How to Clean a Non-Stick Frying Pan

For several decades now, the hearts of most housewives have been given to non-stick cookware. This cookware is best suited for frying, especially in the context of the modern fashion for healthy eating. The frying pan itself can be made of any material, but aluminum is most often used - it is a very light metal, which allows you to reduce the overall weight of the frying pan, reinforced with a non-stick coating.

This coating eliminates the main disadvantages of aluminum pans - a tendency to deformation, low resistance to scratches. Since the inner surface is completely covered with a special coating, such cookware lasts much longer with proper care.

What are the features of non-stick coating?

The non-stick coating makes the bottom and walls of the cookware thicker, which improves their heat exchange and allows you to spend less energy on cooking. In addition, when cooking, you can use a minimum of oil or fat, which allows you to preserve vitamins and nutrients in the products.

One of the leaders in the market of such cookware since 1956 is the company Tefal. One of the patented inventions is the famous Spot Point - a red circle in the center of the frying pan. It shows the optimal heating temperature of the frying pan, becoming a uniform bright red color.

What is important to know about non-stick coating

Non-stick coating is the application of a special coating to a frying pan, most often aluminum, that is resistant to temperature changes, is easy to wash and clean, and due to its structure protects products from burning and sticking to the bottom. The formulas for such coatings are constantly being improved and refined, depending on the identified shortcomings and problems.

Types of coating:

• Ceramic coating Ceralon is reliable, environmentally friendly and safe. However, it does not like sudden temperature changes. And try not to drop the dishes - chips and cracks may appear. In addition to these features, this is one of the best coating options, and quite economical.

• Teflon coating Teflon is the most common. It is polytetrafluoroethylene. It is very convenient, but does not like the use of metal objects - scratches appear, the quality deteriorates. There were rumors that it releases harmful substances when heated - but the studies conducted did not confirm this.

• Granite non-stick coating Granite is usually Teflon, supplemented with granite chips. This makes it more resistant to damage by metal objects, and therefore more durable.

• Marble coating – most often also Teflon with inclusion of marble chips. Makes the dishes visually more attractive, and the coating – more durable and safe.

• Whitford QuanTanium Titanium Coating – a multi-layer coating reinforced with titanium. The most durable and stable, suitable for use on all types of slabs.

How can a frying pan coating become dirty?

When the cookware is actively used, it cannot avoid contamination. Oil residues after frying, dough, drops of jam, etc. - every housewife is familiar with this list. Despite the fact that cooking in such a frying pan requires a minimum of fat or oil - it still needs to be cleaned after each use. And then every housewife faces the question - how to clean a frying pan with a non-stick coating?

How to Clean a Non-Stick Frying Pan at Home

It is very important to wash and clean the dishes in a timely manner. At home, this should be done immediately after cooking - of course, when the pan has cooled down - using a soft sponge and a liquid detergent that does not contain acid.

Specially developed gels and creams for such dishes are recommended: Domestos, Mister Muscle, etc. However, remember that, for example, Teflon coating does not tolerate abrasive materials and powder cleaning agents. Is it possible to clean such dishes without resorting to chemicals at home?

Folk remedies offer the following options:

• Laundry soap. This is the first aid when non-stick cookware gets dirty. To get a soap solution, grate regular laundry soap on a coarse grater. It is recommended to boil the soap solution in the cookware for about 20 minutes, depending on the dirtiness. Then rinse and wipe with a sponge.

• Baking soda or soda ash. For small stains, just sprinkle soda on the stain and rub lightly with a damp sponge. If the stains are more serious, pour in some water, add 3 tablespoons of soda and boil for 10-20 minutes. Then rinse with a sponge under running water.

• Soda and dishwashing liquid. Pour a few spoons of soda into the dish, pour in a few drops of dishwashing liquid – and put on the fire. Let it boil for 10 – 20 minutes. Then wipe with the hard side of the sponge. In this method, you can use both calcined soda and baking soda.

• Baking soda and silicate glue. Please note that the glue must be silicate, PVA will not work. Fill a large saucepan with water, add half a pack of soda and a tube of glue. Immerse the dirty dishes. Put on the fire, bring to a boil and boil for 15-25 minutes depending on the degree of contamination.

