How to Restore Non-Stick Frying Pan Surface?

• 

  garetz on 08/11/2020 - 03:54

  +24

  Once the non stick coating is compromised you need to get a new pan, there is no way to restore it.

  If you had a stainless steel pan you could just reseason it from scratch, but once a pans non stick coating is compromised then the non stick component actually gets infused in your food. Replace it.

  • 

    peteru on 08/11/2020 - 23:24

    The pan is seasoned, just like my cast iron and steel pans. I want to remove the seasoning to again expose the underlying surface, but I want to do that chemically, not mechanically.

    • 

      brad1-8tsi on 09/11/2020 - 16:09

      It's gone beyond seasoned.

      Try boiling 50% vinegar/water solution or some bicarb soda. You might get lucky

• 

  dust on 08/11/2020 - 08:33

  +1

  Yeah replace it. The non stick part of the pan is carcinogenic if it comes off in your food.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 08/11/2020 - 08:41

    ^^ This, once that non stick fails, you turf the pan, especially since the wife has been abusing it.
    The thin coating isn't meant to last, if it did you would not be paying so little for these pans and getting free steak knives with them.

  • 

    this is us on 08/11/2020 - 09:23

    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-nonstick-pans…

    Evidence?

  • 

    peteru on 08/11/2020 - 23:22

    It's not coming off. There is a layer of polymerised oil stuck on top.

• 

  87percent on 08/11/2020 - 08:39

  +1

  On a side note, was reading the cleaning instructions of my pan It says to clean you should add vinegar, water, and dish washing liquid and bring to boil and then let it cool

  • 

    peteru on 08/11/2020 - 23:25

    Thanks, I'll try that and see how well it works.

• 

  Hugh G Rection on 08/11/2020 - 09:19

  Nothing, that’s a cheap pan anyways, buy another one. I love my calphalon which is a anodized. Don’t buy non stick surface, it’s bad for your health anyways. I only buy calphalon now. I have a lodge cast iron for steaks, and have stainless pots for soups and other liquid style cooking.

  • 

    peteru on 08/11/2020 - 23:44

    that’s a cheap pan anyways

    No, this isn't a cheap supermarket pan. This pan has a RRP of $140 and from what I can see it's in the same class as your calphalon. Lifetime guarantee and hard finish that is PFOA free. I am glad you are happy with your selection of cookware. I am happy with mine - or rather was, until it was mistreated by someone else.

    However, I didn't ask for advice on what my next pan should be. I already have a good selection of stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron and enamel cookware. Each has it's place and is best for different things. Just as the non-stick pan.

    The advice I am asking for is how to remove the seasoning from a pan chemically, rather than mechanically.

    I have a lodge cast iron for steaks

    IMHO steak belongs on a charcoal BBQ / smoker. Cast iron grate is best, but, with enough skill, thick stainless steel grate works too.

    • 

      Hugh G Rection on 09/11/2020 - 07:39

      -1

      lol, same class as my calphalon. rrp means nothing, don't be a sucker for rrp. I saw a baccarat set that had an rrp of $700 selling for $150. It's always on sale. high rrp gives you an impression of high quality at a high price, but that's not what they realistically sell for. a good pan can handle low and high heat like my calphalon. think about what you said, its only good at low heat. that is like saying your holden is fast as a Ferrari as long as you keep it at 5km/h, ROFLMAO

      I cook on the grill in the summer, but you were talking about pans. when it's raining or snowing, I cook indoors on a cast iron lodge, which still outperforms your rip off priced baccarat, lol.

      all I know is that my pan I had forever and it works no matter what I do to it, low and slow, high and fast or even forgotten. lol.

      you had it for a while, just get a new one, it has served you well. may I suggest a calphalon, its wife destruction proof :)

      • 

        peteru on 09/11/2020 - 12:06

        It's not the price that puts the two pans in the same class. It's the manufacturing process. Both brands are anodised aluminium with a hardened non-stick surface. Based on the publicly available information on both brands, they are very, very similar. The Baccarat has the advantage of having a sandwiched base that makes it suitable for induction cooking. Caphalon has metal handle which makes it suitable for in-oven use. But, I'm not here to argue about what brand to buy. I am taking your recommendation on board and when it comes to choosing the next pan, I'll consider calphalon. This being OzBargain, do you have any recommendations as to where to buy and what's a good price?

        Let me also be clear that the pan or the surface itself have not failed in any way. I've seen the way cheap teflon coated pans fail and the coating starts flaking off. This pan has none of that. All that is wrong is a layer of polymerised oil (burnt on fat) that I can't clean off. The pan can handle high heat. I said that my preferred cooking style does not usually involve high heat on the stove top, not that it can't be done.

