Stainless Steel Sticking Is About Heat, Not Oil
Food sticks to a stainless pan mainly because the metal's microscopic pores expand as it heats and grip onto proteins that haven't formed a crust yet; once that crust forms and the food releases naturally, it stops sticking on its own. Preheating the pan properly and testing with a drop of water — it should form beading, mobile droplets (the "Leidenfrost effect") rather than sizzling away instantly — tells you the pan is hot enough that food will actually release instead of tearing.
Sources & methodology: These tips draw on established food-science references —
Harold McGee's food-science writing, America's Test Kitchen /
Cook's Illustrated testing, Serious Eats'
technique reporting, USDA food safety guidance,
and peer-reviewed food-safety research (including UC Davis
cutting-board studies) — not reworded recipe-blog consensus.