Here's How You're Ruining Your Non-Stick Pans
Non-stick pans make cooking easy by preventing food from sticking with their teflon surface. It makes cooking various foods easier, from fish, to eggs, to pancakes to grilled cheese. But that non-stick coating isn't indestructible. Unlike stainless steel pans and cast iron pans that can take a beating and keep on cooking, you can ruin a non-stick pan fairly easily. Here are all the mistakes you should avoid when cooking, cleaning, and storing a non-stick pan:
1. Metal Utensils
This seems obvious but many people still use metal utensils on their non-stick pans. Metal utensils scratch into the non-stick coating, permanently damaging it. Only use wood, silicone or or plastic utensils on a non-stick pan.
2. Preheating an Empty Pan
Heating an empty non-stick pan can quickly damage the coating. Without any food for heat to transfer to, the pan can quickly heat to 500°F. At that heat, the teflon coating begins to break down, destroying the non-stick surface and releasing noxious fumes into your kitchen.
3. Using Cooking Sprays
This is a common mistake that many people make. Aerosol cooking sprays may seem convenient, but they contain an additive called soy lecithin, which creates a stick, gummy, residue. It's nearly impossible to remove from non-stick cooking pans without damaging the surface, ruining the pan’s non-stick properties and usually voiding its warranty. Use natural oils, such as olive oil, butter, or avocado oil, that aren’t in an aerosol spray can.
4. High Heat
Just like heating an empty non-stick pan, using a non-stick pan for any high heat cooking can destroy the coating. Never go past medium heat with a non-stick pan, and use your stainless steel and cast iron pans for high heat cooking. Non-stick surfaces begin to break down at 500°F, damaging the coating. It also creates a health hazard. At that high heat, the coating releases fumes into the air that can cause an illness called “Teflon Flu.” For safety, cap your max heat at 400°F to 450°F for your non-stick pans.
5. Cold Water Rinse
Deglazing by adding water to a hot pan is a great way to clean a stainless steel pan. It can ruin your non-stick pan. Putting a hot non-stick pan under cool water causes thermal shock, which can warp the pan. Allow a no-stick pan to cool completely before washing it.
Related: This is the Dishwasher Part You Didn't Know You Had to Clean
6. Washing it in the Dishwasher
The extreme temperatures and chemical detergents in a dishwasher are no place for your sensitive non-stick pan. The harsh environment of your dishwasher’s cleaning cycles will quickly erode the non-stick surface of the pan. Warm dish soap and a soft sponge are the best way to clean your non-stick pans.
7. Stacking
Nesting your non-stick pans by stacking them is a mistake. The bottom of the pans can scratch and damage the non-stick coating of the pan beneath it. If you want to nest your pans, separate them with a paper towel, or better yet, a soft microfiber cloth.