How to get started with Hybrid Stainless Steel Woks/Pans

Two Pans in One, and Metal Utensils Cannot Scratch It

The stainless steel is raised into a fine grid, and the nonstick coating sits in the recesses below it. Your spatula rides on the steel and never touches the coating underneath — which is why metal utensils do not ruin a hybrid pan the way they ruin an ordinary nonstick one. You sear on steel and release on nonstick, in the same pan.

You may be familiar with older honeycomb hybrid pans. The Happycall Hybrid series uses a patented Star Pattern Embossing instead, which serves the same purpose, and pairs it with a ceramic nonstick coating that is free of PTFE and PFOA, over a 3-ply clad body — an aluminium core between two layers of stainless steel, so the pan heats evenly rather than in hot spots.

Because that steel structure is substantial, the pan must be heated properly before food goes in. That is the whole technique, and the rest of this guide is detail.

What It Does Well

• Metal utensils on the cooking surface, without wrecking the coating.
• Even heat from the 3-ply clad body, on any cooktop including induction.
• Oven safe — sear on the stove, finish in the oven (pans only, without the glass lid).
• Dishwasher safe, though hand washing gives the coating a longer life.

The Hybrid Pans We Stock

The Happycall Hybrid Ceramic 3-Ply range is the hybrid cookware we carry.

• Frypan 24cm — eggs and single portions.
• Frypan 28cm — the everyday size for searing and family cooking.
• Wok 30cm — deep sloped sides for stir-frying and deep-frying.
• Frypan Set and 4-Piece Set — the pans together, with a self-standing glass lid in the larger set.

Cleaning Before First Use

New stainless steel cookware usually carries a fine film of oil or residue from manufacturing. Remove it with warm water and any one of these:

• Cooking oil. Wipe the whole interior with oil on a paper towel.
• Baking soda. Scrub gently with a paste of baking soda and water, or boil water with a spoonful of baking soda in the pan.
• Vinegar. Boil a 1:1 solution of white vinegar and water in the pan.

Finish by washing with a soft sponge and dish detergent, then rinse and dry thoroughly.

Preheating: The Key to Nonstick Performance

Food touches steel here, not just coating — so a hybrid behaves like stainless steel, and stainless steel sticks when it is cold. Protein put into an underheated pan bonds to the metal; the same protein put into a properly heated, oiled pan sets a crust and lifts away. Nothing is wrong with the coating when this happens — the pan simply went to work too early.

1. Add the cooking oil first, before the pan goes on the heat. A hybrid is not meant to run dry.
2. Preheat on low to medium for 30 to 60 seconds. In the video below the pan is heated for about a minute on medium, around 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. Some cooktops need up to two minutes, particularly ceramic cooktops, which transfer heat less efficiently.
3. Add the food once the oil is hot but not smoking. A properly heated pan and heated oil are what make the surface release.

Avoiding High Heat

Excessive heat damages the ceramic nonstick layer, exactly as it does on any nonstick pan. The 3-ply construction is efficient enough that high heat is seldom needed, and controlling the heat is what keeps performance consistent over the life of the pan.

Washing

Let the pan cool before washing. In most cases it can be wiped out, or washed with a sponge and mild detergent.

If Food Burns On

Burning food can damage the nonstick surface, so it is best avoided — but it happens. Add hot water to the pan and bring it to the boil on the stove to soften the residue, then lift off anything remaining with a stainless steel scrubber.

Two Rules Worth Keeping

• Do not leave the pan unattended while cooking.
• Keep it out of reach of children.