By Beth Rush, Managing Editor at Body+Mind
Who doesn’t love a non-stick pan? It’s a popular housewarming gift and the first kitchen buy for new homeowners. But is it safe, or are these pans dangerous to your health and the environment? Short answer — maybe. A more comprehensive answer requires looking at the history of non-stick pans and what goes into making them before you rush out to buy a set.
What Makes Non-Stick Cookware So Slippery?
Non-stick cookware is slippery because of its chemical coating — commonly called Teflon — the trade name for the waxy compound called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Manufacturers make these pans by coating an aluminum pan with PTFE, which resists liquids and solids. The result is a slippery surface that’s easy to clean and unlikely to burn food as easily as regular cookware.
Credit: Andrevan – Own work
A Brief History of the Chemically-Coated Pan Conflict
PTFE first hit the market after DuPont chemical manufacturer’s scientist Roy Plunket discovered the adhesion-resistant chemical in 1938, which they trademarked as Teflon. Since Teflon doesn’t let anything stick to it, the compound is challenging to fix to pots. To make the nonslip magic layer stick to cookware, manufacturers started using these two processes:
- Sintering: A process where cookware is roughed with sandblasting, allowing the liquid PTFE to stick to the porous surface. Teflon has no problem sticking to itself, so once the initial layer is on, it’s simply a matter of building more layers until the surface is slippery enough.
- Chemical treatment: To bond PTFE to surfaces without first roughing them, manufacturers used perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). This alternative option produced smoother finishes, which was popular with consumers. However, PFOA is part of a class of chemicals called perfluoroalkyl or poly-fluoroalkyl (PFAS). These compounds — called forever chemicals — never decay and create massive pollution.
At the 2009 International Stockholm Convention, European countries restricted using PFAS chemicals in cookware and other industrial uses. However, the U.S. battle for safer drinking water by outlawing intentional application of PFAS to cookware remains ongoing, with local state laws tackling the legal definitions of what constitutes “cookware” and whether it includes the surface.
Are Non-Stick Pans Dangerous?
If you consider adding such a pan to your kitchen, you may feel concerned about its safety. And with good reason. These kitchen essentials you grew up with have a dubious past. Here are some considerations about their safety.
1. Chemical Concerns
While non-stick cookware is convenient, its chemical coatings degrade, and the long-term risks of exposure to these compounds are worrisome. Exposure to high heat and chemicals like detergents and scrubbing agents cause the chemical coatings to perish, leading to severe health challenges like respiratory conditions and cancer. You’re already fighting off the effects of air fresheners and other home products — 90% of which are harmful — so don’t add PTFE gases, too.
A 2024 study regarding the effectiveness of newer adhesion-resistant coatings for cookware mentions the effectiveness of PTFE options versus safer ceramic sol-gel coatings. However, the study also concurs that PTFE and traditional non-stick coatings are known contaminants that lead to severe health risks.
2. Danger of Overheating
Cookware with PTFE coatings usually has an aluminum base, which heats quickly, so it’s easy to overheat these pots and pans. Manufacturers recommend not exceeding 500° F or 260° C, as the chemical coatings begin to release harmful gases that are known to affect humans and animals like birds.
If you have existing respiratory conditions, avoid using these pans since there’s no practical way to monitor how much chemical gas they release during cooking.
3. Risk to the Environment
Sustainability supporters are concerned about environmental damage caused by contamination with PTFE and PFOA production and the manufacturing of non-stick cookware. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expresses concern over the risk to drinking water safety after contamination with these “forever chemicals.”
Wildlife could suffer critical harm from exposure to dangerous chemicals released by PFOA-containing cookware during heating and washing and when disposing of it incorrectly.
What to Look for When Choosing Non-Stick Pans
If you need a stick-proof pan, you’d want the best and safest option, so here are some guidelines to help you choose just that:
- Coatings: Ensure the pan you select has clear labels stating that it’s PTFE, PFAS, and PFOA-free. If it doesn’t say it, choose something else.
- Construction: Pick a product with a thick base and walls. The thinner the pan, the easier it will overheat, releasing those toxic gases everyone worries about. The heavier base ensures even heating, making it unlikely that you’ll need to cook at higher temperatures.
- Surface quality: Inspect the cookware’s surface, ensuring it has no nicks, scrapes, scratches or scuff marks from shipping, which could indicate the stick-resistant coating is insufficient or poorly applied.
- Branded quality: When you buy a branded item, the manufacturer is liable for damages if they falsely sell their products. No-name brands aren’t as likely to meet international safety standards.
