calphalon nonstick q's

[7romanstatesmen]

i saw a calphalon 10'' nonstick omlette pan at a thrift store yesterday and brought it home. due to my lack of knowledge of calphalon and cookware in general, i was under the impression that it was cast iron. it's a very dark gray color, and it's very heavy, but after some research and some playing with magnets, i found out that it was aluminum.

after i got all the burnt grease off the interior of the pan, i found out that it had a nonstick surface. whoever had the pan scratched it up pretty badly. is it safe to use a nonstick surface pan if the nonstick layer is messed up, and is there any way to remove it completely, or will the pan be useless? thanks in advance, any info is appreciated. it was made in china, btw.

 

[ironchef]

It will be safe to use but it won't be as good as a brand new one, or a pan in better condition. Basically, you'll have to add more fat to cook with to prevent sticking in the pan which defeats the entire purpose anyway. Better to just buy a brand new one.

 

[GB]

While normally I agree with everything ironchef says, I have to disagree here (possibly). I have Calphalon non stick pans and one of them ended up getting a very deep scratch. When it happened I was very upset because I knew the pan would never be the same. I was wrong. The scratch has not affected the performance in the least. The pan is as non stick as all my others. Nothing has ever stuck to the scratch let alone any other part of the pan. The scratch has also not gotten any bigger. I do not have to add any additional fat when using the scratched pan.

Since yours is scratched up so badly you might not have the same experiences as me. If that is the case then ironchef is right on. Just add a little more fat and you should be good to go. I love my Calphalon pans. They are very heavy which is a good thing and the perform very well.

Good luck and let us know how they work for you.

 

[ironchef]

i saw a calphalon 10'' nonstick omlette pan at a thrift store yesterday and brought it home. due to my lack of knowledge of calphalon and cookware in general, i was under the impression that it was cast iron. it's a very dark gray color, and it's very heavy, but after some research and some playing with magnets, i found out that it was aluminum.

after i got all the burnt grease off the interior of the pan, i found out that it had a nonstick surface. whoever had the pan scratched it up pretty badly. is it safe to use a nonstick surface pan if the nonstick layer is messed up, and is there any way to remove it completely, or will the pan be useless? thanks in advance, any info is appreciated. it was made in china, btw.

By this statement, and knowing how a lot of home cooks abuse their pans, I'm pretty sure the pan is shot. I think the fact that he also had to get the burnt grease off (remember that this was supposed to be a non-stick pan) pretty much indicates that the pan's previous owner didn't know how to take care of it as well.

 

[GB]

No argument there

 

[jennyema]

Burned grease on a nonstick pan ....

That's not good. There was a reason, no doubt, that it was thrown out.

But the only way to tell is to use it and see.

 

[Robo410]

oh the tragedy of it all! Let's all work together to stop potnpan abuse!

 

[Constance]

I love my Calaphon pans too!
My husband uses the 10" skillet to fry bacon a lot, and tends to use the pan several times before washing. But after a brief soak in soapy water, it always comes right off with a dish brush. By the way, "Mean Green" or similar cleaner will take the burned on grease off the bottom...just let it set a minute, then go after it with a plastic scouring pad.

 

[7romanstatesmen]

thanks for the replies everyone! this afternoon, i found the same pan at another thrift store (this one made in ohio), but not nonstick, so i can compare them side by side! the new one is in much better condition.

 

[SpiceUmUp]

The answer to the question is to cook with it and see if the non-stick properties are still there.

 

[7romanstatesmen]

The answer to the question is to cook with it and see if the non-stick properties are still there.

well, my main concern was whether or not it was safe to use, because of the extent of the damage. whether or not the coating could come off in the food or something... so whether or not things stick, i'll find that out when i use it

 

[SpiceUmUp]

teflon is non reactive in the body, even if it came off on your food, it would be safe