How long has your nonstick pan been used? Whether the coating is still shiny or has begun to peel off.
Nowadays, non-stick pans have become an indispensable helper in many home kitchens, whether it is frying fish and turning meat, or cooking home-cooked dishes.
However, as its popularity in the market grew, so did the controversy surrounding non-stick cookware.
Among them, statements such as "non-stick pans are toxic" and "coating can cause cancer" are widely circulated, making many consumers suspicious. In particular, some elderly people, who still adhere to the traditional large iron pot of the mainland, are convinced of these rumors of non-stick pans.
So where exactly do these rumors come from? Is a nonstick pan safe? How can we choose, use and maintain non-stick pans in our daily lives to prevent them from becoming a health threat?
Why nonstick pans are popular
Have you ever had such an embarrassing experience in your daily life? A delicious meal that was carefully prepared was instantly wiped out by a small cooking mistake. When frying fish, the skin sticks to the bottom of the pan, and when the heat control is slightly deviated, it will become a ball. These are the little episodes in the kitchen that almost every cooking enthusiast has encountered.
But you know what? All these troubles can now be easily solved with just a nonstick pan.
With its unique characteristics such as "non-stick", "fuel-efficient" and "easy to clean", non-stick pans stand out among many kitchenware and become a must-have artifact in the kitchen.
It can even be said that the advent of non-stick pans has not only changed the way we cook, but also changed our concept of life to some extent.
Compared with traditional iron pans, the advantages of non-stick pans are obvious. It only requires very little fat to cook delicious dishes, which greatly retains the nutritional value of the ingredients, which is more in line with the pursuit of healthy eating by modern people.
What's more, non-stick pans are also commendable for their contribution to environmental protection and energy saving. Its unique coating material makes the heat conduction more uniform during cooking, and the non-stick pan can save about 30% of energy consumption on average compared to traditional cookware such as iron pots. This advantage is particularly important in modern families, especially urban families.
At the same time, the reduction of oil smoke is also another highlight of non-stick pans. In traditional cooking, oil fumes not only pollute the environment, but also may pose a potential threat to human health, but nonstick pans effectively reduce the generation of oil fumes with their advanced coating technology and uniform heat distribution.
According to the test of relevant institutions, when using non-stick cookware for cooking, the emission of oil smoke is reduced by up to 70% compared with traditional pots, which is undoubtedly a great boon for consumers who pursue healthy cooking.
In addition to the above advantages, the diverse design of non-stick pans has also won the love of consumers around the world. From traditional wok to modern non-stick pans, multi-functional non-stick frying pans, etc., the design of non-stick pans is constantly innovating, and the use scenarios are constantly expanding.
It can not only be used for stove cooking, but also can be used in the oven, and even directly used as a dinner plate, which brings great convenience to people. However, with the popularity of non-stick pans, problems have also followed.
However, in the actual use process, problems such as the peeling off of the coating of non-stick pans and the deformation of pots and pans are not uncommon.
These issues have raised concerns about the safety of non-stick pans, especially for those who are already skeptical about the safety of non-stick pans. Are these coatings safe? Does it really pose a health risk?
The story behind "non-stick".
Not long ago, the Shanghai Consumer Protection Association conducted a comprehensive evaluation of 20 popular non-stick pans in the market, and the results were shocking. While most products perform well in terms of safety, there are still some products that have many problems.
In particular, some products claim to be "uncoated" or "zero-coated", but in fact there is still coating powder.
What's more, some pots and pans will have the substrate exposed when the coating is worn to a certain extent.
This situation has undoubtedly deepened people's concerns about the safety of nonstick pan coatings and potential health risks. There are even concerns that scratched coatings that fall into food during cooking can cause cancer. Once the coating is damaged, the pots and pans should be discarded immediately!
So, is this statement reliable? In fact, fears are not unfounded. The key to the "non-stick" of a non-stick pan is the Teflon coating on its inside.
Teflon, whose scientific name is polytetrafluoroethylene, is actually a very stable polymer material. It behaves very steadily at daily cooking temperatures and is not prone to decomposition.
The real problem was that in the early days of nonstick pans, ammonium perfluorooctanoate called PFOA, also known as C8, was used as an additive.
PFOA is an invisible threat, and it is actually linked to many health problems, such as cancer, liver disease, and even the immune system.
It is precisely because of this substance that the safety of non-stick cookware has been questioned, causing concern for consumers and making this type of kitchenware less popular than in the past.
In 2019, the movie "Black Water" revealed a shocking past that exposed the dangers of PFOA to the public.
The story begins with a farmer in Parkersburg, West Virginia, who discovers that more than 190 cows on his farm have died in a horrific manner, such as swollen internal organs, blackened teeth, and huge tumors.
Suspecting that the culprit was pollutants emitted from a nearby DuPont chemical plant, he commissioned lawyer Robert Birot to investigate.
An in-depth investigation by Billott found that DuPont had been using PFOA for a long time to produce Teflon coatings and dumped PFOA-containing waste at will, resulting in severe contamination of the surrounding water and soil. His investigation also uncovered years of cover-up and deception by DuPont.
