pan will never chip off and enter into your foods. You do not have to worry about metal poisoning. However, there is one exception. If you are allergic to nickel, you should avoid using stainless steel cookware.
  

If you use waterless stainless steel cookware, cooking and eating will be a pleasure. Not only will you be cooking healthier because you are using less fats and oils in the food preparation process, but going waterless means that your foods are cooked in their own juices. The result—enhanced flavor and texture with minimal loss of vitamins and minerals.

The set we are currently recommending is Maxam’s 17-piece Waterless Stainless Steel Set. This is one of Maxam’s finest! Cooking will be a dream with this set! This 17 pc. set is considered to be one of the highest quality Steam-Control Surgical Stainless Steel "Waterless" Cookware Sets that Maxam makes. Each piece of this KT17 set is constructed of extra heavy surgical stainless steel and guaranteed to last a lifetime. The 9-element construction spreads the heat quickly and evenly. The 9-ply construction includes the following elements: chrome, nickel, manganese, silicon, aluminum, iron, copper, molybdenum, and vanadium. The Chrome adds longer life, the iron adds strength and the copper adds durability to this quality cookware.

The steam control valve makes "waterless" cooking easy. You can cook healthier in this cookware because it eliminates the need for grease or oil in cooking. To use the steam control valve, start cooking on medium heat (never use high heat). Then, when the valve begins to whistle, close the valve and turn the heat down to low and finish cooking. The 9-element construction allows you to stack cook with this cookware. Begin cooking on individual burners and when the valve whistles, you can stack the pans to finish cooking. The phenolic handles are superbly styled and are resistant to heat, cold and detergents. This set includes a cookbook with instructions and comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

Waterless Cookware Set Contents:

1.7 qt. covered saucepan

2.5 qt covered saucepan

3.2 qt covered saucepan

7.5 qt. covered roaster


11-3/8" skillet


Double boiler unit with capsule bottom that can also be used as an extra 3 qt pan


5 egg cups


5 hole utility rack

High dome cover for skillet or roaster

Some additional key features about this product:

Stack Cooking - The 9 element construction allows stack cooking with this cookware. Start by cooking on individual burners. When valve whistles, you can stack the pans to finish cooking.
Double Boiler Unit - the double boiler unit has an encapsulated bottom so that it can be place directly on your stove-top as a cooking utensil when not being used as a double boiler unit.
Size - A description of the size of each pot is clearly visible on the bottom of the pan
Handles - The phenolic handles are resistant to heat, cold, and detergents and have been tested for durability in ovens up to 350 degrees. However, the manufacturer does not recommend placing the pots in an oven. They are really made to be used on a stove top. This cookware actually allows you to bake food right on top of your stove. Each handle is molded with a large eyelet that permits you to hang your utensils. Also, for convenient storage, you can invert the cover, nest it in the proper pan, and hang or stack your cookware.


This set is a great all-around set and will serve you well and it is currently selling at a great price--$234.95. If you have an induction stove, however, you will need special cookware. We have a model KTULTRA that is similar to this one. However, it has special carbonized steel in the inner layers and is more expensive.

We hope you found this information helpful. Click on http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/ for other great cooking tips and recipes and great deals on waterless cookware! We have included some great waterless cooking recipes on our site http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/healthywaterlessrecipes.html This month we are featuring a fantastic Father’s Day Menu plus some great summer chicken recipes!

How to Care for Your Stainless Steel Cookware

If you have purchased waterless stainless steel cookware or are in the process of shopping around for quality cookware, you already know that stainless steel cookware is not cheap. If you purchase this type of cookware from a home show, county or state fair, you could as much as $2000 or more. If you purchase from one of the many reliable internet stores, you may still pay $200 to $300 for a good quality set of stainless steel cookware. Whatever the investment, you can be assured that it is money well spent. Once you start using waterless cookware, you will never want to return to conventional cookware. BUT the big question--what about maintenance?

Normal Maintenance

Generally, stainless steel does not require a lot of maintenance. With daily usage, hand-washing your cookware in hot, soapy water and drying it thoroughly with a soft cloth before storing away is recommended. While it is dishwasher safe, many experts feel that the detergents may have a negative effect on stainless steel cookware over time. If you decide to use the dishwasher, it is recommended that you remove your cookware after the wash cycle and dry by hand to avoid water spots.

