A Sticky Question - Are Non-Stick Pans Safe?
The cookware world took a giant leap forward in the middle of the last century with the advent of non-stick cookware. This incredible fusion of science and gastronomy made cooking, and washing up, immeasurably easier than ever before. However, it wasn’t long before people started to wonder whether all that convenience came at a high cost. As health concerns surrounding non-stick coatings began to accumulate, people began asking whether their beloved non-stick pots and pans were, in fact, safe to use.
Walk the cookware aisle of any department store these days, and you’ll discover a mind-boggling array of products claiming to be non-stick and/or non-toxic. It can be incredibly confusing to sift through the marketing speak and understand whether the handy tools you’re buying to cook your food are risking your health and that of your family.
In this blog, we’re going to get to the bottom of this culinary conundrum and help you make informed choices. But first, let’s take a brief history lesson:
The History of Non-Stick Cookware
The oldest known cookware appears to have originated in China and Japan a staggering 20,000 years ago1. Fast forward 19 millennia to a lab in Deepwater, New Jersey, where an unsuspecting scientist trying to invent a new refrigerant gas made a booboo and ended up with a lump of slippery, waxy goo that absolutely nothing would stick to. The world would soon know it as PTFE, or Teflon to its friends. It would be another few years until an enterprising Frenchman came up with the idea of bonding this goop to a frying pan, and sacre bleu, the first truly non-stick piece of cookware was born.
The new kitchen marvel took the world by storm. Teflon’s extraordinary properties offered an ease of use and exceptional performance that our Paleolithic East Asian friends would never have dared to dream of.
Eggs continued to slide right off frying pans, crepes gloriously flipped, and what would previously have been stubbornly baked-on gunk washed effortlessly off the surface of stock pots for the next couple of decades. Non-stick cookware had become an indispensable presence in virtually every kitchen, saving home chefs hours of time and gallons of elbow grease with little or no downside.
That is, until the 90s, when the sheen started to come off.
Teflon Health Concerns Emerge
The company that licensed PTFE had assured the world for over 30 years that the material was completely safe and non-toxic. However, when a farmer located right by the factory that manufactured the stuff found that his cows were prematurely toddling off to the great dairy barn in the sky, the pendulum began to turn2.
What started as a small but noisy campaign orchestrated by a lone West Virginian farmer evolved into one of the US’s largest-ever class action suits, involving over 3,500 plaintiffs and culminating in an eye-watering US$671 million settlement, plus over US$16.5 million in fines. It turned out that the company manufacturing this wonder material had been aware of the potential health effects since the 1960s and had gone to incredible lengths to cover it up3.
Meanwhile, the world’s insatiable appetite for PTFE expanded unabated as it made its way into countless products, from ski jackets to takeaway food containers.
The material whose name had become synonymous with someone off whom any amount of criticism simply slides right off, finally found that the one thing that did stick to it - was mud.
Why is Teflon Toxic?
Teflon is the trade name for Polytetrafluoroethylene, which is thankfully more commonly known as PTFE. PTFE itself is relatively stable. However, when it starts to break down, it releases one of its component chemicals, a particularly nasty piece of work known as PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid).
PFOA is part of a now vast family of chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Not only are PFAS chemicals highly toxic, but they are also astonishingly stable, meaning they linger in the environment for hundreds, if not thousands, of years - earning them the nickname “Forever Chemicals”. While the world delighted in blissful ignorance over mess-free pancake flipping, PFOA and other chemicals were accumulating in the earth and air, and even contaminating drinking water.
PFAS & PFOA Bans
Thankfully, that West Virginian cow herd’s ultimate sacrifice was not in vain. Now that the world was alerted to the risks, governments around the world began phasing out the use of PFOA and other PFAS cousins. We may be somewhat late to the party, but Australia’s PFAS chemical ban came into effect on July 1st of this year.
There’s just one not-so-tiny problem. Quicker than governments can enact legislation, scientists in white coats are developing new and improved PFAS chemicals that allow them to circumvent the regulations. PFOA and a handful of its partners-in-crime may be off the menu, but the world’s appetite for the wonderfully beneficial properties of PFAS chemicals has not. Just like tax loopholes, if the demand is there, someone with an IQ larger than yours and mine will find an ingenious way around any rules.
PFAS Chemicals & Cookware
So, what exactly are the properties that make PFAS chemicals so sought-after? The characteristic slipperiness makes them exceptionally resistant to water, oil and heat. You don’t need a PhD in molecular chemistry to understand why they are so ideally suited to coating your favourite pots and pans. All foods contain water and oil, which they release when heated to high temperatures.
The slippery surface of PFAS-based non-stick cookware repels these liquids, preventing the food from sticking. Ironically, this interaction means that cooks could use much less oil or fat when preparing their meals, leading many cookware companies to tout their PFAS-laden wares as a healthier option.
