How to prevent meat from sticking to pan?

[KingGheedora]

Mainly when i'm making turkey burgers, i put foil in a cast iron pan, coat it with olive oil (have tried butter too), get that heated up and then put the turkey patties on there and cook them. The turkey sticks to the foill (or the pan if i don't use foil), and gets a little messy when I try to flip the patties. I end up scraping and semi destroyingg the patties when trying to scrape them off the pan, usually leaving a layer of turkey on the pan/foil.

Is there any way to prevent that? I get the same probllem with steaks, but what I do with those is move the steaks around every 10 seconds immediately after putting them on the pan to prevent from sticking, but the sticking problem is not as bad as with turkey burgers.

 

[S Freud]

Cooking spray like PAM

 

[MoPHo]

Non-stick pans, PAM like S Freud said, oil.

Only three things I have ever used.

Edit: Do these turkey burgers have some special coating on them? If they stick to the tin foil and cast iron even with oil?

 

[spidey07]

Build up a nice layer of pork fat in your cast iron skillet and use butter to cook the burgers.

 

[olds]

Don't stand over pan.

 

[schneiderguy]

You need more lube.

 

[Howard]

Is your cast iron pan well-seasoned? How is the surface compared to PTFE (Teflon)? Second, are you touching burgers before one side is done? You should only flip once. Flipping too early means that the outside won't have released as well from the pan.

 

[silverpig]

You have to season your pan.

1. Turn oven to 350
2. Clean cast iron pan well with soap
3. Put pan on stove on low heat and add some canola oil, just enough to coat the bottom. Let it heat up for a little bit.
4. Using a paper towel, wipe the excess oil out (careful! it's hot!)
5. Put the pan in the oven for an hour

Your cast iron pan is now seasoned. You can wash it with a brush and water, but no soap or else you'll have to re-season it.

You can then cook meat without it sticking by ensuring the pan is hot before you put the meat in.

 

[ElFenix]

why would you put foil in a cast iron pan?

 

[FrustratedUser]

Eat it raw.

 

[Newbian]

Originally posted by: schneiderguy
You need more lube.

That or find a wider pan...

 

[eplebnista]

Originally posted by: S Freud
Cooking spray like PAM

According to the warnings on my non-stick pan, do not use spray oils on them as it will actually cause foods to stick.

 

[summit]

why are you putting foil on your cast-iron pan? turkey has a very low fat content, you need something like veg oil or canola to keep the smoking point high and burning low. do not use butter or olive oil because those have very low smoking points. make sure your c.i.s. is dry, put oil in it, heat it up in an oven, and put it on the stove, put burgers on the skillet, and dont touch, flip, and take off.

 

[nerp]

Use a teflon pan or make sure your cast iron pan is more seasoned. Buy less lean meat, too.

Also, the key thing that most people forget, is to not put the meat on the pan until it is fully to temperature and very hot. It should sear the outside of the meat instantly which will prevent sticking. Putting it in the pan when it's not hot enough will cause the meat to fuse to the pan in some circumstances.

Another trick is to very lightly brush the meat with a thin layer of oil.

 

[Crusty]

I never have a problem with steaks sticking to my cast iron pan. Just make sure it's been seasoned well(the pan) and that it's hot.

 

[mozirry]

don't overcook with teflon pans, i.e., never use HIGH heat

 

[AlienCraft]

#1. Forget the tin foil. That bullshit about "less to clean up" is brought to you by the people that sell tin foil. Soap is not an enemy.
#2. Season that cast Iron pan properly and learn to cook and clean it properly and you'll never look back.
#3. If you must a use pan lube, use a high(er) heat (tolerant) oil like canola or peanut. Still should never get so hot as to smoke though, unless you like cleaning it off of the ceiling.

Seriously, you should oil up that pan, heat itslowly in an oven, wipe it with more oil, and let it cool.
Then, a little oil or butter or whatever is in the meat will go a lot further than with a tin foil insulator.

And never wash them so well that the oil comes out, lest you have to re-do the seasoning process.


< rememebers a roommate who "soaked it for you" overnight.

Rust never tatsed any better.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
why would you put foil in a cast iron pan?

my bro in law got a new charcoal grill last year, and i went over a weekend or two later, and it happened he was using it for the first time

all the damn grates were covered in foil. i dont know what the hell was wrong with the guy, i just stood in awe. he was cooking chicken...which, since the foil reflected the heat away, wasnt cooked *Sigh*

 

[Chaotic42]

My mother used to season pans by building a fire outside and putting the pan in it for days. I don't remember how she did it exactly, but nothing ever stuck.

 

[theknight571]

"Hot pan, cold oil, foods won't stick" - Jeff Smith "The Frugal Gormet"

Seems to work most of the time.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Who is Pan?

 

[zinfamous]

your cast-iron must not be seasoned well if the meat is sticking. are you flipping too soon?

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: xSauronx

Originally posted by: ElFenix
why would you put foil in a cast iron pan?

my bro in law got a new charcoal grill last year, and i went over a weekend or two later, and it happened he was using it for the first time

all the damn grates were covered in foil. i dont know what the hell was wrong with the guy, i just stood in awe. he was cooking chicken...which, since the foil reflected the heat away, wasnt cooked *Sigh*

Haven't you heard? Browing/crust is BAD!

Your bro in law = supreme fail.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

There is no better cooking pan made for the stated use than cast iron. As already mentioned, the cast iron needs to be well seasoned and hot. Heat your pan up on the stove for at least 10 minutes before putting the turkey burgers in. Thanks for the chuckle in regards to the tin foil.

Da Chef has spoken! So, let it be written. So, let it be done.

I just read the part about you moving the meat around right after you add it to the pan. STOP doing that! You don't move the meat until it is ready to flip.

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: silverpig
You have to season your pan.

1. Turn oven to 350
2. Clean cast iron pan well with soap
3. Put pan on stove on low heat and add some canola oil, just enough to coat the bottom. Let it heat up for a little bit.
4. Using a paper towel, wipe the excess oil out (careful! it's hot!)
5. Put the pan in the oven for an hour

Your cast iron pan is now seasoned. You can wash it with a brush and water, but no soap or else you'll have to re-season it.

You can then cook meat without it sticking by ensuring the pan is hot before you put the meat in.

When I reseason my pans I use Crisco instead of oil. The Crisco ensures I get good and even coverage and when it's all done, I swear it's the slickest surface I have ever beheld. Don't forget to wipe the pan down (while warm/hot) with a few drops of oil after washing.