Which frying pan is truly free of PFAS?

Whether there is PFAS in a frying pan depends on the layer it has, and you can check this for each pan yourself:

Check which layer is in the pan: this is usually already stated in the product title, and otherwise you can find it in the specifications on the product page.
Read a claim with "free" in it carefully: "PFOA-free" refers to one substance from the PFAS group and does not exclude the rest. PTFE, which most people call Teflon, is also a PFAS.
If you still have doubts, choose a pan without a non-stick coating: PFAS is in the coating, and such a pan does not have one.

Rely on the pan itself, even if the name of a collection or a filter seems to provide the answer. How PFAS ended up in non-stick coatings and why Teflon itself belongs to that group can be found in our explanation about pans without Teflon and PFAS.

PFAS-free says nothing about how long your pan will last

A ceramic layer is just as much a non-stick layer, and thus also a layer that wears out over time. PFAS-free refers to what that layer is made of, not how many years you can cook in it.

If you choose ceramic, you are buying a replacement moment, and that moment does not come because you did something wrong. If you choose a pan without a layer, that moment does not exist: there is nothing between your food and the metal that can wear out. Such a pan breaks due to a fall or rust, not from cooking.

Within ceramic, a more expensive pan mainly provides a better layer: the moment it wears out shifts, but it will come. Only a pan without a layer completely eliminates that moment.

Ceramic layer or no layer at all?

Which of the two you choose does not change the PFAS story. It does change what you pay attention to while cooking: with a ceramic pan on the layer, with a pan without a layer on the temperature of your fire. Four situations from the store floor usually help you choose:

If you mainly fry eggs, fish, or pancakes, then a ceramic layer is the easiest route, because with such a layer that food makes less contact with the bottom. Those pans are found among the frying pans with a ceramic non-stick coating.
If you want a crust on your meat, then you end up with a pan without a layer. That gets very hot and lets the meat release itself when the time comes; the selection is found among the frying pans without a non-stick coating.
If you put everything in the dishwasher, then stainless steel and ceramic remain. Stainless steel feels nothing, a ceramic layer deteriorates faster, and sheet steel and untreated cast iron should not go in there at all.
If you are done with pans that stick after a while, then a pan without a layer is the end of that search. You no longer need to switch after that.

In the store, that choice often ends up being two pans instead of one: the ceramic for everything that sticks quickly, the pan without a layer for meat that needs to get a crust. You can buy that combination at once in the frying pan sets. If you are also looking for cooking and sauté pans without PFAS, check out the PFAS-free pan sets.

Does everything stick in a pan without a layer?

No, but you do have to do something for it. In a pan without a layer, food mainly sticks when the heat is too high and there is too little fat. Those two usually go together.

Therefore, let the pan come to temperature first: throw a splash of water in it, and if it rolls around like a ball over the bottom, then it is hot enough. Use plenty of fat before placing the food in it. Then leave the meat alone until it releases itself.

Even if you cook in it for years, it remains more attentive than in a pan with a layer. If you do not feel like that, then you are better off with ceramic, and we prefer to say that now rather than after the purchase.

Stainless steel requires nothing from you: you do not have to do anything with it before cooking, and it can simply go in the dishwasher. Sheet steel and untreated cast iron do require work, and that is a purchasing decision.

Seasoning can only be done on a gas burner, because an induction plate does not get such a pan hot enough, and a lot of smoke is released. After washing, dry such a pan on the fire; if moisture remains, the pan will rust very quickly. Cast iron does give something back: it retains heat for a long time and can go in the oven. The selection is found among the sheet steel pans and the cast iron frying pans. If you are buying a frying pan for the first time, start with a pan that asks little of you. If you enjoy cooking and want more, you can still switch to stainless steel or steel later. How much work that seasoning actually is can be found in how to season a sheet steel pan.

Can metal utensils be used and can it go in the dishwasher?

If you do not want to give up the dishwasher and your metal spatula, then there is a third type of pan. In the hybrid HexaCook pans, a stainless steel relief runs over the bottom, with the non-stick coating in the pockets in between. A metal spatula can be used against that stainless steel, and a turn in the dishwasher is also allowed; on exactly those two points you got stuck in the choice above. Under that relief, there is still a layer, so the moment you replace the pan does not disappear with it.

Why we do not cheer about PFAS-free

The idea that a ceramic pan automatically cooks healthier is, in our opinion, too simplistic. Therefore, we also look beyond just the label with ceramic pans. The focus is now on PFAS, and it may well be that another substance will be in focus in a few years. Therefore, we advise based on what you can see on the pan itself and how long it lasts, and not on the label that is on it.

All three routes above are on our shelf. So we have nothing to gain if you go one way instead of the other. What is here, we first used in our own showroom; if a line does not perform well there, it will not be in our advice.