How to Repair Cooking Pans

It is not necessary to throw away damaged nonstick cookware. Products are available that are simple to apply and add life to scratched or worn out nonstick pans.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Damaged nonstick pan
• Nonstick cookware repair product
• Oven

Apply New Coating

1. Clean pan in warm, soapy water and allow to dry thoroughly. Do not attempt to scrape away or scratch loose areas of old coating. If old coating is separating from pan in flakes, gently remove loose areas with a dry cloth.

2. Spray coating on pan following manufacturer's directions. Most products are an aerosol spray. Apply one, even coat, keeping spray about 8 inches from the pan, allow to set and reapply once. Avoid over application because this will create an uneven cooking surface.

3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Allow pan to sit for 10 minutes. Do not touch or wipe newly applied coating. Bake the pan a 500 degrees for 45 minutes (this might vary with spray products). Wait 24 hours before using pan for cooking.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to check manufacturer's directions and make an extra effort to apply the new coating evenly on all parts of the cooking surface. It is better to apply too little and reapply than it is to apply too much in one coat. If the pan has large areas of the original coating flaking off or if rust is an issue, it is better to replace the pan.

• There have been some warnings about toxins being released from nonstick cookware that contains the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA (Resource 1). The evidence indicates that carcinogens can be released when cookware containing this chemical is used at high temperatures. It is advisable to be aware of PFOA in nonstick repair products, and cook with repaired nonstick cookware only on moderate heat.

Resources

• warnings