A PFAS-free cookware set is usually a set without a non-stick coating, primarily made of stainless steel, or a set with a ceramic coating or a mix of the two. With a set without a non-stick coating, you don't have to rely on a 'PFAS-free' promise: where there is no non-stick coating, there can also be no PFAS layer. If you're unsure between such a set and ceramic convenience, or about what 'PFOA-free' means, read our advice below the sets.

How to recognize a cookware set that is truly PFAS-free?

Whether a set is truly PFAS-free can be seen in the description of the coating, not from a standalone 'PFAS-free' claim. PFAS made the classic non-stick coating smooth, just as a raincoat allows water to slide off, and in a pan, it is in that layer.

'Without non-stick coating' or 'uncoated': with such a pan made of stainless steel, cast iron, sheet steel, or copper, there is nothing to check for PFAS.
'Ceramic non-stick coating': this is a non-stick coating made without PFAS.
Only 'PFOA-free', or a 'standard non-stick coating': this does not indicate that the coating is PFAS-free. PFOA is just one PFAS, and a coating without PFOA can still contain another, such as PTFE, which many people know as Teflon.

In a set with stainless steel cooking pots, the PFAS question revolves around the frying pan or sauté pan, as the cooking pots do not have a coating. Whether there is a coating in it is not always revealed by the set name, even if it ends with 'Stainless Steel'. So read what is said about the coating of that pan. What PFAS is and why Teflon falls under it is explained in the explanation about pans without Teflon and PFAS.

Do you need to get rid of your old cookware set, even if you switch to induction?

No, not necessarily everything and not necessarily now, although we saw in the store that many people wanted to replace all their pans after the PFAS news. Prefer to check your pans one by one. If the coating has scratches, is peeling, or you can see the metal through it, then that pan is done and should be discarded. If the coating is still intact, then the pan does not need to be discarded immediately, as long as it does not get too hot; this is also advised by the Dutch government. Stainless steel and cast iron without a non-stick coating do not need to be discarded due to PFAS.

If an induction plate is added, first check if your old pans work on induction, as you can often keep your stainless steel pans. For a new set on that plate, you hardly need to discard anything in this collection. If you especially miss frying pans after sorting, there are also many frying pan sets here. One frying pan can be found among the loose frying pans without PFAS, another loose pan among all PFAS-free pans. Whether a complete set is still wise and how to choose a set that stays flat on induction is explained among all cookware sets.

Prefer no coating, or the convenience of ceramic?

Both routes are PFAS-free; they differ in where you put in effort. Without a non-stick coating, you pay attention while cooking, with a ceramic coating you pay attention to the coating itself and replace the pan as soon as the coating is worn out. If you want both, there is also a middle ground.

Without coating: nothing that wears out, but cooking at the right temperature

In the store, we often hear the fear that without a non-stick coating, everything sticks. Sticking usually occurs due to too high a heat and too little fat. Let the pan heat up slowly. If you pour water into the pan and the water comes together and 'dances in the pan', that is the sign that the pan has reached the right temperature. When you then place the meat in the pan, it may seem at first glance to stick to the pan. Don't worry, if the temperature of the pan is right, the meat will release itself when it is ready. Seasoning is not necessary for stainless steel; sheet steel and cast iron do get a seasoned layer of fat. Even with experience, cooking without a non-stick coating requires more attention.

If you choose stainless steel, there is a chance that your set can go in the dishwasher; keep sheet steel and untreated cast iron out, as their seasoned layer will break down in it. You can choose your set from the stainless steel cookware sets or from the cast iron cookware sets.

The Sola Pannenset Blizz 4-Delig RVS for €79.99 is a stainless steel base with three cooking pots and a saucepan if you exchange your non-stick pans. For intense frying, there is the Blackwell Koekenpannenset Carbon Staal 2-Delig for €74.99: sheet steel gets very hot and gives meat a crust. It does require more work than stainless steel: seasoning and hand washing.

Ceramic coating: convenience without PFAS, as long as it stays intact

If you want PFAS-free and still a non-stick coating, you end up with ceramic, and that is also a real layer on the pan. When choosing, keep in mind that you will replace pans with such a coating after a few years. In reviews, you read that ceramic pans sometimes start to stick after a few months, even if you follow the instructions. How long such a layer lasts and how to maintain it is explained extensively among the ceramic cookware sets.

For ceramic, the same replacement moment applies as for your old pans: if the layer is damaged, you can no longer cook in it. Before we recommend a ceramic pan, we have cooked with it ourselves in our showroom. This advice includes what such a layer requires: no metal in the pan, and hand washing. In the dishwasher, the layer deteriorates faster.

The Sola Pannenset Stonehenge 2-Delig with frying pan and sauté pan has two frying pans of ø 28 cm, both with a ceramic layer.

Stainless steel and ceramic together: the layer only where you fry

The Sola Pannenset Pearl 6-Delig RVS combines stainless steel cooking pots with two ceramic frying pans of ø 24 and 28 cm. The name ends with 'RVS', and here it is precisely the frying pans that keep the set PFAS-free. In a cooking pot with water or sauce, you have little use for a coating, while it does its job in the frying pan. If that layer is worn out after a few years, you only replace the frying pans.

In the Cookinglife Koekenpannenset HexaCook, stainless steel and ceramic are in the same pan. The two frying pans of ø 24 and 28 cm have a stainless steel honeycomb with a ceramic layer underneath, so no layer with PFAS. Thanks to that honeycomb, metal kitchen utensils can be used in them, and they can go in the dishwasher. For those who keep their stainless steel cooking pots, this is an addition to what is already in the cupboard.

What do you pay for a PFAS-free set, with or without coating?

With and without non-stick coating, you don't have to look at the top of the range for PFAS-free. If a ceramic set seems cheaper, first check what is included. A ceramic layer is usually purchased here as two or three frying pans, often as a frying pan set. A complete set with cooking pots is mainly made of stainless steel here, without a coating or with ceramic frying pans included. So only compare sets with the same pans in them.

When it comes to ceramic, also consider the moment when you replace the pans, something that does not apply to a set without a non-stick coating. How quickly that moment comes depends on how thick the layer is. The thinnest layers are usually found at the lowest prices. For a small household, the WMF Pannenset Mini 5-Delig is a complete stainless steel set without a non-stick coating, the budget line in this category.