The short answer: for most cooking, a good stainless steel frying pan is the better buy. It sears, browns and builds a pan sauce in a way non-stick cannot, it goes in the oven and the dishwasher, and it lasts for decades. Keep a non-stick pan if you like, for omelettes and delicate fish. But once you learn one simple trick, stainless will cook eggs too.

What stainless steel does better

• Browning. Steak, chicken thighs, mushrooms and onions get a deep, flavourful crust. That browning is where most of the taste in a dish comes from.
• Pan sauces. The brown bits left behind after searing are flavour. Splash in wine or stock, scrape, reduce, add butter: dinner has a sauce in two minutes.
• Heat. It can go as hot as you need, then straight into the oven to finish a thick chop or a frittata.
• Metal tools and the dishwasher. No coating to protect.
• Lifespan. There is nothing to wear off. A good tri-ply pan bought now will still be cooking for your children.

Where non-stick earns its place

Very delicate jobs at low heat: a French omelette, a thin crêpe, a fillet of sole. If you cook those often, a non-stick pan alongside a stainless one makes sense. Treat it gently, keep the heat moderate, and replace it when the coating starts to go.

The trick that stops food sticking to stainless

1. Heat the empty pan over medium heat for two to three minutes.
2. Flick in a few drops of water. If they skate around the pan in balls, it is ready. If they sizzle and vanish, give it another minute.
3. Add the oil, let it shimmer, then add the food.
4. Leave it alone. Food sticks at first and releases by itself once it has browned.

The full method, with eggs: how to fry an egg on a stainless steel pan. And for the washing-up: how to clean a steel frying pan.

What makes a good stainless steel pan

Look for tri-ply: stainless steel bonded around an aluminium core that runs up the sides, not just a disc on the base. Aluminium spreads the heat; steel gives the cooking surface. Without the core, stainless gets hot spots and burns in the middle while the edges lag.

The Season Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Frying Pan is built that way, from £50 in 22 to 30cm. It works on every hob including induction, is oven safe to 240°C, goes in the dishwasher and has a 10 year warranty. The 26cm weighs 775g: heavy enough to sear, light enough to toss with one hand.

Questions people ask

Is stainless steel or non-stick healthier? Stainless steel has no coating, so there is nothing to wear into food, and it can be used at any temperature.

Why does everything stick to my stainless pan? Usually the pan was not hot enough before the oil and food went in, or the food was moved too early. Use the water test above.

Can you cook eggs in stainless steel? Yes. Preheat properly, use a little more fat than you would in non-stick, lower the heat once the egg is in, and wait for it to release.

What size stainless frying pan should I buy? 26cm for most kitchens: two steaks, or four eggs.

From the cooks at Season, a London cookshop since 2005. Cook like it matters.