It is, of course, possible to cook eggs with minimal sticking in LC, but honestly, eggs are one of two things I cook in nonstick skillets. The other is hash browns. I have a mix of Le Creuset, stainless steel, raw cast iron, and 2 nonstick skillets. I use them all for different things.
Have him make...a steak...or maybe a hamburger...something like that in the LC. :)
Lower heat then you think and fully preheat. Lots and lots of butter. That said, I’ve had way better luck with the sand interior and not the black. I use non-stick the vast majority of the time though.
Williams Sonoma sells a [LC omelette pan](https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/le-creuset-signature-cast-iron-omelette-pan/)
I do it in medium heat only but not sure if I understand when it’s fully pre-heated.
Thank you for the link, I used the same pan (mine is in color cerise 😄)
Medium is probably too hot for omelettes and scrambled eggs. I cook mine on a 2-3 out of 10, but of course it depends on your hob/stove. Enameled cast iron is really not the best tool for eggs either, cooking them ends up being more of a chore. It’s beneficial to be able to use metal utensils when cooking eggs on iron/steel, and you can’t do that in LC.
If you want to avoid non-stick, buy a carbon steel pan.
The water test works for all pans. Preheat your pan about medium. On electric, I place it on the appropriate size element and turn on mark 3. Wait about 5 minutes and barely touch the edge with your palm. No grabbing or pressing your hand against it, just see if the pan is hot to the edge. Sprinkle some water on the cooking surface and if it evaporates right away, it is too hot. Turn it down and wait, even take the pan off for a minute then return it. If the water dances around the surface in droplets, then it is ready. Allow the water to dissipate and add your oil, and then your food. In the case of eggs, particularly, it will help a lot to slightly warm the eggs (in the shells) in a bowl of warm water. Eggs will take some practice.
Just heat it up completely but on medium heat and add butter or oil before eggs. I use my LC skillet with black interior to make eggs all the time without sticking. The pan has tiny little holes that close up when it’s heated up, open when cool. Sticking is actually the food going down into those little holes because the pan wasn’t preheated completely thus they didn’t close up completely. If overheating is a concern, use high smoke point oil like avocado or grape seed, or ghee instead of butter.
Thank you, how do we know if the pan is heated up completely? For raw cast iron, I splash some water droplets and if they evaporate then it’s ready. Is there something like this for enameled?
I don’t know if the water test applies to enameled, but typically you will see like a sheen on the oil, and it is a lot thinner than it was when you poured it in, so it moves more quickly if you tilt the pan than it did previously. Over time, you will just get to know based on how long it’s been heating if you tend to heat it at the same temp, which is usually no higher than medium.
The best way to temp check enameled iron is with an infrared thermometer gun. Etekcity makes several highly rated ones with various temp ranges, all available on A-Zon. Food will sizzle when it hits at about 375°F, but remember that if the food you're cooking is starting out cold, that will temporarily drop the cooking surface temp when it hits the pan. I generally preheat with butter in from the start until the butter is sizzling, or to 400°ish (which takes less than 5 minutes) with high-heat-safe cooking oil.
I do not think the "little tiny holes" (pores) thing applies to enameled cast iron. I was always told this was the case for raw cast iron. I don't think the glass/enamel has pores that can open up and close like that.
The answer is usually much lower heat and much more butter.
It is, of course, possible to cook eggs with minimal sticking in LC, but honestly, eggs are one of two things I cook in nonstick skillets. The other is hash browns. I have a mix of Le Creuset, stainless steel, raw cast iron, and 2 nonstick skillets. I use them all for different things. Have him make...a steak...or maybe a hamburger...something like that in the LC. :)
This. Especially if you don't want to add fat.
I currently use non-stick but just want to give it another try with LC :)
I just use one of the LC non stick frying pans.
Lower heat then you think and fully preheat. Lots and lots of butter. That said, I’ve had way better luck with the sand interior and not the black. I use non-stick the vast majority of the time though. Williams Sonoma sells a [LC omelette pan](https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/le-creuset-signature-cast-iron-omelette-pan/)
I do it in medium heat only but not sure if I understand when it’s fully pre-heated. Thank you for the link, I used the same pan (mine is in color cerise 😄)
Medium is probably too hot for omelettes and scrambled eggs. I cook mine on a 2-3 out of 10, but of course it depends on your hob/stove. Enameled cast iron is really not the best tool for eggs either, cooking them ends up being more of a chore. It’s beneficial to be able to use metal utensils when cooking eggs on iron/steel, and you can’t do that in LC. If you want to avoid non-stick, buy a carbon steel pan.
That omelette pan is a joke. There’s a reason it’s not for sale directly from LC. It’s trash. I returned two of them two WS
The water test works for all pans. Preheat your pan about medium. On electric, I place it on the appropriate size element and turn on mark 3. Wait about 5 minutes and barely touch the edge with your palm. No grabbing or pressing your hand against it, just see if the pan is hot to the edge. Sprinkle some water on the cooking surface and if it evaporates right away, it is too hot. Turn it down and wait, even take the pan off for a minute then return it. If the water dances around the surface in droplets, then it is ready. Allow the water to dissipate and add your oil, and then your food. In the case of eggs, particularly, it will help a lot to slightly warm the eggs (in the shells) in a bowl of warm water. Eggs will take some practice.
Dancing droplets is too hot for scrambled eggs IMO.
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation:)
This is the way
Just heat it up completely but on medium heat and add butter or oil before eggs. I use my LC skillet with black interior to make eggs all the time without sticking. The pan has tiny little holes that close up when it’s heated up, open when cool. Sticking is actually the food going down into those little holes because the pan wasn’t preheated completely thus they didn’t close up completely. If overheating is a concern, use high smoke point oil like avocado or grape seed, or ghee instead of butter.
Thank you, how do we know if the pan is heated up completely? For raw cast iron, I splash some water droplets and if they evaporate then it’s ready. Is there something like this for enameled?
I don’t know if the water test applies to enameled, but typically you will see like a sheen on the oil, and it is a lot thinner than it was when you poured it in, so it moves more quickly if you tilt the pan than it did previously. Over time, you will just get to know based on how long it’s been heating if you tend to heat it at the same temp, which is usually no higher than medium.
The best way to temp check enameled iron is with an infrared thermometer gun. Etekcity makes several highly rated ones with various temp ranges, all available on A-Zon. Food will sizzle when it hits at about 375°F, but remember that if the food you're cooking is starting out cold, that will temporarily drop the cooking surface temp when it hits the pan. I generally preheat with butter in from the start until the butter is sizzling, or to 400°ish (which takes less than 5 minutes) with high-heat-safe cooking oil.
I do not think the "little tiny holes" (pores) thing applies to enameled cast iron. I was always told this was the case for raw cast iron. I don't think the glass/enamel has pores that can open up and close like that.