Why Do Ceramic Pans Lose Their Non-stick Properties?
Hardly can anything maintain the same durability ten years after you bought it and put it to use.
This, however, is not to say that there are no ways to ensure that we slow down there wearing down processes. With proper use, you can always elongate the lifespan of your products.
Today, we consider one of the mind-troubling questions; why does a ceramic pan lose its non-stick properties? We also explain in detail how to properly take care of your pans. With some extra juice on ceramic pans, we are sure you would enjoy every bit of the time you spend on this post.
Why Does A Ceramic Pan Lose Its Non-stick Coating?
We believe you have handled or seen a ceramic pan before. So, you are not new to the non-stick coating of the pan. However, if you have not seen a ceramic pan before, let us quickly explain what a nonstick coating is.
When people refer to cookware as having a non-stick coating, they mean the cookware has a tiny Teflon coating that prevents food from sticking to the pan.
It is often seen as smooth and black in the interior of the pan. Ceramic pans are not the only brand of pans with nonstick coatings; there are other brands. But our concern today is on ceramic brands. So, let’s get back to discussing why a ceramic pan loses its non-stick coating.
One thing you should know is that losing your pan’s nonstick coating is a function of how well you have used it. The thing is, if you have not used it the proper way, you will lose the non-stick coating faster. This, however, is not to say you can’t lose it if you correctly use it. The point is that there is a wide gap between those who use it properly and those who do not.
So, the question should be; how have I not been using it correctly?
1. Subjecting It to High Heat
If you have the habit of always using your ceramic pans under high temperatures, you contribute to your pan’s damage. The truth is, ceramic pans with nonstick coatings don’t have a high heat-resistant level.
Of course, the ceramic pan has no problem with the high temperature. But the nonstick coating does. And since you can’t separate them, the more you expose the pan to heat, the weaker the nonstick coating gets.
You might not notice this for a start, but as time goes on, you begin to. It would start wearing out, and foods would start sticking on the pan. When this happens, you should know it is the result of high heat exposure.
2. Using Sharp and Hard Kitchen Utensils
The kitchen utensils you use are also a pointer that you are not using the ceramic pan properly. It would help if you understood that kitchen utensils like a knife or other metallic items are not for nonstick coatings.
This is because they can easily scratch the surface of the ceramic pan. When this happens, foods will begin to stick to the surface of the ceramic pan. And this marks the beginning of the end of the ceramic pan.
3. Putting the Ceramic Pan in The Dishwasher
Many of us find dish-washing our ceramic pans easy, so we rarely care about what happens to the non-stick coating. If you don’t know, the dishwasher is not a good place to put your ceramic pans.
One thing is that other kitchen utensils may glide through and scratch the surface while washing. The force of the hot water from the dishwasher could also damage the nonstick coating.
If these have been the way you have been using your ceramic pans, then we can say the pan will soon lose its nonstick coating.
Knowing the reasons ceramic pans are losing their non-stick coating is no longer enough. To ensure your ceramic pans are not losing their non-stick pan without fully serving their time, you need to do more.
And the more here is knowing how to care for your nonstick pans properly.
How to Utilize A Non-stick Ceramic Pan Properly?
This signifies going a step further than merely identifying the problems. Without a doubt, you can make your ceramic pans serve their time full time if you use them properly. Like we said earlier, the difference is with how you utilize them, and not with the non-stick coating.
So, how do you make proper use of your ceramic pans to preserve the nonstick coatings?
1. Always Wash Your Pans Before Use
Let’s cut straight to it; you need to wash your pans before using them for anything. This is essential as it will help you get rid of dirt and lurking germs. All you need to give your ceramic pan a proper cleaning are; water, soap, and, of course, a non-abrasive sponge.
Make a foam from the soap and water in the ceramic pan and gently use the non-abrasive sponge to scrub the pan. Do this for about sixty seconds and rinse with warm water.
With this, you have given your ceramic pan a proper cleaning. And it is ready to use.
2. Always Avoid Using Sharp and Strong Kitchen Utensils with Your Nonstick Ceramic Pan
As we pointed out earlier, always utilizing sharp utensils like knives or kitchen forks can damage your pan. By all means, avoid using strong and sharp utensils to turn or check your food while cooking. The sharp utensils could scratch the surface of the non-stick ceramic pans. And that is where the problem would begin from. The scratch could expand, food could also begin to stick to the scratched surface. This can cause food to burn quickly.
If you are wondering what the alternatives to these utensils are, we have got them for you. As a replacement, you can use plastic utensils. Silicone and wooden utensils are also an excellent replacement for the metallic kitchen utensils.
3. Don’t Forget Always to Oil Your Ceramic Nonstick Pan
Adding a few drops of oil to the non-stick pan can be the magic you need to make your pan last longer. However, don’t confuse regular cooking oil with oil sprays. While cooking oil will do the magic for you, oil sprays would only leave a sticky residue behind. This sticky residue can even cause food to burn and damage your nonstick ceramic pan.
