PTFE

What it is

PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) is the slick coating on most nonstick pans, and it belongs to the chemical family known as PFAS. Nothing releases an egg more easily, and the coating wears out, so a PTFE pan is one you'll replace.

Why it matters in your kitchen

Picture an omelet sliding onto the plate in one piece with a teaspoon of butter. That's what PTFE does better than any bare metal.

The cost shows up later. Wirecutter puts a nonstick pan's life at about three to five years, and high heat, scratches and the dishwasher shorten it.

It's a coating, so it's what your food touches. We don't sell PTFE cooking surfaces, and this page exists so that any PTFE part in a product gets named plainly.

Good at

• Eggs, fish and pancakes. Delicate food lets go with little or no fat.
• Light to lift. America's Test Kitchen puts PTFE skillets at about 2½ to 3½ pounds.
• Quick cleanup. Most food wipes out with a soft sponge.
• Cheap is fine. Serious Eats' Daniel Gritzer argues for buying inexpensive nonstick and replacing it, since the coating wears out either way.

Watch for

• It wears out. About three to five years, by Wirecutter's estimate. When eggs start to stick in a pan that used to release them, the coating is done.
• High heat breaks it down. America's Test Kitchen says PTFE starts to break down above 500°F, so its cooks add oil or butter before preheating and keep these pans out of ovens hotter than 450°F. Don't preheat it empty on high.
• No broiler. PTFE skillets aren't rated for it. Brown the top in a stainless or cast iron pan instead.
• Scratches and scrubbing. Hard scrubbing and metal tools wear the coating faster, and dishwasher detergent can be abrasive. Use wood, silicone or nylon, and wash by hand.

Who it suits

Good for you if eggs and delicate fish are most of your cooking and you're fine replacing a pan every few years. Skip it if you sear hard, use the broiler or want a pan that lasts decades.

In short. PTFE releases food better than any other surface, wants moderate heat and gentle tools, and wears out in about three to five years.

For what research has and hasn't shown about PTFE and the PFAS question, see our guide. Prefer bare metal? See uncoated stainless steel cookware, or check a pan you own in our cookware material lookup.

Where it is used

• Nonstick frying pans, skillets and saucepans
• Nonstick bakeware
• Coated parts inside some kitchen tools, which our product profiles name when they appear

How to care for it

• Add oil or butter before you preheat, and cook on low to medium heat.
• Keep it out of the broiler and out of ovens above 450°F.
• Use wood, silicone or nylon tools.
• Wash by hand with a soft sponge.
• Replace it when food sticks or the coating scratches through.