        Bottom line is, I'm asking for advice on cleaning. So far you have not contributed to that. All you managed to do is brag that your pan is better than mine.

• 

  this is us on 08/11/2020 - 09:21

  +1

  It's not clear for me if the non stick surface has been compromised, or if it is covered by a layer of burnt oil/residues.

  You could try:
  Heat white vinagre (or a mix of white vinagre and water 3:1 proportion) in the pan, leave it boiling for about 5 minutes… Remove from the fire, keeping the mixture inside the pan. Once it's possible (warm but not too hot), use a normal non scratch kitchen sponge (you have to use the hardest side, but it has to be non scratch). If you have a hard plastic spatula, you can try to use that to help. It's easier if it is very hot, so if you manage to brush the pan while still hot (using gloves or a long holder for the sponge), that's likely more effective.

  You can try the same process, keeping the pan warm, but using sodium bicarbonate and just enough vinagre create a paste, and rub using the same sponge.

  I've saved a stainless steel pan following these steps. If that doesn't work, you might have to replace the pan.

  Finally, if this is recurrent rather than a rare event, you should ask your wife to learn the basic concepts or just stay away from the pans…

  • 

    peteru on 08/11/2020 - 23:21

    It's not clear for me if the non stick surface has been compromised, or if it is covered by a layer of burnt oil/residues.

    The surface is not compromised. It is not peeling, flaking, bubbling or showing any other signs of failure. This is not a cheap pan with a thin teflon coating. It is a hard anodised surface with lifetime / 25 year guarantee.

    The problem is a layer of polymerised oils. The pan has effectively been seasoned to the same degree as a well used carbon steel or cast iron pan. If I wanted to remove the seasoning from a steel or iron pan, I'd just scrub it off with steel wool. I can't do that with this pan because such harsh abrasive action will take off the coating and damage the aluminium. Instead I am looking for a chemical means to remove the seasoning from the pan. I'd like the process to use chemicals that are safe for food preparation utensils and not run a risk of damaging the aluminium.

    You could try … white vinagre (vinegar)

    I gave white vinegar a shot with a 3 hour soak and also at around the 90°C mark (just below boiling point) for about 5 minutes. Neither of these removed the polymerised oil. The result seems to be a more slick surface, with a few bumps here and there. I think where the seasoning is very thin at the edges, it may have receded a tiny bit, but not enough to make a significant difference.

    you should ask your wife to learn the basic concepts or just stay away from the pans…

    We did have a talk about proper use, but it was not appreciated. ;-) As far as SWMBO is concerned, the solution is to buy a new $100 non-stick frypan once a year, when "the old one is not working as well anymore". That does not work well for me for many, many reasons

    I'm comfortable with the pan as it is and can work with the seasoning, but there are some things that are easier to cook with properly working non-stick coating. Gyoza being one example.

    • 

      this is us on 09/11/2020 - 10:16

      Vinagre <> Vinegar: Autocorrect and word suggestions in four different languages is a problem sometimes… :)

      The vinegar + sodium bicarbonate combo solves 99% of the problems in the world… I give up… :(

• 

  Neoika on 08/11/2020 - 09:24

  Peal the whole non stick layer off and it'll be a new iron/steel pan.

  • 

    mapax on 08/11/2020 - 09:37

    The Baccarat Granite pans are cast aluminium with a hardened non-stick coating

• 

  ShannonN on 08/11/2020 - 09:32

  +1

  how does the wife get distracted? an i-device, TV social networking LOL replace wife then get a new pan :)

  • 

    peteru on 08/11/2020 - 23:49

    +1

    how does the wife get distracted?

    No idea - probably F-Book or trying to prepare for next work Zoom session while trying to quickly get some lunch.

    LOL replace wife then get a new pan :)

    Kids would notice and probably complain.

    It may be simpler to start cooking lunches for her. ;-)

• 

  oO0Dam0Oo on 08/11/2020 - 10:14

  Throw it out. Try a seasoned black carbon steel fry pan. If you look after them they are far superior and last a lifetime.

  • 

    peteru on 08/11/2020 - 23:56

    I have a good selection of cast iron, carbon steel and stainless steel pans and am comfortable using those. Heck, I can get by with the seasoned "non-stick pan" just by using the correct technique.

    However, my goal here is to remove the seasoning from this particular pan so that SWMBO can use it again. Besides the extra layer of polymerised oil (seasoning) stuck to the non-stick surface, there is nothing wrong with the pan.