Stop! Don't Ruin That Nonstick Frying Pan

So what extra care does your nonstick need? We interviewed manufacturers and consulted our experts from the lab to see what you should do to make sure your pan is safe to use and turns out flawless fried eggs for years to come. If your pan is beyond redemption and you’re looking for a new one, check our top pan picks below or read our full list of nonstick frying pan ratings and recommendations.

1. Avoid metal utensils. Metal can scrape or otherwise mar the nonstick surface, causing food to stick and making the pan hard to clean. Also, you don’t want to be ingesting flakes of coating in your food. Once the finish on your pan is damaged, you’ll have to discard it. To avoid this, stock up on silicone, plastic, and wooden utensils to use instead—they won’t harm your pan.

2. Don’t stack ’em. Don’t stack or nest your nonstick pans. The bottom of one pan may scratch the cooking surface of another. Calphalon, among other brands, warns owners of its cookware that nesting pans or storing lids between them can void the warranty. If you don’t have space and stacking is a must, put a potholder, a dish towel, or some other soft layer between pans to protect the cooking surface.

3. Skip the cooking spray. Cooking sprays burn at a lower temperature than butter or oil and can leave a sticky buildup on your pan that’s hard to remove. In fact, Anolon says in its owner’s manual that the use of cooking spray on a nonstick coating will void the pan’s warranty. If you like to spritz a little oil on the pan before you cook, fill a mister with your preferred vegetable oil or olive oil.

4. Don’t heat a nonstick pan when it’s empty. Unlike with, say, a cast-iron pan that can withstand high heat for searing a steak, heating an empty nonstick pan can damage the coating and shorten its life, according to T-Fal, a major manufacturer of nonstick skillets. In addition, overheating coatings with PTFE can produce fumes that are potentially toxic to pet birds and harmful to humans.

5. Don’t submerge a hot pan in water. The rule about never plunging a hot pan in water is especially true for nonstick pans, which tend to be lighter weight and more prone to warping. Once a pan warps, you’re cooked, because the pan won’t make proper contact with the burner and won’t heat evenly. As Calphalon warns in its owners’ manuals: Allow pans to cool completely before washing.

6. Don’t put a nonstick pan in the dishwasher. (Even if it’s labeled as dishwasher-safe.) We can tell you that not all dishwashers and dishwasher detergents are created equal. High heat and harsh detergents can damage both the nonstick surface and the exterior of the pan. “Every dishwasher and detergent is different,” says Erin Fuchsen, a spokesperson for T-Fal, whose nonstick pans are labeled as dishwasher-safe. “If the dishwasher uses very high heat or the detergents are harsh, this can cause the nonstick surface to dry out.”

7. Be careful how you clean your pan. Nonstick pans clean up so easily that we no longer test them for ease of cleaning in the lab. Skip abrasive pads or sponges, which can scratch the pan’s surface. All you need is a plain sponge, soap, and water.

But don’t go too easy with the cleaning, says RJ Manoni, director of e-commerce at Swiss Diamond. If you see oil building up on your pan, the company recommends spreading on a paste of baking soda and water, letting it sit for up to 24 hours, then washing it off. Most of the time this restores the nonstick properties. Also, don’t use a paper towel to clean a nonstick pan. It could leave food debris that can cause the pan to smoke and burn the next time you use it, Manoni says.

If your frying pan is too scratched and damaged to use, it’s time for a replacement. Here are five top picks from Consumer Reports’ tests, listed alphabetically.