Most non-stick cookware coatings are complicated feats of engineering that combine multiple materials. When exposed to high temperatures above 260 °C, these amalgams release PFAS-laden gases into the air. From there, they find their way into our lungs and onto surfaces. In the short term, this caused episodic cases of flu-like symptoms, which came to be known as “Teflon Flu”4. Household pets aren’t safe either, as there is evidence of budgies and other pet birds suddenly dropping off their perches in sudden demise while their owners were obliviously frying or sautéing away merrily5.
This problem is exacerbated when the non-stick surface is scratched or nicked in any way. This exposes the PFAS-rich tinder layers, allowing them to more easily leach into the air when heated.
If you’re wondering why people weren’t dropping like flies, it’s because 260 °C is, in fact, hotter than most pots and pans get during the cooking process. However, even seasoned cooks may occasionally leave a pan on preheat with no oil or get distracted and let their food burn. Such cases can easily meet the temperature threshold.
In Search of Non-Toxic, Non-Stick Cookware
That all sounds pretty pessimistic. It seems like there’s no hope for non-stick, and we all need to head back to stainless steel or cast iron, right? Thankfully, the non-stick cookware journey does not end there. Even the most cursory Google search is sufficient to show that the market remains awash with cookware offering that sought-after, easy glide experience.
So, without further ado, let’s look at the modern non-stick, and hopefully non-toxic cookware landscape and see if we can make sense of this paradox.
1. Non-Stick, Non-Toxic Ceramic Cookware
Enter non-stick ceramic. The answer to every frustrated, health-conscious chef’s prayers. Ceramic coatings are mineral-based and therefore boast similar non-stick properties to Teflon, but without the unmentionables.
At the forefront of this field is GreenPan’s ThermolonTM non-stick ceramic coating. We’re one of the precious few cookware brands that manufacture our non-stick coating ourselves. This gives us complete control over the supply chain and production process. That means when we say our cookware is non-toxic and PFAS-free, it’s like money in the bank.
While producing the finest-quality, healthy cookware is our driving mission, we’re also passionate about creating products that are beautiful and functional. Whether it’s our stunning range of non-toxic, non-stick cookware collections that have a look to suit every kitchen, or our state-of-the-art, PFAS-free cooking appliances, every product is coated with ThermolonTM and guaranteed to be free from PFAS and other harmful chemicals.
2. Enamelled Cast Iron
Many people swear by cast-iron cookware. Others, however, balk at the weight, the need for maintenance and the less forgiving surface. Regular cast-iron can develop non-stick properties over time, as the oil used in cooking polymerises and coats the surface. This is why cast-iron needs to be “seasoned”. However, the effect is less than perfect, and you still need to exercise extreme care, or find yourself scrubbing like your life depends on it.
Enamelled cast iron features a glassy enamel coating that eliminates the need for seasoning and also prevents the surface from rusting. The jury is still very much out on how well these coatings perform over time. Additionally, you’re still left with the extreme weight to deal with. However, it is fair to say that they comfortably address the toxicity question.
3. Stainless Steel
A favourite of cooking purists, many stainless steel brands claim to be non-stick. However, you’re likely to quickly discover that fulfilling this promise requires a level of skill and attention to detail that few people in our busy world have.
Stainless steel is beautiful, performs well and is most certainly non-toxic. If you’re looking for a truly non-stick cookware option, this may not be the ideal choice.
Unless, of course, someone was able to invent a range of stainless steel cookware that not only had the gorgeous, minimalist look and exceptional performance, but also included a genuine nonstick surface…
Oh, ye of little faith! You didn’t really think we’d let you down, did you? If you’re a Stainless devotee who wants the best of both worlds, we’ve delivered precisely that with our brilliantly innovative range of non-stick stainless steel cookware. Elegant, durable and completely non-toxic, if you’ll excuse the pun, they completely steel the show!
Conclusion: It’s Not As Hard As You Thought
For many, cooking is one of life’s greatest joys. With so much confusion and uncertainty surrounding what is truly non-toxic and what is merely smoke and mirrors, it can be frustrating to figure out how to navigate the quest for the performance you need while ensuring you keep yourself, your family, and the planet safe and healthy.
Fortunately, with GreenPan’s exquisite range of PFAS and toxin-free, non-stick ceramic cookware, the choice is simple. Browse our range today, and we know you’ll find something that’s perfect for you.
Note:
1. NPR, April 10, 2013: Earliest Cookware Was Used To Make Fish Soup
2. Chicago Tribune, July 11, 2022: Persistent farmer whose cows died from a mysterious disease helped unravel the origin of toxic chemicals
3. George Washington University, January 30, 2023: The Corrupt Past of PFAS and Corporate Greed
4. ABC News, July 27, 2024: What to know about 'Teflon flu' amid a rise in cases in the US
5. VCA Animal Hospitals, 2024: VCA Animal Hospitals, 2024:
