There’s nothing worse than when you are preparing your favourite spaghetti Bolognese and the sauce sticks to the bottom of your old saucepan. You’ve spent an hour or so, cutting and dicing your fresh ingredients to cook this tasty dish only to have it stick to the pan and burn! This is possibly because the saucepan you are using has lost its PTFE Coating. “What on earth is that you ask?” This is about to get technical now, so hang on in there! PTFE stands for PolyTetraFluoroEthylene and is a unique coating that is applied by specialist companies. These coatings are more familiarly known by their more common trade names, Teflon, Flouropolymer and Xylan. The simple way to think about how this unique product works is to imagine a spray paint that is applied evenly onto another surface, such as rubber, metal, or plastic. Once the coating is applied the original surface has now been transformed into a non-stick surface.
These specialised liquid coatings come in different strengths and have many purposes, resistance to corrosion, humidity and chemicals are just three of them. It all boils down to the number of coats applied to the surface of the original product. Now you understand why your cooking sticks to the bottom of your old saucepans, maybe it’s time to invest in a new, quality, non-stick set? Having purchased your brand new cookware the best thing to do before you start trying them out is to wash them in warm, soapy water. Once dried they are ready for you to start preparing your favourite dish. Spaghetti Bolognese, fry off your peeled, and chopped onions, add diced bacon, and cook on a high heat until the bacon is brown. Add your fresh mince and continue to stir until all the meat has turned a beautiful, rich brown.
From this base of ingredients, you can add lots of things, freshly chopped carrots, a tin of tomatoes, frozen peas, a Bolognese mix, it’s entirely up to you. Once all the options are added to the mix, turn the heat right down so it’s on a low simmer. Leave it to cook for approximately an hour, stirring occasionally. Prepare your pasta in boiling water with a splash of olive oil, when it’s soft, rinse in fresh, boiling water before serving. Sprinkle some tasty, grated cheese on the top and you have a mouth-watering dinner for the family. Rinse your new pan in warm water, using a soft cloth and watch as all the food residue comes away.