Application of PTFE in non-stick cookware

 

For the convenience of cooking, many families have used “non-stick pan”, but it is not always clear what material is coated in the pan. In fact, this layer of material is PTFE known as the “Plastic King”. Polytetrafluoroethylene has many advantages that ordinary plastics can’t compare: it will not become brittle in liquid air, and will not become soft in boiling water, and it can be used from low temperatures of -369.3°C to high temperatures of 250°C.

Its chemical stability exceeds that of glass, ceramics, stainless steel, as well as gold and platinum. What’s interesting is that because the surface of PTFE is smooth, the adhesion to any substance is very small, even the paste can not stick to it. Therefore, in the food industry, it is used as cakes and candy molds without even a little bit of flour or syrup.

The advent of non-stick pans has brought great convenience to people’s lives. After adopting “non-stick pans”, people don’t have to accidentally burn the pan when cooking meat or if the fish skin sticks to the wall when frying fish.

Because this non-stick pan is coated with a layer of polytetrafluoroethylene on the inner surface of the ordinary pan, it is made of excellent thermal, chemical and easy-to-clean properties of polytetrafluoroethylene. It will not stick to food, so it is deep. Welcomed by everyone.

However, PTFE starts to decompose slowly after being heated to 415°C, and the gas generated by the decomposition is toxic. Therefore, when using a non-stick pan, it cannot be dry-burned. The temperature must be kept below 250°C to be safe.

When consumers buy non-stick pans, they need to pay attention to whether the product is marked as free of PFOA and PFOS. If it is clearly marked, the product can be purchased with confidence. In addition, PTFE can work stably at 260 degrees Celsius for a long time, and the short-term temperature resistance can reach 327 degrees.

A comprehensive number of studies on polymer coatings for non-stick pans have shown that they may release trace amounts of perfluorinated compounds at high temperatures, but the possibility of release during cooking is unlikely. For example, boiling with salt water and water for 2 hours, or heating to 280 degrees with soybean oil, did not find typical decomposition and dissolution of perfluorinated compounds.