So, stay clear of the oil spray if you don’t want more problems than you bargained for. On the other hand, you can rub regular cooking oil on your non-stick ceramic pan. Some people have concerns about their food getting too much grease from this method. If you are one of them, this should not be a problem. You can replace oil with margarine or butter.
4. Avoid Heating Your Food on Very High Temperature
Indeed, non-stick coatings do not have a high heat-resistant power to withstand temperatures beyond moderate heat. So, subjecting your ceramic nonstick pan to high heat will not help the condition of the pan.
You need to maintain a low or mid-level heat temperature throughout the cooking. As a plus, when using ceramic pans, you don’t need high heat. Ceramic pans can evenly circulate heat to the content of the pan. This would even make your food turn out well.
So, instead of utilizing high heat and damaging your non-stick coating, why not stick with the low or mid-level heat? This way, you would enjoy the best of your ceramic pans.
5. Avoid Storing Foods in Your Ceramic Nonstick Pan
The first thing you need to understand is that your ceramic pan is not a storage facility. You should only use it for cooking your meal, dishing the food out, and wash it. Converting it to a store for cooked or uncooked foods would not make it the nonstick coating last long.
Besides, some of the foods you store there may contain acids, which can affect the nonstick coating’s durability.
6. Avoid Subjecting Your Ceramic Nonstick Pans to Drastic Changes in Temperature
One thing about the ceramic nonstick pan is that it hates a sudden temperature change. Hence, if your ceramic pans have been on the burner for some time, you should avoid putting them in water immediately. This can make it crack or break. It can even damage the non-stick coating.
You are to observe the same caution after washing it. It would be best if you don’t turn the heat on it immediately. In all situations, always allow the ceramic non-stick pan to be at room temperature level before changing its temperature.
The other ways you can adequately take care of your ceramic non-stick pans are by storing them properly and not dropping the pans.
7. Store Your Non-stick Pans Safely
It is always advisable to place your non-stick pans at a distance from each other so that the coating remains safe and they do not get scratched. This will ensure that your pans remain in use for a longer period.
How to Clean Your Ceramic Non-stick Pan?
As a rule, you need to learn how to properly clean your nonstick ceramic pan if you want the nonstick coating to last longer.
There are many ways to do this, but we have explained the proper and stress-free ways for you below.
1. Always Wash the Ceramic Non-stick Pans Yourself
What we mean is that you should avoid putting them in the dishwasher. It will help you a lot if you washed them utilizing your hand. All you need are dish soap, a non-abrasive sponge, and water.
Washing your ceramic non-stick pans yourself would prevent it from scratches or any other damages from the dishwasher.
As a rule, please avoid washing your ceramic pan when it is still hot. This is to avoid cracks or the possibility of breaking due to sudden temperature change.
When you burn your foods and remove the burnt part, you can soak the pan for some time. Sixty minutes should be enough to absorb it. After this, you can then wash it with the non-abrasive sponge. Ensure that you scrub gently to avoid scratches.
After washing and rinsing the ceramic pan, you should allow it to dry for about some minutes before storing it. You can also use a paper towel to wipe off the excess water before storing it.
2. Deep Clean Your Non-stick Ceramic Pans
You don’t have to abandon your non-stick ceramic pan because there are some stubborn stains around it. You can always deep-clean to get the best result. The exciting thing about deep cleaning your pan is that you don’t need to spend to do it. Everything you need is sitting right there in your home.
With baking soda and water, you can deep clean it. You need to make a smooth mixture of the baking soda and water and apply it to the stain. Allow this to stay on the stain for about half an hour.
After this, you can wash it off and give it a regular cleaning. If there are still traces of stains, you can repeat this process.
3. You Should Season the Non-stick Ceramic Pans
Although you can use the ceramic non-stick pan without seasoning, it’s always better to check all boxes. Hence, we advise that you season the pan. This is not a difficult thing to do.
Put a few drops of oil in the pan and use your paper towel to spread it around the pot’s interior. After this, you can put it inside the oven for forty minutes. The temperature should be between 300 and 400 degrees.
When the time is up, allow the pan to cool before bringing it out. You can leave it for sixty minutes. Then you can wipe the excess oil with a paper towel.
With that, you have seasoned your pan.
4. Follow the Manufacturer’s Instructions Carefully
Each set of pan and cookware comes with their own set of instructions from the manufacturer. Before you set to clean these pans, be sure to read the instructions manual. That will help you to know how to clean, use store the pan when you are done with it. This will ensure your pan’s longevity.
Benefits of Getting A Ceramic Cookware Pan
Many benefits are accruing to you if you use ceramic nonstick pans. We have highlighted some of them below;
- Cleaning them is easy and fast
- They don’t release harmful fumes or toxins. Hence, they are healthy to use.
- Due to their coating, they don’t react to acidic foods. This ensures the safety of your foods.
- They are pocket friendly.
- They come in various colors
Conclusion
As you would have discovered, ceramic nonstick pans are great for use. But you need to take proper care of them to ensure they last very long.
