Ceramic Cookware vs Teflon Cookware – What’s Best for You?
Starving with hunger but leaving for work early? You set the flame to the highest setting, put the pan over, and go for preparing a quick omelet recipe. But what? A burnt omelet peeping at you. Or every ingredient gets stick to the bottom of the pan?
You sit back, take a moment and figure out that an inappropriate cooking pot is the evil behind. To save yourself from hassle for the next time, you decide to switch over to a nonstick cookware.
But ceramic or Teflon? If you’re intimidated by both cookware options and don’t know which is better for you, let’s get straight into the details to know what they are and what are their benefits and drawbacks.
Ceramic vs Teflon Cookware:
Ceramic Cookware:
Even though hard-anodized or die-cast aluminum nonstick cookware is popular for being ultra-nonstick, yet they lack health benefits. How? Well, both causes leaching toxins at certain high temperatures, making your meal toxic and poisonous. They are nonstick but inorganic.
While on the opposite side, ceramic cookware is not only nonstick but also is organic, therefore, is a safer and healthier option. There are no traces of poisons in food that you’ve prepared in a high-grade ceramic pan or pot.
Some best ceramic cookware comes with ceramic coating, others are manufactured entirely of ceramic material. They use sand, clay, or quartz to make a ceramic pots and pans.
High-quality ceramic cookware never comes with harmful elements like lead or cadmium and is 100% safe to cook. Whereas, ceramic cookware when bought from a flea market or is manufactured by hands may have traces of inorganic substances. Therefore, make sure to buy only those ceramic utensils that are only designed for preparing food.
Is ceramic cookware all-ceramic?
The most noticeable thing about most modern ceramic cookware is that it is usually made with a non-stick ceramic coating on the inside, this allows for little to no cooking oil or fat to be used when frying foods in a pan. Many of these ceramics have metal handles and lids, but some have been seen with all-ceramic handles.
However, most of these ceramics are made with stainless steel, cast iron, or aluminum, which means that they can’t be all-ceramic.
What are the pros n cons of ceramic cookware?
Following are the pros n cons of ceramic cookware!
Nonstick-ness:
Ceramic cookware comes with enhanced and improved nonstick properties. it allows you to cook eggs without needing oil. Similarly, for cooking a veg-based meal, just a few drops of oil will suffice the need.
Safe to cook:
This cookware is winning over the nonstick market for its healthy footprint. High-grade ceramic cookware is constructed with clay or quartz that are o0rganic substances. So when you cook food at high temperatures, other nonstick cookware starts leaching, but ceramic holds itself well and never produces harmful chemicals. Safe and healthy food makes ceramic utensils the best bet.
Easy cleanup:
Hassle-free cleanup of a ceramic pan is another impeccable advantage. You don’t need to put a lot of effort into cleaning ceramic cookware. Use a mild dish-washing soap or liquid to clean and it will get you enough of it.
Costly:
Ceramic cookware is comparatively exorbitant as compared to other nonstick cookware. But its health benefits justify why this cookware comes with a higher price tag.
Maintenance:
Unfortunately, ceramic coated or 100% ceramic cookware requires proper maintenance. It can’t stand abuse and the coating and the corner of a utensil may break off when you roughly used a metal spoon or ladle on it.
Moreover, it is highly suggested to put your ceramic cookware in a way to prevent friction to avoid its coating ripping off.
Not dishwasher safe:
Ceramics are less durable and are not dishwasher safe.
For the best ceramic cookware, we recommend T-fal Initiative Ceramic Nonstick Cooware set that will cost you around $130.99.
Teflon Cookware:
Teflon coated nonstick cookware is backed up by a well-praised legacy. PTFE coating was first applied to cookware back in 1950 to make the utensils nonstick.
Teflon nonstick cookware uses man-made and inorganic PTFE and PFOA chemicals, both have raised several health concerns. Although there is no authentic evidence are found if Teflon-coated pans and pots are injurious to health, still the above-mentioned chemicals can address neuro disorders.
Researchers have recently determined that PTEF (Teflon) emits harmful toxic fumes at high temperatures (above 500 F). That’s why it is not as environmental-friendly as ceramic cookware is.
The explanation is that the PTEF is solid and stable, but when being heated at high temperatures, it starts releasing toxin fumes.
Owing to the toxicity of Teflon cookware, the manufacturers have introduced other nonstick cookware choices including best hard-anodized cookware and ceramic nonstick cookware to prevent health issues.
Nevertheless, as far as the nonstick properties of Teflon cookware are concerned, it has beaten other nonstick options. That said, Teflon cookware is considered to be the best nonstick cookware.
What is the difference between Teflon and PTFE?
Teflon and PTFE are same. PTFE is a short name for the polytetrafluoroethylene polymer. It was discovered in 1938 by Roy J. Plunkett when he was working on refrigerant gases at DuPont. The T stands for tetrafluoroethylene, one of the two monomers used to make PTFE.
PTFE has excellent chemical resistance, with one of the highest known melting points of any element (327°C) and exceptional high-temperature performance.
This is because fluoropolymers are amongst the most chemically-resistant classes of polymers. PTFE can withstand temperatures as high as 621 degrees Fahrenheit and is very resistant to oxidization and melting.
