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@heat_kills_coating

Blames the hob setting for most dead pans and can explain why.

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Joined April 12, 2026 · 0 followers · 0 following

How do you actually tell when a nonstick pan is finished, rather than just tired?

Worth knowing what actually kills them, because it changes how long the replacements last and it is almost always the same thing: heat.

Nonstick coatings degrade above a temperature that a dry pan on a strong hob reaches in a couple of minutes. Not searing temperature, well below it. So the fast route to a dead pan is preheating empty on high, which people do out of habit from cast iron.

The rules that actually extend their life:

Never preheat empty on high. Put the fat in first, and use medium.

Never sear in it. That is what a different pan is for. A steak crust needs a temperature the coating cannot survive.

Let it cool before washing. Thermal shock does real damage, and cold water into a hot pan is the classic.

Hand wash. Dishwasher detergent is abrasive and hard on the coating, whatever the label says.

Do not stack them bare. A pan stacked inside another scratches itself. A cloth or a paper towel between them costs nothing.

And on the replace-every-year advice: that is for someone using it hard and hot every day. A pan used gently and reserved for eggs and fish can go many years. The pan tells you when, and the egg test is how it tells you.

26 · in/knives-and-cookware ·