Frying with Titanium, cracking the code

[DAN-Y]

[DAN-Y]

[DAN-Y]

[DAN-Y]

[DAN-Y]

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Well, if you posted that video to show what a failure looks like, I think that you succeeded.  This is a good example of how eggs stick to titanium.  The polished & buffed Ti plate that I used today faired far better: some perimeter sticking but no broken yolk.  That and I didn’t have to wave the pan over the flames at all.  A Teflon pan is soooooo much easier.

A Country Omelet, absolutely no sticking.

[DAN-Y]

watch all the videos…..the eggs are cracked….the code is craked

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Ok,

Burns the first one (hot spots)

Burns the second one (hot spots)

Third one has probably the best even heat, but never flips the egg so there is no data here.  As I said, I can create a pretty uniform thermal profile.  My experience is that the best seasoned pan that I have been able to do is maybe 80% at best of a Teflon coated pan which is pretty easy to cook with.  My 2 cents.

 

PS many people think egg whites are easier to cook than scrambled eggs.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Dan, you have a tendency to show other people’s videos and present them as facts. I could show you videos and blogs about failures trying to fry in titanium. If you want to advocate this particular point, I suggest that you film a video of yourself making an omelet in a seasoned titanium pan and demonstrate to us how well you can get rid of hot spots and sticking. The floor is yours

[DAN-Y]

The code has been broken in the videos.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Well, I obviously have set the bar much higher to “cracking the code” than what you presented with other people’s videos. Burning food on a titanium pan is going to be extremely difficult to clean while backpacking and clearly will impact the semi non-stick seasoning. Looking forward to seeing your videos.

[DAN-Y]

[Terran Terran]

Way to much fire in those videos.

I didn’t season mine. I think I burnt sausage in it. Maybe from using it a lot. I don’t think it sticks. It’s not deteriorating. Even a Teflon pan you need butter. You need fat. Something thick. The egg will soak up the oil. When you flip it, the oil is used up. You need a flipper unless you trust yourself flipping the pan. My little pan makes a tight cover for my pot. I think easier to pack then an egg pan. If I gotta move the pan around a little bit while I’m sitting there staring at a pine tree, it’s really not that much of a bother. It’s easy.

[Ken Larson]

Seasoning Pans

1. Wash the Pan
   Wash your new pan thoroughly to remove any packing residue. Use hot water and soap and let the pan dry thoroughly.
2. Coat with Oil
   Coat your pan to the rim with organic flaxseed oil. Flaxseed oilis one of the best oils to season with as it has a high smoking point. Use your fingers to spread the oil  (don’t forget to shake the bottle), thoroughly around the pan.
3. Heat the Oiled Pan
   Put the pan upside down in a cold oven. Most instructions say to put aluminum foil under it to catch any drips, but if your oil coating is as thin as it should be, there won’t be any drips. You can do this on the stove top or in an oven. On the stove, heat the pan on medium heat until the oil starts smoking. Or, heat the pan in the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour.
4. Cool the Pan
   Remove the pan from the heat source. For stove-top seasoning, remove the pan from the heat when the oil starts smoking. For oven seasoning, remove the pan from the oven after an hour as passed. Let the pan cool completely before wiping the excess oil from the pan with a paper towel.
5. Preheat Before Each Use
   When you use your seasoned cookware, make sure to heat it up well. Preheating your pots and pans each time you use them will make sure they aren’t hot and cold spots, and food will cook more evenly. You’ll also get more caramelization on your food, which gives it better flavor. To preheat, warm the pan until a few drops of water will bounce across the surface. Then add your oil and heat it until you can see vapors. Reduce the heat before you add the food; to help prevent sticking, make sure the food you are cooking has been allowed to warm up to room temperature for about 15 minutes. Don’t overcrowd your pan; adding too much food to the pan can make it cool down in spots.

[bradmacmt]

Well, if you posted that video to show what a failure looks like, I think that you succeeded.

That gave me a chuckle – thanks.

Jon, wondering if you’ve ever used an Asbestos (now ceramic) Bunsen Burner Gauze Mat (flame spreader) ala Colin Fletcher?

https://www.humboldtmfg.com/wire-gauze-ceramic-center.html

 

[Terran Terran]

I think it’s being over complicated.
I season cast iron because it rusts. Actually I just put oil in it and use it. Other metals are denser. You can coat them, or just use them. You can preheat your pan, but it thins your oil out before the egg drops. I’m either stirring the contents of the pan or moving the pan around. The only difficulty is flipping an egg in a small pan with square sides, but it can be done. Tilt your pan so the egg slides on to the flipper rather than trying to shove the flipper underneath. It’s so easy, even I can do it. Don’t man handle your eggs. (No jokes.)

[Jerry Adams]

“To preheat, warm the pan until a few drops of water will bounce across the surface. Then add your oil and heat it until you can see vapors.”

Just to add to that, not disagreeing : )

To make Chinese stir fry in carbon steel (or cast iron) pan, as the lady from the Chinese restaurant told me and on the internet:

You heat the pan up until a few drops of water take a few seconds to evaporate.  If it takes longer your food will stick.  If it evaporates immediately it’s too hot.

Then put the oil in and let it heat up for just a bit.  It should shimmer but not smoke.

Then put your food in and it won’t stick.

If you screw up and food is sticking, you have to wipe it out and start over.  You have to start with a clean, seasoned pan.

The lady from the Chinese restaurant and the internet didn’t say this, but I think it’s like the Leidenfrost effect – if it’s hot enough then water on the surface will quickly evaporate so there’s a vapor layer that will keep your food from sticking.

I have found this technique to be difficult with a carbon steel (or cast iron) pan that has a lot of thermal mass compared to a thin pan, and on a kitchen stove where you can dial in the heat level.  Chinese restaurant cooks do this routinely.  Difficult to do with a fire and a thin pan.

I can cook eggs with this without sticking.  For fried rice.

[Terran Terran]

Build your fire with sticks. Keep adding sticks to regulate the heat. Or use coals.

[DAN-Y]

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/experience-evernew-ti-non-stick-frying-pan-16/#post-3686304

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

So, here is Backcoutry Frying – Part 1: the Easy Way.  Here is a method for frying using a teflon coated pan.  You can use a can lid for a diffusser and basically any windscreen will work.  With that combination, the differential temperature (center to outside) was about 30 F.  Part 2 will be about titanium pans and is several weeks away.  Part 3 may be about frying breads.

 

[Terran Terran]

That doesn’t look even.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Well, make one using your titanium pan so we can compare. ;-)

 

This was mine in a Titanium pan

[Terran Terran]

[Terran Terran]

[Terran Terran]

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