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There are few things in the kitchen that make cooking easier than a nonstick pan. Eggs cook seamlessly without sticking to the pan, grilled cheese browns so nicely, and pancakes are a snap. But unfortunately, amazing nonstick pans don\u2019t stay perfect forever and sometimes get scratched. It\u2019s not clear how safe this nonstick cookware is\u2014particularly once it gets a scratch or chip.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
Is it safe to keep using nonstick pans once they\u2019ve been scratched? Here\u2019s what the experts say.\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The chemicals used to create the nonstick coating on pans are often PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are known as \u201cforever chemicals\u201d because they take so long to break down. One common PFAS is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) which is found in the popular brand name Teflon. To add to the alphabet, some of the more commonly studied PFAS are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS).\n<\/p>\n In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began working with eight major companies to stop using PFOA by 2015 because of concerns about the chemical\u2019s long-term impacts on human health and the environment.\n<\/p>\n You may see pans that claim to be free of PFOA or PFOS\u2014two chemicals frequently used in the past\u2014but that doesn\u2019t mean they are guaranteed to be safe, says Katie Pelch, a scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the national environmental advocacy group. \u201cIf looking to purchase a new pan, also avoid PTFE or anything that includes \u2018fluoro\u2019 in the name, as these likely contain PFAS.\u201d\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFor a long time, it was believed that cooking with nonstick pans coated with \u2018forever chemicals\u2019 presented little risk to people; however, studies have shown for years that heating empty nonstick pans can release gasses and particles that are toxic to pet birds\u2014literal\u00a0 \u2018canaries in the kitchen,\u2019\u201d says Pelch. Scientists have found that these chemicals may be linked to various health issues including liver issues, high blood pressure, and some cancers in humans.\n<\/p>\n The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and EPA say exposure to PFAS at certain levels may be harmful to human health, but the effects of low levels of the chemicals are still unknown. Nonstick coating made without PFOAs presents no proven risks to humans, according to the American Cancer Society, other than the chance of flu-like symptoms when breathing in fumes from heated cookware. That\u2019s why nonstick pans sometimes say they shouldn\u2019t be heated past 500\u00b0F.\n<\/p>\n When a nonstick pan made with PFAS is scratched or chipped, small particles can flake off into the food you are making. A 2022 study found that scratched pans coated with these chemicals release thousands to millions of microplastics and nanoplastics.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n You should avoid using any scratched or dented nonstick pan to avoid exposure to potentially toxic chemicals. \u201cIt can be very difficult for consumers to understand which pans have \u2018forever chemical\u2019 coatings,\u201d says Pelch.\n<\/p>\n It is safest to replace any nonstick cookware when the coating is damaged, particularly if it was made before 2015, says Whitney Linsenmeyer, PhD, RD, LD, an assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. \u201cIf your food starts to stick to the pan, this is also a sign that the surface is wearing down, and it is time for a replacement.\u201d\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To protect nonstick cookware and to extend its life, Linsenmeyer suggests:\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Other safer nonstick surfaces don\u2019t use the same toxic chemicals, like nonstick ceramic-coated pans that don\u2019t have PFAS chemicals. Pelch suggests cast iron, stainless steel, and carbon steel. \u201cI cook eggs most mornings in a cast iron skillet. And, as long as I pre-heat it properly, I have very few issues with eggs sticking. Even my 10-year-old is capable of cooking eggs in our cast iron!\u201d\n<\/p>\n You have to approach cooking differently than you do with nonstick pans. \u201cNonstick pans have a chemical coating that seals the pores of the metal of the pan so that the food cannot bind. That\u2019s why you can put eggs in a nonstick pan before it\u2019s hot and it won\u2019t stick,\u201d Pelch explains.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n With cast iron or steel, the key is to preheat the pan thoroughly. \u201cPreheating the pan makes the molecules of steel or iron heat up and essentially seals the surface so that food can’t stick,\u201d says Pelch. \u201cIf the pan isn’t heated enough, the molecules are sluggish and atomic-sized pores allow food molecules to bind.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Linsenmeyer, however, keeps nonstick pans in her kitchen and uses them regularly. \u201cBut I don’t expect them to last forever in the way that my cast iron pans will last if treated well,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen my nonstick pans get scratched, I replace them with a new set. They are a staple in my cookware that I can’t live without!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n #Safe #Scratched #Nonstick #Pans #Heres #Experts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Key Takeaways Scratches or nicks in nonstick pans can release microplastics and potentially harmful chemicals into your food. Heating nonstick pans above 500\u00b0F can degrade the coating, emitting toxic fumes that can be harmful. If a nonstick pan shows signs of scratching, chipping, or food sticking, it’s time to replace it to ensure safety and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[53,619,617,618,193,616],"class_list":["post-679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dinner","tag-experts","tag-heres","tag-nonstick","tag-pans","tag-safe","tag-scratched"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} What You Should Know About Nonstick Pans <\/span> <\/h2>\n
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n 2 Potential Risks of Cooking With Nonstick Pans <\/span> <\/h2>\n
1. Overheating Nonstick Pans <\/span> <\/h3>\n
2. Scratched Nonstick Pans <\/span> <\/h3>\n
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n How To Protect Your Nonstick Pans <\/span> <\/h2>\n
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Other Safer Cooking Options <\/span> <\/h2>\n