How to Buy, Use and Care for Nonstick Cookware
Nonstick cookware makes cooking easier, but doesn’t necessarily make cooking better . It doesn’t light as well as cast iron or stainless steel , its finicky finish is unsafe for both dishwasher and metal cookware, and Teflon has a reputation for being less than safe.
However, it is convenient, especially if you are still seasoning cast iron or don’t want to take the extra steps required to make stainless steel nonstick. It is entirely possible to fry an egg without burning in any of these pans, but the eggs will never stick to the Teflon.
Claire’s favorite nonstick pan: Tramontina Nonstick Restaurant Fry Pan.
Although there are several brands of Teflon-free non-stick cookware on the market, they are more expensive than Teflon ones. If I’m going to shell out $100 or more for a frying pan, it’s going to be a nice cast iron piece or a solid stainless steel piece. The two most popular Teflon-free nonstick pans are Caraway and HexClad, which cost $ 95 and $ 199.99 , respectively. My favorite Teflon-coated pan, the Tramontina Nonstick Restaurant Pan, costs $39.76 (at time of publication) and will last for years with proper care.
Is Teflon “bad for you”?
Before we get into how and when to use a nonstick frying pan, let’s discuss your safety concerns, because I know you have them. Ironically, Teflon has had a scary reputation for some time now. Luckily, our senior health and science editor Beth Skwarecki has already discussed this reputation in detail , but let’s get to the main points.
When people discuss Teflon, people like to list a bunch of scary chemicals and then ask you the question, “You don’t want chemicals in your food , do you?” This kind of talk encourages chemophobia, which is especially stupid when it comes to food, since food contains some of the most complex chemical systems. The two main chemicals that people are afraid to mention when talking about Teflon are polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE, and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. As Beth explained, PFTE “in itself does not pose a health risk. It is inert, meaning it does not react chemically with your body or anything else. But there are several related chemicals that may be less safe.” This is where PFOA comes in:
The chemical that usually worries people when they talk about non-stick pans is PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid. It was used in the production of Teflon coatings in the early 2000s and earlier, and was completely phased out by 2013. This chemical can cause what is called “polymer smoke fever” if you inhale large amounts of the fumes. It is not easy to contract steam fever; Case reports include industrial workers and a man who burned almost the entire coating of a Teflon frying pan while sleeping . Smoke fever has flu-like symptoms, but people usually recover from it within a few hours.
PFOA is a perpetual chemical, meaning it does not degrade over time, and its use in manufacturing over the years has led to its detection in drinking water and, more ominously, in human blood. The good news is that PFOA is no longer used in manufacturing (and levels of PFOA in human blood appear to be decreasing).
What does this mean for your pan? Well, if your Teflon-coated cookware was manufactured after 2013, it was made without PFOA. (According to Beth, it’s also worth noting that “the American Cancer Society has reported that ‘nonstick cookware is not a significant source of PFOA exposure’ and noted that neither the Environmental Protection Agency nor the World Health Organization have been able to determine whether Do PFOA pose a cancer risk to humans?)
The problem is that when exposed to ultra-high temperatures, PFTE can decompose to form PFOA, which can lead to “smoke fever.” Luckily, nonstick frying pan manufacturers tell you how hot your frying pan can safely get (usually 500℉), so as long as you don’t forget it on the stove or intentionally overheat it, you’ll be fine.
However, if the Teflon gets scratched and starts to peel, you should throw away the pan and buy a new one. You don’t want to eat Teflon, but I’ve been using my Tramontina for five years now and it shows no signs of wear. To ensure your nonstick pan lasts as long as possible, there are a few things you should do (and not do) to keep it looking smooth.
How to Clean a Nonstick Frying Pan Without Ruining It
Nonstick pans have three enemies: the dishwasher (and frequent washing in general), metal cookware, and nonstick cooking sprays.
Due to high temperatures and harsh detergents, the dishwasher is too rough on the Teflon coating, and if you throw it in there, the coating will quickly deteriorate, causing the pan to become sticky and flaky. Even aggressive hand washing can ruin it faster than you’d like, but the good news is that Teflon pans are as easy to clean as they are to cook. As I explained earlier, I almost never “wash” a nonstick pan unless I’m dealing with something really sticky:
Instead of washing the pan after each use, I wipe down the pan with a paper towel or sponge while it’s still hot. If that doesn’t work, I’ll put the pan back on the burner, heat it up a little more, and then wipe it down with a damp paper towel or sponge—a little “steam cleaning” if you will. This is how my mom always cleaned her nonstick pans, which I thought was “weird” when I was little because I thought everything my mom did was “weird” from the ages of 13 to 22.
If steam doesn’t work, scrub gently with a non-abrasive sponge and a little cold soapy water , but steam works about 94% of the time. This kinder, gentler approach will extend the life of your nonstick pan and preserve its coating.
Yes, and about non-stick sprays. A mister bottle with a little olive oil will do just fine; Grease is not the enemy of nonstick coatings, although you don’t need much of it when using this type of cookware. The problem is with aerosol cans like PAM, which contain lecithin that binds to the surface of the pan, where it turns into a mess that becomes nearly impossible to remove. In some cases, using these types of sprays will void your pan’s warranty . If you want to add a little fat to the pan, avoid those splatters and brush it with a little olive oil (or add a few knobs of butter).
How to cook in a non-stick frying pan
As a professional food writer, I use nonstick pans quite often. While I’m perfectly capable of frying an egg in a stainless steel pan, it requires a fair amount of preheating and I don’t always want to wait. I also know how to fry eggs in cast iron, but I don’t always want to deal with her and her special care needs. The non-stick coating is easy to use, it’s a perfectly acceptable pan while you get used to the other two, and it allows you to “fry” foods without significantly reducing the amount of fat, or none at all if you’re concerned about the fat content. .
Besides frying eggs, I use a nonstick pan to cook things in frico wrappers . I also use it to reheat leftover spaghetti (toss cold noodles with a spoonful of water in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until warm), cook shredded hash browns (which stick like glue to any other kitchen surface), and cook Medium portion of fried rice. It’s also good for making fried bread , grilled cheese sandwiches, or any carb you want to coat with a buttery crust. If you have a sweet tooth, you can use it to make sweet chocolates , which can also be used as frosting.
There are two things to avoid when cooking with Teflon: pesky metal utensils (use wood, plastic or silicone), which can scratch the coating, and acidic foods, which can shorten the life of the pan by degrading its quality.
One non-stick frying pan is all you need.
This particular Teflon-coated frying pan is the only non-stick cookware I own (except for silicone baking mats and one cake pan, but baking is a whole other topic and you should talk to Ellie about all of that). You don’t need a nonstick saucepan, a nonstick stock pot, or—god forbid—an entire nonstick set. One non-stick frying pan will do what you need. Take care of it, treasure it, and throw it away when it starts to lose its luster. (If you take care of it properly, this will happen after many years.)