Ceramic coated & non-stick cookware

The ceramic-titanium coating on my Scanpan pot is dissolving after it’s been through the dishwasher. I was drying it off and noticed black stuff all over the tea towel. The pot surface is starting to look terrible, but worse than that: are we eating this stuff? The current dishwasher detergent is Woolies brand, but I realise it happened a few weeks ago with Coles brand as well (I thought my son/husband got oil on that tea towel, so I just threw it out, not realising it was the pot I was drying.)

I have only had the pot a short while - it was a gift from my sister. Initially I liked it a lot, so bought another different size to match. Now I’m afraid to use either of them.

These things aren’t cheap. How can they get away with selling a cooking pot that’s not compatible with dishwasher detergent?

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Do the instructions state that it is actually dishwasher safe?

Many non-stick cookware items are not dishwasher safe and placing them in a dishwasher will both destroy them and void the warranty.

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The Scanpan range is, to quote: Dishwasher safe - but not recommended

A reasonable person might think the dishwasher would diminish the non-stick quality, not cause it to flake off in the short term. I suggest you go to the shop(s) for a refund (and then ‘argue’ under the ACL for unacceptable quality, if required to ‘go there with a valid argument’ why you are due one).

If your sister does not have a record of sale for warranty purposes, contact the shop anyway to see how it goes. If you get fobbed off, contact Scanpan Australia.

If the one you purchased is still in good condition stop putting it in the dishwasher. Most sources state ceramic coated cookware should not be put in a dishwasher, although they then refer to manufacturers specifications.

Caveat: there are also admonishments about excessive heat or cooling them too quickly, so be aware you could be rightly questioned about that. The manufacturers know what will cause various failures as often as not, so have all your ducks in line.

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My wife and I were scanning the index of our recent copies of Choice looking for a recent review of non-stick cookware. There were none to be found over the last couple of years. Or were we looking under the wrong titles?

If we are correct and there are no recent reviews in the last couple of years, then is choice planning to do a review anytime soon?

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Hi @tndkemp - we have recently conducted a review of induction frypans and saucepans which will get you started. You can find the frypans review here and the saucepans here. Hope that helps.

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Thanks that will be a good place to start.

We have tried a few non-stick frying pans and none lasted. Then we came across a frying pan made in Germany by SKK and it has been fantastic. Bought it from an online Australian company called Everten. No association with this company whatsoever other then being a very happy customer. Later, I bought a wok made by the same company as well and it has been great also. Nothing sticks, no teflon involved and having used both well over a year now they still look new.
Great products but pricy.
Gerard

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Well seasoned and well-maintained cast iron saucepans will remain non-stick forever and will last for generations.

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That’s not a bad idea. With so many gimmicky frying pans out there now days it’ll be great to see what works and what’s a load of rubbish. I’ve seen everything from stoneware to red copper and all claim to be revolutionary.

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Having tried a few non-stick fry pans and saucepans over the years, I’ve reverted to mostly cast iron and stainless steel cookware, as the non-stick surfaces invariably break up over time, and I’m not entirely happy with the possibility of ingesting some of the byproducts of hot teflon.
A well seasoned cast iron frypan or steel wok is superior to non-stick cookware IMO, and pretty much all my cooking is done on an induction hob these days. My steel wok is about 30 years old and works perfectly well on the induction hob (despite claims that curved woks do not work on flat induction cook tops), and most times a quick wipe out after use is all that is required, and the same applies to my cast iron fry pans.
Teflon is promoted as a development of the space age, but really, you just do not need it.

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In mine too.

Re your wok, I bought a Rambo wok burner (“Caution - do not use within 20 metres of buildings or people”) and it’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever bought. It’ll turn the wok red hot within 15 seconds on high and will burn a hole through it in 30. It’s absolutely amazing - Chinese cooking as she should be done! :slight_smile:

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Some advice from CHOICE on how to choose the best pots and pans for your kitchen:

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We’ve updated our frypan reviews (member content).

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Re the Kmart Anko 24cm that had the bad point “Not stated whether fry pan is safe to use in the oven.”

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The testers may have missed that in the washing up test :wink:

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Thanks @syncretic, I’ll pass it on to the product testers for an update

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@BrendanMays, another one for Rebecca(?)

Question regarding the fry pan durability test. The test is described as a scrubbing test with a ‘scourer’.

Perusing the web suggests [some] non-stick coatings on some base metals may be susceptible to thermal cycles (heating and cooling from long term use) that will cause the non-stick surface to split, chip, or even separate from the base metal, and better quality products may be less susceptible.

Is that a thing, or hype, or ? Would appreciate Choice’s comment.

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I’ll see if I can find out!

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Certainly our experience with products produced 20+ years prior. Examples of both heavy and light spun aluminium pans with black/brown non-stick coatings.

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We switched from Scanpan and Tefal non-stick back to Baccarat stainless steel while we had a regular ceramic glass cooktop, and haven’t looked back - and they’ve been even better with induction.

I don’t feel like I NEED non-stick again. Cooking at the right heat with a little bit of the right oil (not enough to cause problems with my extremely sensitive stomach which revolts at moderate amounts of fats) does the job well.
I do own one piece of non-stick cookware though, which is my crepe pan, a Baccarat bio+. We still need to use a light coating of oil or butter before making crepes or pancakes, so the non stick performs poorly, but it had the best handle for the wrist action needed for perfect crepes!

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