Gourmet Retailer Magazine Personnel Trainer 2008 - (Page 20) NONSTICK COOKWARE W hen nonstick cookware was introduced in the 1960s, it stirred a mini-revolution in the American kitchen. For decades since, nonstick cookware has been praised by home and professional cooks alike due to its easy cooking and cleaning properties. A pan with nonstick coating makes easy-to-lift omelets and cleans up like a dream. Plus, it requires little or no oil to keep food from sticking, and disperses heat evenly. Yet, while home cooks have embraced nonstick cookware, a misunderstanding remains about nonstick’s endurance and safety — particularly, how to distinguish one nonstick from another. A basic knowledge of the various types of nonstick cookware can mean the difference between a lost sale and a healthy trade-up to higher-margin items. Arm your staff with the proper information about nonstick technology and they’ll be ready to answer consumer questions and concerns, and confidently sell the category. l What are the differences between nonstick surfaces? Historical Highlights • 1938 — Roy Plunkett discovered PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), a versatile polymer that can be used to make products slippery or nonstick. • 1960s — Teflon became available for use on cookware, creating a surface that made life in the kitchen easier for the home cook. • 1987 — First patent for ceramic titanium nonstick, which improved the life expectancy of nonstick cookware. • 1999 — Ceramic titanium nonstick was updated to make nonstick cookware even more user-friendly than before. — would one put a $200 pan in the dishwasher when it can be cleaned by hand in a few seconds? Isn’t it like running your Rolls Royce through the neighborhood carwash? A myriad of nonstick coatings are available ranging from one-coat systems to the more advanced multicoat systems with added ceramics or other materials in the nonstick base that makes them stronger and, as a result, more durable. A one-coat system is the least expensive application method and is generally used for mass-market items. The single coat of nonstick is applied directly to the raw metal surface or one prepared by grit blasting. In general, one-coat systems are the least durable among nonstick coatings. The mid-range two-coat systems have a primer that is applied before the nonstick coat is added. The primer provides added adhesion. Three-coat systems incorporate a primer, an intermediate coat and a finish coat to provide even greater corrosion resistance, durability and depth. Besides these nonstick coatings, top-of-the-line systems are available that utilize proprietary polymers or metals, such as ceramic titanium, to create a four-layer system. This technology provides longer life expectancy for the nonstick surface, and prevents peeling and blistering. l What temperature is best for cooking with nonstick? Higher-end nonstick coatings will provide better performance for the user and are guaranteed not to peel, blister, or crack. Most nonstick brands are safe in temperatures up to 375° F and a few as high as 450° F. One nonstick brand on the market today is oven-safe to 500° F, an important feature for home and professional cooks alike as it facilitates finishing off omelets in the oven, or even baking cookies in a fry pan. l Can I use metal utensils on nonstick cookware? Today’s nonstick coatings are more durable than were those of just 10 years ago. Special use and care instructions on how to prepare, maintain or clean nonstick are no longer required. However, it is best that you check the manufacturer’s recommendations for care before using metal utensils. According to some manufacturers, their nonstick cookware surfaces will withstand metal utensils; however, other manufacturers recommend using only wooden or plastic utensils regardless of how durable they claim the nonstick coating is. l Is nonstick cookware safe to use? Over decades, nonstick surfaces have been proven to be absolutely safe to use within the temperature ranges that are specified for each product or brand. Recent news and publicity regarding compounds like PFOA or APFO have, in many cases, misinformed the public and created an unfounded concern regarding nonstick pans. The EPA has addressed PFOA and APFO compounds that appear, are incinerated and then filtered out at the point of coating production. These compounds, however, are not found in the finished nonstick coating. The nonstick pan itself is free of these compounds, and all nonstick cookware is FDA-approved for food use. l Can I place my nonstick cookware in the dishwasher? The beauty of high-quality nonstick cookware is that cooking with it and cleaning it up afterwards is a breeze. Nonstick’s wonderful release qualities leave virtually no trace of what was cooked behind. The release properties make it easy to clean by hand. Due to continued technical research and recent breakthroughs, some of the top nonstick brands are now conveniently dishwasher-safe. Still, the question begs 60 The Gourmet Retailer Magazine | February 2008
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