My first year out of college was also my first year in law school. I didn’t have a lot of extra time (or sanity), so I frequently made breakfast for dinner. Eggs and pancakes kept me going through the long and lonely nights!
It was also during this time that I realized if I immediately ran the pan under cold water after removing my eggs, I could save oodles of time on clean up. The egg residue wouldn’t cling to the sides of the pan, and I wouldn’t have to do any scrubbing (or, more likely, I wouldn’t have to watch the pans stack up in the sink until I ran out of room to turn the faucet on).
I also quickly realized that drastic temperature changes, like moving a very hot pot or pan immediately from the stove to cold water, is an excellent way to warp it. D’oh!
Pots and pans are expensive. Learning how to care for your cookware and utensils (I’m sure we’ll get to caring for utensils in a future Kitchen Tips post) can save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Here’s a great article from About.com called 10 Ways to Ruin a Nonstick Pan.
Also, be sure to read the packaging when you first buy a pot or pan; certain makes and models will have specific instructions – copper bottom cookware, stainless steel and clay or enamel cookware all have slightly different quirks.
Good luck!
Tags: kitchen tips