In reality, PFOA is not only harmful to cattle, but also to the health of factory employees and nearby residents, and the incidence of cancer is not only significantly higher than in other regions, but also has tragedies such as neonatal deaths and birth defects.
What's even more outrageous is that DuPont has long known that PFOA is toxic, but still uses it secretly in order to reduce costs and evade regulation.
In the aftermath of the PFOA incident, countries around the world have enacted regulations that restrict or completely prohibit the use of PFOA. In Continental, it is also explicitly forbidden to use PFOA in the manufacture of non-stick pan coatings.
At present, the non-stick pans produced by regular manufacturers have long ceased to use PFOA as a processing aid in the production process.
So, can the non-stick pans sold on the market now really make people feel at ease to use? Are there any other potential health risks that we need to worry about?
A watershed moment between safety and safety
Although the issue of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been resolved, the safety of Teflon coatings still requires our high attention.
When the temperature exceeds 300°C, Teflon will begin to decompose, releasing harmful substances, and the decomposition products and their toxicity vary at different temperatures.
So how can we avoid the decomposition of the Teflon coating and ensure that it is safe to use during daily cooking?
CCTV's "Life Tips" program cooperated with the research team of Beijing University of Chemical Technology to conduct a series of rigorous experiments and provide us with scientific guidance.
The researchers removed a small amount of coating from the surface of the nonstick pan and then performed a heating analysis at different temperatures.
The experimental results show that Teflon begins to decompose at a temperature of more than 300 °C, and the higher the temperature, the faster the decomposition speed and the more harmful substances are released.
However, the temperature at which we cook daily is usually around 150°C, which is much lower than the temperature at which Teflon decomposes. Even with the high-temperature cooking method of stir-frying, the oil temperature rises to about 200°C and oil smoke emits out, but Teflon is still stable.
So under normal circumstances, the non-stick pan coating will not decompose harmful substances, and everyone can use the non-stick pan to make food with peace of mind.
And for people's concerns about the Teflon coating that has fallen off by mistake, there is generally no need to be too nervous. This material is stable and will not be broken down or absorbed by the body, but will be excreted as it is.
What is really important to note is that there are other problems that can arise after the coating has come off, and these are indirect potential risks.
For example, peeling off the coating can cause food to stick to the pan, making it harder to cook, or affecting the cooking results.
Once the non-stick pan loses its non-stick properties, the food is easy to stick and burn, which may produce harmful substances such as benzopyrene, which is not good for health in the long term.
Broken coating can also lead to uneven heating of the pan, which makes it easier to generate fumes. Oil fumes contain ingredients such as acrolein, which can irritate the respiratory tract and increase the risk of lung cancer for long-term exposure.
Therefore, once the non-stick pan has obvious wear or scratches, it is recommended to replace it in time for the health of you and your family.
How to use and maintain a nonstick pan
In order to better protect health and prolong the life of non-stick pans, we need to master the correct use methods and maintenance skills in addition to understanding their safety.
When stir-frying, try to choose a wooden or heat-resistant plastic spatula, which can effectively prevent scratching and non-stick coating, which will make your pot last longer.
To avoid drastic changes in the temperature of the pot, do not rinse the pot directly with cold water while it is still hot. When cleaning, use a soft sponge to wipe and do not use rough cleaning tools such as steel wool balls to avoid damaging the coating.
You should also be careful when storing it, it is best not to stack non-stick pans and other pots and pans directly on top of each other, you can put a rag or paper towel between the pans to prevent scratches.
An alternative to non-stick pans
Nonstick pans are convenient, but they're not the only option. Cast iron pans are also very good, they can become non-stick with the right method, and they are more reassuring to use for a long time.
However, the cast iron pan is very heavy, so it may not be convenient for people with little strength, and it is not suitable for cooking dishes that need to be stir-fried over high heat.
There are also ceramic pots, which have no chemical composition in the coating and are a little safer to use. However, the ceramic pot is more squeamish, so be careful when using it and don't scratch it.
There are also a variety of options on the market, such as stainless steel pots and maifan stone pots, and these pots and pans made of different materials have their own characteristics.
Consumers can choose the most suitable one for themselves based on their usual cooking habits and needs for pot functions. For example, stainless steel pots are durable and easy to clean, while maifan stone pots are known for their non-stick properties.
In fact, non-stick pans are not so scary, choose a guaranteed brand and pay attention to how to use it, you can try to ensure safety. At the same time, we also need to understand other options and know the characteristics of various pots in order to make a better choice.
So, which pot would you choose in your kitchen? It's about your healthy cooking life, so think about it.
Different pots and pans have their own advantages, so the most important thing is to choose the one that suits you and open up a delicious and healthy cooking experience.
Information source:
The Shanghai Municipal Consumer Protection Commission evaluated 20 non-stick pans, and 5 of them won the "five-star" comprehensive evaluation2025-04-08 16:57
China Women's Daily published on 2021-09-10 "Is Non-Stick Pan Really Toxic? 》
"CCTV reveals that non-stick pans are toxic and carcinogenic, and must not be used?" released by People's Account on 2022-09-08. 》
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