Using same frying pan twice today?

fr33sia12

This might be a strange question, but I'm a novice cooker & don't want to poison myself. I'm frying some tofu later to add to my salad for lunch and then will be frying some falafels later in the day for dinner, but is it ok not to wash the pan in between using? I was planning on giving it a wipe with a kitchen towel to remove anything left, it that ok to do?

RoxieDawn

I am going to presume when you mean fry the tofu it will be in a little olive oil or cooking spray or nothing at all? Not where there is some sort of sauce, gravy or other type of residue that you ordinarily wash it before another use?

Then yes. For example I heat/fry canadian bacon in the a.m. for breakfast and turn right around with out washing the pan and cook eggs in it..

CurlyCockney

When I was a child/teenager every home we went to had a pan full of dripping on the stove top. It would be used and re-used all week, and washed on Sunday after a traditional bread & dripping supper.

So yes, it will be fine.

fr33sia12

Thanks everyone. I would be just frying in a little oil.

Meganthedogmom

It should be fine, but in the time it took you to create this post, you could have just washed the pan.

rankinsect

There really isn't any danger of poisoning yourself - the reason in general to wash dishes between uses is to prevent any remnants of the first dish from getting into the second.

Also, if the pan is non-stick, it's OK to let oil sit in it, but if there are bits of food stuck to the pan, you should clean it off as soon as the pan is cool enough to do so, because to leave food crusted on a non-stick pan will destroy the non-stick coating over time.

ChristopherLimoges

If the food was of good quality, and the environment is of good quality, then it is safe to empty, rinse, and wipe down most pans after first use to then be used for a second time.

mochapygmy

In professional kitchens pans get reused often. You just don't want to impart flavors from a previous dish. Don't poach a pear in pan that you used to saute garlic unless you want a funky pear.

fr33sia12

meganridenour wrote: »

It should be fine, but in the time it took you to create this post, you could have just washed the pan.

Thanks that was really helpful. I hadn't cooked it when I wrote the post and I wanted to save on hot water, it was nothing to do with the time it takes.

kirstenb13

My grandma does this all the time too, I think this used to be very common and probably for the same reason you state, hot water was scarce so if you didn't have to wash it, you didn't.