Scratches, dents, or pits in the coating won't affect the safety or performance of your pan. HOW CAN I DEEP CLEAN MY PAN?
No, scratched ceramic pans and pots are not safe to use. The materials under the ceramic coating can be harmful to health, so it's recommended that once your ceramic coated cookware shows signs of wear that you dispose of it.
Reviewers on Amazon have warned wear and tear on GreenPan's cookware can build up quickly if you don't clean it with care. Ceramic cookware is prone to chipping and scratching, which is why the brand recommends cooking with silicone utensils over harsh metal spatulas or tongs.
From a safety standpoint, it's an inert silicon coating so it's not a huge concern if you continue using it for a bit. If the coating starts flaking off or if the nonstick performance degrades, then I would personally replace it.
In 2019, a lawsuit was brought against GreenPan claiming false advertising and concluded with no findings of liability by the company. The case was dismissed. What we said about our products is true. Thermolon coating is free of PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium.
MY PAN'S SURFACE IS SCRATCHED, IS THAT A PROBLEM? Scratches, dents, or pits in the coating won't affect the safety or performance of your pan.
GreenPan frying pans lack harmful chemicals and toxins such as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also known as forever chemicals, as well as PFOA, lead, and cadmium. GreenPan products came onto the culinary scene in 2007, boasting a reimagined and healthier ceramic non-stick coating.
We advise replacing your nonstick pans whenever the coating starts to degrade or is scratched—or about every three to five years.
Carbonization is Sticky
A few sticky spots appeared out of nowhere? Here's why. Overheating + oils= carbonization (a.k.a. those little spots that cause your food to stick to the pan).
The short answer, No!
Be Careful with olive oil
Please remember that olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, butter and oil sprays quickly start to smoke and burn when the pan is hot. This causes carbonization of the pan, which can damage the non-stick layer.
“The most nontoxic cookware that you can buy is stainless steel, cast iron or carbon steel; things that don't have a coating on them,” says Alexis Pisciotta, culinary purchasing and events manager and cookware consultant for Food Network.
It is often the case that the Bakelite handle of the pan has been exposed to extreme heat (if the pan has not been placed on the hob correctly). Exposing the Bakelite handle to such extreme heat will cause the smell and possibly even some burning of the handle.
The type of scratch most likely to cause problems is one that goes all the way through the coating to the underlying substrate. Such scratches can compromise the coating's protective properties and allow corrosion or other damage to occur.
Average ceramic cookware will last for about a year, whereas quality ceramics can last for up to 3 years when well taken care of. The main reason ceramic cookware may need to be thrown out is that it loses its nonstick coating.
NEVER use a product when the interior enamel has chipped. It is no longer safe to use and you should immediately CEASE USING the product. Chips from damaged enamel could cause personal injury if ingested.
TL;DR: With about the same lifespan (2-5 years) as other high-quality nonstick cookware, GreenPan uses a “healthy ceramic nonstick” coating (Thermolon) that is PTFE, PFAS, Cadmium, and PFOA free, giving chefs the peace of mind that their nonstick cookware is safe to use.
A melamine sponge (such as the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser) will do the trick. Use light pressure and warm water with your melamine sponge to remove the carbonized layer of fat and your Green Pan™ will start cooking (and stop sticking) like new!
We recommend high-smoke point oils for high-heat cooking. Avoid spray oils, though—they use a propellant that damages nonstick coatings.
Are scratched ceramic pans safe? As long as they're made without potential toxins, then yes.
No. While they don't necessarily present a safety concern, you still shouldn't hold onto your scratched nonstick pans. If the scratches are fresh, you may end up with flakes of the coating in your food—which we can all agree is not delicious. It can also impact how effective your pan's nonstick abilities are.
A: Calphalon stopped manufacturing our nonstick using PFOA back in the third quarter of 2012. We have then since moved to a formula that is completely FDA approved.
MY PAN'S SURFACE IS SCRATCHED, IS THAT A PROBLEM? Scratches, dents, or pits in the coating won't affect the safety or performance of your pan.
GreenPan's Lawsuit
A lawsuit initiated in 2019 alleged the pans contained potentially harmful silane, aluminum oxide, tetraethoxysilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, and potassium titanate (amongst other claims that their advertising was false or misleading). According to an attorney, the lawsuit was dismissed.
We do manufacture many of our GreenPan, GreenLife, Blue Diamond and Merten and Stork products in China. We manufacture our new Stanley Tucci collection in Italy. Unlike most cookware companies, we own our factory, and we carefully control the process.