Clarifying Myths About Teflon™ Nonstick Coatings
Myth: Safety concerns about cookware with Teflon™ nonstick coatings.
Fact: Cookware with Teflon™ nonstick coatings is safe for its intended use, and in fact, can contribute to a heart-healthy, low-fat diet by letting you cook with little or no fat.
More than 50 years of consumer use, along with laboratory testing and published peer-reviewed research, has affirmed that cookware made with Teflon™ nonstick coatings is safe for both consumer and commercial use at normal cooking temperatures.
Myth: Nonstick coatings wear off easily.
Fact: Some Teflon™ nonstick coatings are guaranteed for the life of the pan. And all are engineered to resist chipping, peeling, and flaking.
Myth: Nonstick-coated pans cannot be put in the dishwasher.
Fact: If a pan has Teflon™ nonstick coatings and is from a reputable manufacturer, it can be put in the dishwasher. Still, always make sure you follow the manufacturer’s care instructions.
Myth: Ceramic coatings or so-called “green pans” are safer or better than pans with Teflon™ brand nonstick coating.
Fact: In repeated tests, cookware with Teflon™ nonstick coatings outperformed "ceramics" and lasted seven times longer than "ceramic-coated" (sol-gel) pans. Find out the facts about ceramic coated cookware.
Myth: Nonstick coatings are all the same.
Fact: When it comes to long-lasting nonstick performance, Teflon™ brand nonstick coatings outperform competitors, including ceramics or so-called “green pans.”
Myth: "Teflon” is the same thing as PFOA.
Fact: The Teflon™ brand is not PFOA. Teflon™ is a brand, owned by Chemours, not a product or material. This brand is used to market a range of products and should never be used as a generic term for a particular substance or a generic name for nonstick cookware coatings. In fact, Teflon™ nonstick coatings for cookware and consumer bakeware are made without PFOA/PFOS.
Myth: You can't store food in the refrigerator in a nonstick pan.
Fact: Oh, yes you can, with no problems whatsoever.
Myth: Nonstick pans are not for serious cooks or chefs.
Fact: Premium nonstick coatings, such as Teflon™ Platinum Plus, are tailored to withstand intense use and have been used by professional chefs for more than 50 years.
Myth: Some cooking techniques, such as deglazing, searing, and browning, just don’t work with a nonstick pan.
Fact: You can deglaze, brown, and sear foods in nonstick pans. In fact, browning food in one may impart a richer color and flavor because the resulting liquid won’t stick to the pan.
Myth: If a pan has a textured bottom, food can get stuck in the pattern.
Fact: You may get attached to your cookware coated with Teflon™ quality-tested nonstick coatings, but food doesn't. The superior food release is in no way diminished by these textured surfaces. In fact, these pans can actually extend the performance of a nonstick coating by minimizing the contact between surface and utensils.
Nonstick pans with textured bottoms should be treated like any other nonstick pan, and will provide many years of great performance and easy cleanup.
Myth: High heat will damage the pan’s nonstick finish.
Fact: Nonstick pans with Teflon™ coatings can stand the heat. You can heat a nonstick pan up to 260 °C (500 °F) without damaging the finish. What’s more, 260 °C (500 °F) is well above the temperatures required for boiling, frying, and baking.
Myth: You should not use metal utensils on nonstick coatings.
Fact: Chemours has top-of-the-line coatings that will stand up to almost anything, even metal utensils. Be sure to check the cookware manufacturer’s label.
Myth: If a nonstick surface is scratched, it should be thrown away.
Fact: Scratches do not affect performance. They may be unsightly, but not the end of your cookware.
Myth: I'm still not convinced that particles of nonstick coating won't come off during cooking and get into my food.
Fact: Particles from Teflon™ nonstick coatings are not harmful, even if ingested.
Confidence in the safety and performance of Teflon™ nonstick coatings is based on more than 50 years of laboratory testing and home and commercial use at normal cooking temperatures.
