Cooking Guide

Uncoated titanium behaves differently from a non-stick pan. Get the heat right and food releases on its own. This page is everything you need, in order.

Before the first use

Wash in warm soapy water, rinse, dry. That is all. There is no seasoning step and nothing to burn in — LEVITANIUM™ is forged into the metal, not applied to it.

The one technique that matters: the water test

This is the whole skill. Do it once and you will never need a recipe to tell you when the pan is ready.

1. Put the empty pan on medium heat. Not high.
2. Wait about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Flick in a few drops of water.

The drops hiss and evaporate — too cold. Keep waiting.
The drops form beads that glide across the surface like mercury — that is it. Add your oil and cook.
The drops vanish instantly with a crack — too hot. Take it off the heat for 30 seconds.

Those gliding beads are the same effect that keeps your food off the metal. When water does it, food will too.

Oil

Add the oil after the pan passes the water test, never before. One teaspoon to one tablespoon is enough for a whole pan — swirl it and it should run thin and loose. If it sits in a thick pool, you have used too much.

Oil going into a cold pan is the single most common reason food sticks.

Eggs

Medium heat, water test, one teaspoon of oil, then turn the heat down to low and crack the egg in. Leave it completely alone for 60 seconds. It will look stuck. It is not — the edges lift on their own. Slide a thin spatula under and it comes away whole.

Steak and chops

Pat the meat completely dry — wet meat steams instead of searing. Medium-high, water test, a thin film of oil, then lay the steak down away from you.

Do not touch it for 2 to 3 minutes. Meat grips the pan while the crust forms and releases itself the moment that crust is done. If it resists when you try to turn it, it is not ready. Wait another 30 seconds and try again.

Sear on the hob, then finish in the oven — the pan is oven safe up to 260°C.

Fish

Skin-side down, pressed flat with a spatula for the first 10 seconds so it does not curl. Medium heat. Leave it until the skin turns opaque up the side of the fillet, then turn once. Fish releases later than meat — give it the extra minute.

If something sticks

Almost always one of three things:

• The pan was not hot enough. Do the water test. Every time, until it becomes habit.
• You moved the food too early. Protein bonds to metal and lets go once it is cooked. Waiting fixes it; scraping does not.
• The food was wet. Dry it first.

Nothing has gone wrong with the pan. Stuck food lifts off with warm water and 10 minutes of soaking.

Cleaning

Let the pan cool a little first, then warm water, washing-up liquid and a sponge. It is dishwasher safe, though hand washing keeps the finish brighter.

For anything baked on: cover the base with water, bring it to a simmer for a few minutes, and it lifts off. A nylon brush or a soft scourer is fine. Avoid steel wool.

Never put cold water into a pan that is still hot — thermal shock is bad for any metal pan.

Marks and colour changes are normal

A faint rainbow tint after high heat is oxidation on the surface, not damage. Wipe it with a little white vinegar or lemon juice on a cloth and it goes.

White chalky spots are minerals from hard water. Same fix.

Storage

The handle detaches with its fastening system, so the pans stack flat inside each other. It clips back on in about 15 seconds. Let the pan cool before you take the handle off.

Quick reference