General Stainless Steel Cookware Cleaning Tips

• If your water has high calcium content, you may notice a white, chalky residue on your cookware. When this appears, simply fill the pot or pan with 1 part of vinegar to 3 parts of water. Bring it to a boil, let it cool, and then wash thoroughly with hot soap water and dry.
  
• Burnt-on food—Fill you pan with warm soapy water—enough to cover the entire area—and let sit for an hour. Then bring the pan to a boil on the stove for about 10 to 15 minutes. Let the water cool. Scrub with a nylon scouring pad. Wash out again with hot, soapy water. Rinse and dry. Repeat this process again if the stain is particularly stubborn.
  
• Use non-abrasive cleansers like Bon Ami Polishing Cleanser or Bar Keepers Friend for general cleaning and stain removal. Your cookware should remain looking like new.
  
• NEVER use steel wool on stainless steel cookware. The metal scouring pads or abrasive cleaners might remove the stuck-on food, but they might also scratch the surface of your cookware. Use nylon-net scouring pads, plastic or nylon brushes.
• Never use chlorine bleach or ammonia-based cleaners on your cookware.

In summary, with proper care and maintenance, your stainless steel cookware will last a lifetime. Your investment in quality waterless cookware allows you to provide healthy, nutritional meals for your family. Protect that investment by taking the time after each use to wash in warm soapy water and properly dry before storing. Occasionally apply a good-quality stainless steel cleaner to it. These simple techniques will keep your cookware looking bright and shiny and keep your foods from sticking in the pan.

We hope you found this information helpful. Click on http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/ for other great cooking tips and recipes as well as great deals on waterless cookware! We have included some great waterless cooking recipes on our site http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/healthywaterlessrecipes.html This month we are featuring a fantastic Father’s Day Menu plus some great summer chicken recipes!

Pan Broiling – The Healthy Way to Cook!

When pan broiling using waterless, greaseless cookware, heat is conducted very efficiently through the cookware to the meat. The multi-layers of the cookware (waterless requires a minimum of 5 layers) allows for quick and even heat distribution. Thus the meat’s surface tends to caramelize or brown very quickly (5 to 10 minutes). No fat is required in the cooking process. After the initial browning, the heat should be reduced to prevent the meat’s surface from toughening. If you cover the pan, water vapor will be trapped and more of a basting process will occur. Therefore, you MUST leave the steam vent OPEN when pan broiling (frying.)

How to Cook the Perfect Steak

According to David Knight, a chef, author, and master of waterless cooking, cooking a steak is an art. Practice makes perfect. During the searing and cooking of steaks, it is best to put the cover on and leave the vent open. Crowding in the pan or cooking at too low a temperature, and covering, may cause the steaks to steam. Because of the different textures, cuts and thickness of the meat, learning the feel of the desired doneness by pushing down on the center of a steak with a fork is by far the best method over attempting to time for desired doneness.

The Doneness Test

Turn the palm of your left hand up and spread your fingers apart.

Rare: Rest your left thumb against your left forefinger and press down on the soft fleshy part at the base of your left thumb with your right forefinger. That what rare feels like.

Medium-Rare: Place your left thumb directly over the center of your left forefinger and press down on the soft fleshy part at the base of your left thumb with your right forefinger. That’s what medium rare feels like.

Medium: Place your left thumb in between your left forefinger and your left middle finger and press down on the soft fleshy part at the base of our left thumb with your right forefinger. That’s what medium feels like.

Medium Well: Place your left thumb directly over the center of our left middle finger and press down on the soft fleshy part of your left thumb with your right forefinger, that’s what medium-well feels like.

Well-Done: Place your left thumb in between your left middle finger and your left ring finger and press down on the soft fleshy part of your left thumb with your right forefinger. That’s what well-done feels like. Cook for 8 to 9 minutes more after searing.

Try this method with this steak recipe!

Filet Mignon Bordelaise

4 (about 3 oz. filet mignons
Bordelaise Sauce
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preheat the skillet over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle a few drops of water in the pan. If the water droplets dance across the pan, the pan is ready. If the water evaporates, the pan is not hot enough. Place the filets in the hot, dry pan, which will be about 400 degrees F. Cover the pan, open the vent and dry sauté until the filets release easily from the skillet, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the filets, cover the pan, and brown on the other side until the filets release easily from the skillet, 4 to 5 minutes. Cook to desired doneness (see doneness test above).