Its resistance to degradation by chemicals, heat, and ultraviolet radiation has been known for over half a century.
What are the pros n cons of Teflon cookware?
Following are the pros n cons of Teflon cookware!
Low maintenance:
Maintenance is key to make a thing last longer. Being a version of nonstick cookware, you can easily wash the grease and grime on a Teflon-based pan, pot, skillet, or whatever the utensil is.
Durable:
Teflon is popular for it is hard and robust. Teflon cookware stands for the test of time for up to 3-5years when maintained and stored properly.
Nonstick-ness:
Its nonstick properties are unbeatable. The cooking becomes a pleasure when you know it requires very little oil to prepare your favorite cuisine. And Teflon cookware aces the job perfectly.
Cost-effectiveness:
Ceramic cookware is expensive but Teflon is not. You don’t have to cut down on your expenses to buy a Teflon utensil.
Unsafe for cooking:
Supposedly, Teflon cookware delivers a healthy and safe cooking experience until the temperature remains below 500 degrees. Once the temperature increases to above 500 degrees, the PTFE chemicals start leaching, making your food unhealthy and unsafe to consume.
Not oven-safe:
Along with its unhealthy results, Teflon coating is not oven-proof. But recently manufacturers are trying to cope up with this problem by introducing Teflon cookware that would be oven safe as well.
What are the main differences between Ceramic and Teflon cookware?
There are seven main differences between ceramic and Teflon cookware. Below we discuss them individually.
Both are nonstick:
Do you love preparing meals that have a minimal amount of oil? Ceramic and Teflon both are nonstick and require only a few drops of greasing the pan, skillet, or whatever the cooking utensil is.
Well, ceramic cookware, is a champion. You can cook eggs or omelets without oil since the surface of a ceramic pan is more non-sticky as compared to Teflon one.
Performance:
Both ceramic and Teflon cookware, ideally, lasts for 3 to 5 years if used and maintained properly. As compared to other nonstick cookware choices, ceramic cookware performs well. A ceramic pan is capable of heating up properly and retains the heat for longer to cook food perfectly. You can not only make simple and ready-to-cook dishes in a ceramic pan but also can sear meat in a high-quality ceramic pan.
Teflon cookware also performs exceptionally well.
Both come with a steep learning curve as you need to learn that both can perform well until you cook food at low to medium flame settings.
At higher temperatures, coating on each cookware starts ripping off. For higher temperature levels, we recommend getting the best stainless steel cookware.
Safe to cook:
Non-stick pans are known for their liquidation. However, ceramic utensils are formed from organic minerals and do nothing to contaminate meals with inorganic or poisonous elements.
On the contradictory, Teflon coating will start leaching as soon as the temperature starts rising, making your food poisonous. Furthermore, PTFE coating also is bad for the environment, especially if you have pets around.
Easy cleanup:
The beauty of nonstick cookware lies in its easy cleaning. You don’t need to over scrub the surface of a ceramic and Teflon pan or skillet to clean it properly. For both the cookware, dishwashing is NOT RECOMMENDED.
Durability:
Typically a ceramic pan or pot tends to last for 3-5 years if used and maintained properly. But the ceramic pan is prone to wear off quickly as compared to Teflon or other nonstick cookware options. An accidental smash against a hard surface will break the ceramic coating.
Teflon cookware also tends to have the same life span. But proper maintenance is required to make a utensil last for years.
If you use metal spatulas for turning food in your nonstick pan, the coating may peel off, leaving you a poor and sticky utensil behind. It is recommended for both ceramic and Teflon cookware to use wooden or silicon utensils to prevent the nonstick coating from peeling or chipping.
Costly:
Ceramics cookware is more expensive than Teflon cookware. Depending on the product, the number of pieces you are getting, and brand the prices vary. So, know the limits of your pocket to buy accordingly.
Not oven-safe:
Most ceramic and Teflon cookware are not oven-safe. Even they are not dishwasher-safe as well. But lately, manufacturers are devising the latest ceramic technologies to make these utensils oven safe.
You still need to check a product’s manual to verify if your cookware comes with oven-safe and dishwasher-safe abilities.
Is ceramic cookware better than Teflon?
If your primary concern is health, then ceramic cookware is better than Teflon. It is environment-friendly, organic, and has a natural coating. Safer, healthier, but a bit expensive as compared to Teflon.
What is the best alternative to Teflon?
Specifically, on the nonstick side, Teflon coating is the most budget-friendly option. But the popular chefs still prefer stainless steel cookware for cooking foods since it offers more flexibility and helps to prepare food more naturally. So the best alternative to Teflon cookware is stainless steel cookware.
Why Teflon is used for nonstick coating on cookware?
Teflon or PTFE coating is used on cookware for its nonstick properties. Being a low coefficient of friction, Teflon doesn’t need butter or oil to keep food from sticking to the bottom of a pan or skillet.
Conclusion:
Teflon and ceramic both are nonstick and perform the same way. So look carefully to know what your specific needs are. If safety and health are your objectives, then ceramic cookware is nonetheless a more decent and healthier choice.
And if you fall for designs and looks, then a superior-graded Teflon cookware from All-Clad or Calphalon is all that you need in your kitchen to cook meals.