How to Look After a Nonstick Pan or Wok

A nonstick pan does not wear out. It gets damaged, usually in the first month, usually by heat, and usually by someone doing what they were told was good practice.

Get these few things right and a decent pan lasts years rather than one season.

The heat mistake

The single biggest killer of nonstick coatings is high heat with nothing in the pan. Empty pans heat far faster than full ones, and coatings degrade above their rated temperature.

Add oil or food before the pan gets hot, and cook on medium. Nonstick is not the tool for searing a steak at maximum heat. If you want a hard sear, use stainless or cast iron and keep the nonstick for eggs, fish, pancakes and stir fries.

Preheat briefly, on medium, with oil already in.

Utensils

Wood, silicone or nylon. Not metal, and specifically not a metal whisk, which is the one people forget.

A single scratch does not ruin a pan, but scratches accumulate and food starts catching in them. Once food sticks in one spot it sticks there permanently.

Washing

Let the pan cool before it goes near water. Running a hot pan under a cold tap warps the base, and a warped base never sits flat on the hob again, which is a different problem you cannot fix.

Hand wash with a soft sponge. Even dishwasher safe pans lose their coating faster in a dishwasher, because detergent is abrasive by design.

For stuck food, soak in warm soapy water rather than scrubbing. Never use steel wool.

Storage

Stacking pans inside each other scratches the coating of the one underneath. If you must stack, put a cloth, a paper towel or a pan protector between them. Hanging is better if you have the space.

Woks specifically

A nonstick wok is a compromise. Traditional wok cooking uses very high heat, which is exactly what nonstick coatings dislike. If you want proper wok hei, carbon steel is the right tool and it needs seasoning rather than protecting.

A nonstick wok is genuinely good for lower heat stir fries, steaming and anything with a delicate protein, and it needs far less oil. Use it for what it is good at.

Check the base type against your hob. Induction needs a magnetic base, and not every wok has one.

When to replace it

Replace a nonstick pan when the coating is visibly flaking, blistering or peeling, or when food sticks despite oil on a clean pan. A pan that has simply lost its shine is fine. One that is shedding is not.

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