Scratched pan

[tuan]

hi everyone, last night i deglazed my new calphalon tri-ply pan and felt a little scratching with my wooden spoon. after washing my pan, i noticed there were these long scratches on the bottom! how could this have happened? i touched these scratches with my finger nail and i don't think they're just surface scratches! what happened and what am i to do? also do you think this will ruin my pan? will it corrode now or food will have an easier time sticking?

 

[foodstorm]

I'd call or email Calphalon and ask them about it.

 

[itzalgud]

Results of a little internet search leads me to the conclusion that you must have had some metal or abrasive object come in contact with the pan surface. Wood or plastic definitely will not scratch the pan.

I'm sure you did not stir food in your pan with a fork or other metal object so it must have been some inadvertent contact such as the handle of another pan making contact during washing.

I'm told that food will begin to stick if the pan coating is scratched, but if they are small scratches perhaps it will not be a big problem.

 

[wysiwyg]

tuan,
As foodstorm indicated, contact the manufacturer about this.
Hopefully is not a big deal, but I'd not use the pan before checking because if it is a multi-layer coating there may be some issues with the exposed material.

Have you cooked meat with bones on this particular pan?
Bones are hard enough to scratch a surface under certain conditions.

 

[sage™]

Is it a non stick pan or ss tri ply? There isn't a coating on SS..its just polished..you may be able to smooth it out with some Barkeepers Friend.

 

[tuan]

hi everyone, it's a 3qt tri-ply ss pan from calphalon. i smoothed it out with some barkeepers friend and i believe it's ok. used it again and so far so good. thanks everyone!

 

[Fisher's Mom]

tuan, my cookware is mostly Calphalon tri-ply ss, too. There are plenty of little scratches in my pots and pans now but it doesn't affect them. Barkeepers friend is great stuff and when mine start to look a little dull, I use it to "buff out" the minor little scratches. Any deeper ones won't cause you a problem like rusting or sticking. And I think the little scratches are just proof you actually cook!

 

[Andy M.]

I cannot picture how a wooded spoon scratched a stainless steel pan.

Is there any depth to the scratch?

Can you feel it?

Was it there before you started cooking?

 

[tuan]

hi andy, there's a little depth to it if u put a fingernail to it but it's not that deep. it's not like there's a definite crevice. i was just deglazing the pan with some stock after sauteeing some chicken breasts. i doubt there could be any bone bits in the fond since the poultry was boneless. the saute pan was pristine when i first used it which is partially why i was so worried when it recieved this scratch. most of everyone i talked to agreed that it comes with daily use and i shouldn't worry.

 

[Andy M.]

tuan, I agree with the others. Once a pan is used, the cooking surface will never look as smooth and shiny as it did when new. Don't worry about the scratch or about adding others. It's part of life.

I regularly use SS utensils in my SS pans and the light surface scratches just indicate that I really cook. Remember, it's a tool, not an art piece.