To serve, place the filets on dinner plates and top with the Bordelaise Sauce and sprinkle with parsley.

Bordelaise Sauce

1 small onion, finely minced
1/2 medium carrot, diced
1/2 stalk celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 small bay leaf
1/2 cup Bordeaux or other dry red wine
1 1/4 cups beef stock
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Roux

In a hot, dry pan over medium heat, dry sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until slightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the parsley, thyme, pepper and bay leaf.

Slowly stir in the wine. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock, lemon juice and roux and whisk vigorously to incorporate the roux into the sauce. Simmer to desired consistency. Season to taste and serve hot with filet mignon.

To make roux, melt 8 Tbsp. butter until slightly separated, simmer for 1 or 2 minutes. Do not allow the butter to burn or turn brown in color. Stir in a bit of flour at a time (up to 1 cup), stirring occasionally. The roux is cooked through when it is light blond in color, about 10 to 15 minutes. Extra roux can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

We hope you found this information helpful. Hopefully over the course of the summer, you will have an opportunity to try out this technique. Click on http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/ for other great cooking tips and recipes as well as great deals on waterless cookware! We have included some great waterless cooking recipes on our site http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/healthywaterlessrecipes.html This month we are featuring a fantastic Father’s Day Menu.

Cooking Greaseless with Stainless Steel Cookware

While our bodies need a certain amount of fat in our diets, most of us get much more than we should. Reducing the amount of fat or cooking oils in cooking can help you to reduce calories and help you lower cholesterol levels, both key factors in maintaining a healthy heart. Cooking with waterless cookware allows us option of cooking waterless and greaseless.

How to Cook Meats the Greaseless Way

All meats and poultry contain juices, most of it being water. However, meats and poultry also contain fat. When cooking with waterless, greaseless cookware, trim all the visible fat from the meat before cooking. Then you can pan broil the meat without adding fats or oils to the pan.

Preheat your pan at medium or medium-high heat. After approximately 3 minutes, test the surface with a few water droplets. If the droplets dance across the surface, the pan is hot enough to brown the meat and seal in juices.

When you are browning the meat, it will stick initially. Do not cover the pan until the meat loosens (this usually takes about 5 minutes). To prevent any grease from splattering, you can cover partially, leaving the cover slightly ajar. When the meat loosens, turn it to brown on the other side. At this point, cover the pan, leaving the vent open.

Continue cooking according to your recipe. Normally, cooking time is about 5 to 10 minutes for steaks, chops, cutlets, or boneless chicken. If you have thicker cuts of beef or poultry with bones, that time could be longer.

Why Cook Greaseless?

Unfortunately, oven broiling and roasting can dry out and shrink your meat. Oven broiling subjects meat to extremely high temperatures with only a few inches of air. The high temperatures involved in broiling limits its effectiveness. The whole piece of meat can actually be cooked through before the outside surface is browned. Because of this, oven broiling is traditionally limited to relatively thin and tender cuts like chops, steaks, or pieces of poultry, and fish. Meat with a lot of connective tissue is less suited for broiling because collagen does not have time or reach the internal temperature necessary, to soften or liquefy—thus, the meat is tough!

While all of us love cooking outside on the barbecue, Barbecue grilling deposits harmful hydrocarbons on meat. When grilling, the very high temperatures at the meat’s surface are ideal for a caramelized (browning) reaction. Caramelizing is the process of bringing the natural salts and sugars of the meat to the surface for a crisp outer surface. This is what gives a grilled steak that fantastic taste. However, a disadvantage is that these same high temperatures are high enough to burn the fat. The liquefied fat drops on the hot surface can create smoke and potentially carcinogenic hydrocarbons. If this is deposited on the meat, this can be dangerous to your health.

The next article will cover pan broiling the healthy way and include directions on how to cook that perfect steak. We hope you found this information helpful. Click on http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/ for other great cooking tips and recipes as well as great deals on waterless cookware! We have included some great waterless cooking recipes on our site http://www.thegourmetscookware.com/healthywaterlessrecipes.html This month we are featuring a fantastic Father’s Day Menu.