Is There a Non-Stick That’s Non-Suck?

BY JIM MATHIS

Ihavea love/hate relationship with my non-stick pans. When they are new, that frictionless surface is a thing of wonder; an omelet will slide off with ease and the stickiest of sauces wipe away lickety-split. But after a few months of use, that omelet takes a little more butter. And the sauce requires a little more scrubbing. I care for these pans well—they never see the inside of the dishwasher, metal utensils are verboten, when stacked in the drawer they are always separated by thick felt pads. But after a year or two, they betray me. The slipperiness fades, they don’t work as well as they used to, the love turns to loathing. And then, as if the Grim Reaper had showed up in my cookware drawer, the non-stick coating begins to peel or flake. That’s it. No longer safe to use, my oncetrusted kitchen companion is destined for the landfill.

I’ve tried the cheap “as-seen-on-TV” brands. They never perform in my kitchen as well as they do for the fast-talking spokesman. I’ve spent hundreds on big name brands, while the heavier bases cook much better than the cheaper models, their longevity does not match the price.

Some of you will say “I’ve had the same old Teflon non-stick since 1978; it works great!” Does it really? Or have you just become numb to it over time? Or do you cook with enough fat that you’ve long replaced the Teflon with a well-seasoned coating like your grandmother’s old cast-iron? Based on the reviews I’ve read in several consumer magazines; I am not alone.

The nonstick coating on every brand of non-stick cookery fades over time. Cook’s Illustrated estimates that 70% of all skillets sold in the U.S. are coated with some sort of non-stick. Globally, the non-stick cookware market is worth $20 billion dollars and is expected to exceed $25 billion by the end of the decade. That’s not all new consumers coming into the market, much of that is replacing pans that have failed.

Teflon started showing up the early Sixties, with a non-stick surface made from PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). It was touted as one of the greatest inventions, but we have since learned more about the PFTEs. They are part of a family of chemicals called PFOAs, often referred to as “forever chemicals” because once they are out in the environment, they last, well, almost forever. And those chemicals get into drinking water and then the bloodstream and many of the chemicals have been linked to cancer. Because of that, PFOAs were banned in the U.S. in 2015, and have since been banned in Europe. If you’re still using that Teflon pan from the Carter administration, it’s likely still leaching PFOAs. You might want to reconsider how you fry your pork chop tonight.

So what do you do? There are really three great options. The first is oldschool, cast iron. Your grandmother undoubtedly used a cast iron pan or two. While the non-stick pans get a little worse with every use, cast iron gets better with each use. Each time you use a cast iron pan, you coat it with a little bit of oil, that oil gets heated and the fat molecules polymerize on the surface of the pan, creating a natural non-stick surface. The only downside? Cast iron is heavy. Trying to flip eggs in a 10-inch skillet counts as “arm day” at the gym. But with a little care, they last forever. And I shouldn’t need to say this, but DO NOT put cast iron in the dishwasher. Ever. Wars have been started over less serious crimes.

Carbon steel is my choice for non-stick alternatives. It works like cast iron and builds that same polymerized seasoning, but it weighs a whole lot less. If the seasoning gets damaged or worn, it’s easy to re-season with some vegetable oil and a little time. The maker of some of my carbon steel pans suggests that when the seasoning needs a bit of refreshing, cook up a couple of hamburgers or bratwurst. The fat will bring it back while you cook.

I love my carbon steel. Last night I used the same pan to fry some risotto cakes, then wiped it out with a paper towel, and reverse-seared a New York strip that had just come out of a sous-vide bath. Meanwhile, asparagus was roasting in the oven in another carbon pan. When dinner was done, a quick scrub of the pans; I dried them off and back in the cupboard they went.

The third option is stainless steel. If you tend to be hard on your pans, investing in a few high-quality stainless steel pans might be just what your kitchen needs. They are durable; you can scrub them, throw ‘em in the dishwasher, scrape with knives, forks, and spatulas, even use them as weapons; they are nearly indestructible. Friday night I made my beloved’s favorite pasta—Italian sausage, brown butter, peas, and sage—the sauce was cooked in a stainless skillet, the pasta in a stainless stock pot. When dinner was done, everything but my chef’s knife went in the dishwasher. Super simple. And those pans have been around for a while, I know the skillet pre-dates our marriage, so it’s at least 29 years old, and it still looks like new.

I will admit, I have not been able to completely break up with nonstick pans. The eggs for breakfast this morning were fried in a non-stick. But I find I use them less often, which means I replace them less often. And that keeps me from contributing to that $20 billion dollar business and saves a few pans from the landfill. We can all do our part. Do yourself a favor, eat something good today.

When he’s not creating in the kitchen, Jim’s creating for ADwërks, the agency he runs here in Sioux Falls.