Is it true that the flavor of a food cooked in a pan can later translate into other food cooked in same pan?

Question

My mother once told me that her grandmother told her to use only one pan to boil eggs in, for if other food was cooked in the same pan, it would taste of eggs. I tried cooking pasta and rice in Ma's "eggs-boiling" pan, and neither particularly tasted of eggs. Last week, I cooked split pea soup, and it came out with what I thought was the lovely spice of a rather pungent onion, but Ma said it was because I used her "green chile" pan! These pans are thoroughly washed and disinfected. Can the spice or flavor still be stuck in the pan?

Answer 1

Some pans -- especially cast iron -- can transmit flavors, especially flavors of acidic foods like tomatoes or pungent flavors like garlic, curry or onion but generally speaking flavors will not transfer.

Metal pans are porous so it is possible for flavors to carry over from one dish to another (in the case of cast iron, you don't use soap, you simply use water to clean the pan, so some flavors may become embedded in the pans "seasoning" (the coating that fills the pores in the metals and prevents water from rusting the pan).

However, eggs have such a mild flavor I doubt they would carry through from one dish to the next and 18/10 or stainless pans have such small pores, most flavors won't carry through.

Answer 2

Not true. The heat will burn off anything that was remaining from before. You can usually smell strong spices used in the pan, but the flavor won't be there.

Answer 3

Depends on the types of pans.

Any pan that is cured will definitely do it (stoneware, Wok, etc.).

But typical stainless steel and teflon pans won't if they're properly cleaned.

Answer 4

yes, but it depends on the type of pan your using in regards to the materials the pan is made from.

Answer 5

Only if you don't wash it.

Answer 6

not if you wash it once in a while!!!!!