Table of Contents
There are many different types of non-stick pans on market out there. In recent years when people seriously started to understand the potential consequences of using Teflon pans the interest for other healthier alternatives rapidly increase. One option that has appeared was ceramic-coated pans. Apart from the benefits that ceramic pans provide one frequent question stands out:
How long do ceramic pans last?
Ceramic pans usually last 6-9 months without losing their non-stick probabilities, if they are treated properly. However, if you use ceramic pan in combination with metal utensils it can lose non-stick capabilities after a few uses.
1. What are ceramic frying pans?
Ceramic pans can be divided into two types of products. Ceramic coated pans and solid ceramic pans. First are more often and they are made from a metal base (usually a few millimeters wide aluminum), covered with a silica coating. It consists of silicon dioxide and it usually derives from the sand as a raw material.
Actually, the mark ceramic coated is inappropriate because there are no ceramics in ceramic-coated pans. It is just a trading name that seems more attractive to customers.
Ceramic-coated pans are actually made from a metal base (mostly aluminum) that is coated with a thin layer of silica. Different processes are used for creating this thin layer, but the most often is gel-sol spin coating process.
Unfortunately, the hat is not the end when it comes to misconceptions related to phrase ,,ceramic pans“. Many PTFE(Teflon) pans have the word ,,ceramic“ somewhere in their description. In the cookware industry trade jargons are used frequently. Within one of my next posts I will share practical advice on how to avoid frequent misconceptions related to non-stick cookware trademarks.
Alongside from ceramic coated pans, whole ceramic pans have a ceramic base. They are a more expensive and usually healthier option. These kinds of pans are coated with ceramic glaze, which is also made from silicon-oxide( silica) and some other materials.
However, this kind of coating doesn’t provide non-stick properties like PTFE and Silica do. Away from the manufacturer claims, I wouldn’t call this kind of cookware,,non-stick”.
One of the main differences between solid ceramic and ceramic coated pans is that ceramic coated pans are much less durable. As soon as ceramic coated pans get scratches they progressively become more stick. Futhermore, they start to leach a small amount of metal into food.
On the other hand, whole ceramic pans stay safe, and with original performances even after extensive use, but as I mentioned they don’t possess non-stick properties.
In this blog post I will be talking mainly about ceramic coated pans and their lasting. They are much wider used and their shorter life span is often critical when people consider buying them.
2. How long do ceramic coating pans last according to reviewers?
It is important to say that many factors play a role here. First the quality of the pans.
Looking overall it can be scored through factors like the number of ,,ceramic“(silica) coatings, the thickness of coatings and the type of base.
Maintenance and the frequency of using pan also play an important role. The appropriate maintenance is the key to prolonging the lifespan of any cooking vessel, however, it is especially true for non-stick cookware.
From my personal experience with the brand ,,Texel“(see the picture below). This was the 15$ pan from the manufacturer from European market.
I found that with proper maintenance ceramic coated pan lasts around 7 months. After that period I was unable to return the non-stick capabilities of the pan even with some good cleaning practice.
Generally, I was using the pan 3-4 times a week for preparing vegetables. After the first ceramic-coated pan I bought another one from the local brand called ,,Metalac”( it costs 12$) . With it I have received the kind of similar results. My second pan lost its non-stickiness after about 6 months.
I listen to several experiences related to this kind of cookware that has been used by people closed to me, including family and one friend. They have had different experiences with some medium-cost ceramic-coated pans(10-15$).
A friend of mine has the ceramic pan from the same manufacturer,,Texell” . Now it is using it for 3-4 months and it is still in good non-stick condition. He prepares eggs on almost a daily bases.
After my second pan I was slightly disappointed with this short durability that I have observed. Driven by that I have done research on different sites and forums. I wanted to summarise my thoughts on the question- How long do ceramic coated pans last?
I consider people’s experiences forums like Chowhound.com, Toytowngermany.com/forum, Quora, Forums.digitalspy.com and I have found that experiences with ceramic-coated pans vary a lot, however, there are several conclusions.
Some people claim that they have used their pans for less than a month after which their non-stick cookware lost its properties.
The point is if you use for instance high heat and metal utensils your pan will be seriously damaged after two to three uses. On the other hand if you consider good maintaining practice and you use high-quality pans they will last for more than a year according to some experiences. This is true especially if you prepare something only a few times a week.