How to Safely Cook With Non-Stick Pans
You’ve taken the plunge and bought stick-resistant cookware, but how do you safely cook with it? Follow these two golden rules:
Practices for Safe Use
To ensure your safety, never preheat a non-stick pan. High heat corrodes the chemical coating, causing harmful gases. Also, never use the highest setting on your stove or oven, as the maximum temperature for chemically treated cookware is 500° F. Exposure to high temperatures softens the chemical coating, which may quickly become damaged.
Avoid coated bakeware when using the oven on high heat, such as when making pizza. While a regular pizza oven reaches over 700° F, this isn’t safe for the chemical coating on your pans.
Use the recommended cooking utensils. Avoid using steel knives, spoons or spatulas, as these can easily damage the surface and speed up the release of dangerous microparticles. Wood, silicone and plastic are the best materials for utensils.
Measures to Care for Your Chemically Treated Pan
Care for it appropriately to ensure sustained good use while avoiding damage. Wash in warm, not hot, soapy water. Only use a mild detergent and avoid corrosive chemicals. Use a dish sponge to wash and wipe the surface, but don’t scrub. Wipe dry with a soft cloth and air-dry to finish.
Store carefully in a closed kitchen cupboard where pots will not scuff the surface. When the protective coating is damaged, it becomes hazardous.
When to Throw Away Non-Stick Pans
Perhaps you wonder if it’s time to throw them away. There are a few signs that these cookwares are no longer safe to use, and you should regularly inspect them to ensure they are safe to continue using.
Signs It’s Time to Retire Your Coated Pan
A safe anti-stick cookware surface is smooth, has no dents, nicks or cuts, and doesn’t show any signs of damage. But your pan might be ready for pension when:
- It’s no longer fully non-stick, and food burns on the surface in some areas.
- Its coating is flaking and uneven.
- Its steel inner shows through the black coating layer.
- Its surface scratches burn food.
- It’s uneven on the stove plate — a sign that the metal twisted due to high heat.
How to Safely Dispose of Your Non-Stick Pan
Your pan didn’t pass muster, and you want to throw it out. Is it safe to drop it in the garbage bin? Never! Chemically treated cookware requires safe disposal. Contact a local recycling agency or environmental program to ask about options in your area.
Email the manufacturer to inquire about a mail-back option. Companies reclaim old pans and recycle them responsibly. Removing the chemical coating is easier when your pan is PFOA-free, leaving a safe steel pan to recoat or melt back down.
You can even start a recycling program or business to collect old PTFE and PFOA cookware. It might be a successful business model if you devise the right business plan and ensure you work with strategic partners.
Alternatives to Non-Stick Pans
Your eco-friendly heart may not be ready for a new-generation PFOA-free cookware set, so here are some incredible sustainable alternatives to invest in:
Cast Iron
- Surface quality: Cast iron is a traditional type of cookware. The real benefit is that you can easily “season” cast iron. Apply vegetable oil to the inner surface and bake it at maximum heat for an hour. Repeat this a few times for a naturally slippy surface as good as any commercial stick-resistant chemical coating — without any risk of contamination.
- Drawbacks: Iron quickly rusts and can be challenging to maintain if it’s not seasoned correctly or frequently.
Stainless Steel
- Surface quality: Stainless steel cookware is an excellent option as it’s pure steel without harmful heavy metals, and stainless steel does not leach enough lead to harm people. To get a stick-resistant effect, preheat and then add your food. Once the food has a nicely seared outer, turn the heat down and add a little water.
- Drawbacks: It’s an expensive option — once burned, it isn’t easy to clean.
Ceramic-Coated Pans
- Surface quality: Ceramic coatings are almost as good as chemical treatments, and they’re safer, too. Use the same cooking methods as commercial coated products, but add more oil to ensure the food doesn’t stick.
- Drawbacks: The glazing can leak harmful chemicals into your food when the ceramic coating cracks. It is not a long-term solution.
Carbon Steel
- Surface quality: Carbon steel is a modern option that is lighter than cast iron, but it performs the same. Season with oil, similar to cast iron cookware, and enjoy a burn-free surface.
- Drawbacks: Carbon steel cookware can be expensive and damages easily if made from softer steel.
Non-Stick Pan Verdict
Are non-stick pans dangerous? Possibly — when they’re made from inferior quality materials or contain harmful chemicals. These chemically treated cookwares are safe to use when you follow best cooking practices and take appropriate care of them.
About the Author
Beth Rush is the Managing Editor at Body+Mind and a lover of all things health and wellness. She is a well-respected writer in the personal wellness space and shares knowledge on a variety of topics related to nutrition, fitness, holistic health and disease prevention. In her spare time, Beth enjoys cooking healthy recipes and trying out new fitness trends.