"Whether you are simply frying an egg or making a nice fluffy omelet, you could confidently do it on your Teflon-coated pan knowing the eggs would slide off once cooked. Stainless steel is far less forgiving. Eggs often cling to the surface, and most people try to fix this by reaching for more fat, hoping to create a slick non-stick layer. This is a mistake."
"Preheat your pan for 2-3 minutes on a medium-to-high flame (or until it starts smoking). Use the water droplet trick to test if it's hot enough. Basically, if you add a drop of water to a cold pan, it will spread normally. On a hot pan, it will sizzle. And on a very hot pan (which is what you want) the drop will bead up and bounce around the pan. This is called the Leidenfrost Effect."
Stainless steel pans require a heat-based temporary non-stick layer rather than heavy oil. Preheat the pan for 2–3 minutes on medium-to-high heat until it reaches the Leidenfrost Effect, verified by a beading water droplet. Turn off the heat, add a spoonful of oil, and spread a very thin layer with a paper towel. Allow the pan to cool to room temperature so a polymerized oil film forms that mimics non-stick properties. The polymerized layer is temporary and will wash away. Temperature control is crucial because stainless steel expands when heated and its microscopic pores change size, affecting stickiness. Unlike cast iron, stainless steel seasoning does not build up over time.
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