• Activated carbon. It should be crushed to a powder, poured into a bowl, left for 30-40 minutes, then filled with cold water. Leave for 15-20 minutes, rinse under running water.

Of course, there are other ideas – vinegar, citric acid, whey. In this case, it is difficult to recommend them, since the active ingredient here is acid, albeit natural. You need to pay attention to the instructions for each frying pan, whether contact of the coating with acid is permissible or not. Do not forget, before you start using even a frying pan – it is better to immediately read the instructions. This will significantly extend the service life of any product. Of course, if these instructions are not only read, but also followed.

How to clean the outside of a burnt frying pan

So, we need to solve a more difficult problem – how to clean a frying pan with a non-stick coating inside and out. Removing dirt from the outside can be much more difficult. One of the effective methods is using soda and vinegar. Rub – from the outside! – the frying pan with soda and pour plenty of vinegar. After the hissing stops, rinse with a sponge under running water.

You can also try cleaning it mechanically using a hard brush attached to a drill.

Please note! During such cleaning, small pieces of dried scale may fly off, be sure to carry out such work in protective glasses. And do not forget that this method is categorically unacceptable for internal cleaning - the dirt will come off along with the coating.

But the heating method is absolutely not suitable; frying pans with a non-stick coating cannot be heated empty, this leads to deformation of both the frying pan and the coating.

You can also use grounds from natural coffee as a scrub to clean small stains from the outside of the frying pan. It cleans perfectly - but only from the outside, remember its abrasive properties and do not use it to clean the coating.

How to clean a frying pan from old carbon deposits and grease

How to clean a Tefal frying pan from carbon deposits or from fat with another non-stick coating is a more difficult task. Most often, at home, it is solved in this way - grated laundry soap, soda ash and silicate glue are combined in a large saucepan. The contaminated dishes are lowered, placed on the fire, and brought to a boil. How long to boil is determined by the degree of contamination. Even 30-40 minutes are allowed. More is usually not required. After this procedure, the dishes should be taken out and washed with a sponge under a strong stream of water.

One of the popular methods is a mixture of ammonia and boric acid. But here you should consider, firstly, the type of coating - not all of them tolerate acid, and secondly - the duration of exposure. Even for the strongest Teflon, prolonged contact with acid is not recommended.

You can try to clean old stains with toothpaste. It should be applied to the surface, spread with a soft brush, held for about half an hour - and washed off under running water with a soft sponge.

What products are not recommended for cleaning cookware with a non-stick coating

Cleaning powders and metal scrapers should be excluded from the arsenal for caring for such cookware. And please note - popular strong chemical compounds can also cause irreparable damage to your favorite Tefal frying pan. Therefore, put aside powerful household chemicals such as Amway oven cleaner, Shumanit or "Sparkling cauldron", they are not for your favorite cookware with a non-stick coating.

Recommendations for the care of dishes

Any cookware should be washed after it has cooled down, do not expose the non-stick coating to sudden temperature changes. If you immerse a frying pan in cold water, just removed from the stove, it may become deformed, the coating may crack and further use of such cookware will no longer be safe and effective.

Before soaking and boiling, it is better to unscrew or remove the removable handle, or simply do not immerse it in water. Do not forget that handles are often made of a different material and have different care requirements.

Rules of use and preventive measures

No matter how careful the housewife is, no one can protect the frying pan from scale and dirt. So do not punish yourself when you see a dirty frying pan, it is better to listen to simple recommendations.

Important! Never preheat an empty pan before using it. This method works well for old cast iron pans, but will ruin your new Teflon pan.

It is not recommended to heat non-stick cookware to temperatures above 250 degrees, as the structure of the coating and its integrity begin to deteriorate. Such use significantly worsens the properties of the frying pan.

Metal objects, especially knives, can leave cracks, microcracks, and cuts, which undoubtedly worsens the quality of the dishes.

At home, such dishes can usually be washed in dishwashers, but in any case, carefully read the instructions, just like with dishwasher detergents.

It is recommended to wash the dishes immediately after use, not allowing fat and oil residue to dry. This way you will keep your favorite non-stick frying pan in working condition longer.

VIDEO: How to clean a non-stick frying pan.