By: Julian Weisner, Culinary Scientist & Owen Wyatt, Director of Culinary
Introducing NEW Precision Non-stick
We here at Hestan Smart Cooking have already succeeded in re-imagining cooking by putting chef skills and knowledge directly into the hands of home cooks. Through the use of technology, passion, culinary expertise, and grit, the Cue Smart Cooking System has empowered thousands of home cooks all across the world. Now we are introducing our newest member of the team: Precision Non-stick.
We all have a place in our hearts for cookware classics like cast iron. I know I cherish my 100 year old skillet passed down to me from my grandmother. That pan has seen more love than I ever will. I have a busy life though, which doesn’t always afford me the time to show that pan the love it deserves, seasoning and maintaining a skillet is a chore, and I’m not always up for it.
Non-stick cookware has allowed us to prepare delicate ingredients without the need for excess fat to prevent food from sticking to the pan. Equally, non-stick has made cleaning up after dinner a breeze now that all of the food residue just wipes out of the pan. Plus we don’t need to worry about seasoning our pan between each use, once it’s clean and dry, it’s ready for the next job.
The Science Behind Sticking
To understand what gives non-stick cookware its non-stick properties, we’ll need to exchange our Chef’s toque and Apron for a pocket protector and lab coat. First it is important to understand why food sticks to cookware in the first place. All stainless steel, cast iron, and aluminium cookware is actually quite porous, which allows small bits of food to fill in the pores and cling to the surface, similar to the way that velcro works.
When the first non-stick pan was developed and made available to home cooks in the 1950’s, the coating was made of PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene- try saying that 10 times fast). This polymer is made of extremely tight atomic bonds. To imagine this, think of the schoolyard game Red Rover. The atoms are bonded tightly together the same way each kid locks arm in arm, so the opposing team can’t break the chain. With food, this means, nothing can break the surface of the cookware, it’s non-porous. This ultra smooth surface blocks food from sticking to the surface.
As non-stick technologies have improved so has safety. In 2006 the EPA banned the use of PFOA’s (Perfluorooctanoic Acid) in non-stick coatings. This chemical was used for decades in the production of PTFE’s and proved to be toxic when overheated, often causing over heated and released fumes that were harmful to birds and also caused flu-like symptoms when to people used the cookware at high temperatures.
Naturally Slick, Safe and now Smart
Now, as I’m sure you know, or have heard that PFTE’s are generally accepted as safe for cooking, they are only acceptable for temperatures below 500°F/250°C. This usually means that non-stick can’t be used for hard searing, or other high heat cooking. Luckily, with precise temperature control, Cue ensures your non-stick pan never overheats, even at high temperatures. This extends the life of your non-stick pan, and protects the safety of you and your family. For this reason, the Cue Precision Non-stick Cooking System is the perfect tool to make sure that you get the most out of your non-stick cookware without the worry of any harmful side effects.
For the Cue 11” Precision Nonstick Pan, we used the most trusted and durable materials on the market. It’s 100% PFOA free, because we don’t want you to cook on anything we wouldn’t cook on. The durable ceramic reinforced coating is scratch resistant and allows you to cook at high temperatures (500°F/250°C) for extended periods of time without degradation and it’s naturally non-reactive so you don’t have to worry about intense acids harming the pan or you.
Hestan Cue has revolutionized stove top cooking with Cue’s precision temperature control was the definitive end to under and over cooking. Temperature sensing smart cookware delivers precise control and dependable results. By communicating with the Cue app, this smart cookware can produce restaurant quality meals in your own home. Chef inspired recipes are cast directly into your kitchen with you taking the lead. Each recipe is filled with step-by-step video-guidance that pairs with the precision controlled time and temperature so you can be sure your food will be delicious without having to hover over the stove, removing the guesswork.
On its own non-stick cookware can improve the preparation of delicate ingredients by allowing them to glide out of the pan with little to no effort. This is a great help, but it’s not a guarantee that your cooking will improve. Without the practiced balance of technique, time, and temperature, a non-stick pan will only get you part of the way there. Traditional non-stick cookware is just a pan without a well trained chef behind the wheel, it can make cooking easier, but it doesn’t make you a better chef. Now with Cue’s Precision Nonstick you can coax the perfect French Omelette out of the pan, crisp up parmesan crackers, or rise to the occasion of Japanese Soufflé Pancakes. This isn’t just some non-stick pan, this is non-stick at it’s smoothest.
We love to see what you are cooking on Cue. Look for more inspiration and share your recipes or ask our Chefs for advice in our Facebook community.
For more recipe inspiration check out the Cue app, where you can discover over 500 chef-crafted recipes, all with step-by-step video guidance from prep to plating. Download the Hestan Cue app for iOS and Android and learn more about precision cooking with Cue, and all the things you can do!