Based on my personal experience, the experience of closed people and many reviews I have assumed that in practice non-stick pans coating can last 6-9 months. Here I am talking about the pans with several layers of silica along with application of good maintaining practice. The key is to buy high-quality pans with multi-layer,,ceramic”(silica) coating.
Some manufacturers also use several layers of metal in the production of cookware body parts(this is called cladding). This is highly desirable because it keeps cookware from wrapping and it allows good heat dispersion.
Pan wrapping will cause differences in pan surface temperature so It can leed to coating damage. Generally, if you can find pans with thicker body parts or ones with several layers of metal that will be a great choice.
3. Why do ceramic pans lose their nonstick?
,, After several months of using my ceramic coated cookware, it starts to lose its non-stick capabilities. I was using only wooden utensils, low heat. Also I have washed it after every dish preparation”
This is the kind of posts that you can often find on forums. I struggled with the same thing after I have started to use my own ceramic coated cookware. I was my pan starts to loose non-stick abilities even if the pan looks perfectly clean and smooth.
I found that even when the pan looks perfectly clean if I look at it under good light very carefully, I can see a thin hazy film.
And truly after I start to practice deep cleaning. Find comprehensive explanation on cleaning practices in this post about ceramic coated pans and their safety) By doing that I was able to return non-stick performances of my cookware.
The thing is that after using a non-stick pan many times it starts to build up almost invisible oil/food residue. That lower the stickiness ability. On forums, I found out that many people were in the same situation and that they solved it by deep cleaning the pan.
However, sometimes it is possible to retain your pan non-sickness, in other situations that is not the case. It is important not to overlooking some basic rules for maintaining ceramic cookware. Opositely it is easy to make damage on the pan surface and affect non-stickiness irreversibly.
4. When is the time to change your ceramic pans?
I have already discussed the durability of ceramic pans at the beginning of the post. Here I will talk more about the signs that should warn you that your ceramic pans are no longer safe to use.
Maby most remarkable is the appearance of little scratches on your pan inner surface. This can be a consequence of using metal utensils or exposing your pan surface to the sharp items.
What if I see only a little scratch on my non-stick ceramic pan, is it safe to use it?
The answer Is not Strictly Yes or No. However, If your ceramic coated cookware shows serious scratches that reveal the metal base then it will be clever to replace it. Non-stick cookware body i is usually made from aluminum alloys.
Leaching of aluminum from scratches from your food shouldn’t be significant to affect your health. I made in a scientific review about that in my post about Ceramic coated cookware safety, which you can find here. However, aluminum alloys can contain ceratin metals like lead and bismuth which can be harmful even in small quantities. By considering this it should be clever to exchange your utensil to a new one if you spot scratches that reveal a metal base.
Generally, there are several things that can be used as a good indicator that your non-stick pan is ready to be recycled:
- Pan scratches that reveel a metal base. This is particularly easy to be spotted on the white surface of the frying pan.
- Dark spots created as a consequence of burned food. Sometimes your pan just needs a deep clean. However, if can spot this even after deep-clean it means that your pan surface is probably damaged and you should take anodher pan.
- Cookware wrapping- This can be a problem in some cases. First, it will lead to unequal spreading of heat which makes food preparation harder, if you are caring about finesse. Second, it will indirectly lead to damaging of your pan coating because of the creation of hotter and cooler surfaces.
- The wobbling of your pan handle. If the link between the pan and handle is weakened you shoud immediately change your pan. Imagine how serious would it be if your handle cracks, in your hands, when your pan is fulfilled with hot dish.
I discuss more each of these signs in my main post about ceramic coated cookware.
5. How to maintain ceramic coated non-stick pans and make them last longer?
When it comes to non-stick pans maintaining I often hear several advises
- Don’t use any sharp utensils with you non-stick cookware especially metal ones.
- Avoid preheating your pan for any cost.
- Use little oil and to clean up your pan often even there are no visible food/oil residues.
However, through my practical experience, I found several rules, along with these generally known ones, that help me with maintaining ceramic coated cooking vessels and keep them non-stick and relatively long-lasting. You can read more about this advice and several extra tips in this post.
