Teflon truth: There is life after nonstick pans

For decades, Americans have been sold a slick fantasy: if your eggs don’t slide out of a pan like a Vegas card trick, you’re doing it wrong.

It began in the 1960s and ’70s, when Teflon pans flooded kitchens with promises of perfection: no scrubbing, no sticking, no mess. The marketing hid a dangerous truth — Teflon coatings were made with chemicals that can leach into food when pans overheat or scratch. Behind closed doors, chemical companies knew the risks long before the public did.

These PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are called “forever chemicals” for good reason. They don’t break down, lingering in our blood, water, and soil. They’ve been linked to cancer, infertility, thyroid disease, developmental delays, and immune dysfunction.

When PFAS are made — to coat a pan, a raincoat, or a mascara wand — they can contaminate groundwater. Communities near manufacturing sites often have the most polluted drinking water in America. That’s why about 30 states, including my home state, Minnesota, have adopted restrictions on these chemicals, with at least 14 imposing partial or full bans on consumer goods containing PFAS.

California may soon follow. If Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the bill on his desk, cookware containing forever chemicals will be banned from sale in the state beginning in 2030. Because California is the world’s fourth-largest economy, it can help remake the industry in a positive way. America as a whole will be healthier, safer, and maybe even more skilled at cooking. The only losers will be the companies that built fortunes convincing us we couldn’t live without their slippery science experiment.

There’s been backlash, including from celebrity chefs. But California’s proposal is a good one. The science is clear, and the economic arguments are tired. Eliminating PFAS in cookware would reduce contamination, protect future generations, and, as a bonus, help us rediscover how to actually cook.

I understand the appeal of PFAS nonstick pans — they’re cheap and seem easy. But here’s the thing: they’re not even that good for cooking. For most foods — seared meats, sautéed vegetables, fried rice, pancakes — a well-seasoned carbon steel or cast-iron pan performs better. Even those omelets everyone swears require nonstick? French chefs perfected them long before chemical coatings existed. Technique matters: gentle heat, a touch of butter or oil, and a patient wrist. Not a chemical barrier.

And the “easy cleanup” myth? Another marketing masterpiece. Once you learn to care for carbon steel, stainless steel, or cast iron, cleanup takes seconds: hot water, a quick brush, a swipe of oil — done. I’ve cooked for decades with these materials. From scrambled eggs to sticky caramels, I’ve never needed Teflon. A good pan is like a trusted friend: it improves with time, instead of slowly poisoning you.

The industry doesn’t want you to know this. It’s spent millions convincing Americans that nonstick equals modern tech and that other pans are relics for people who enjoy scrubbing. Now, some celebrity chefs echo that message, warning that a PFAS ban will harm home cooks or limit choice. Their arguments — that PFAS pans are safe if used “correctly,” that alternatives cost too much, that good results depend on chemical coatings — crumble under scrutiny.

Affordable, safe options already exist. A seasoned carbon steel wok can cost under $30. Stainless steel skillets fill restaurant kitchens across America. Cast-iron pans can last generations and often cost less than their nonstick counterparts. Carbon steel even gets better with age — and it won’t scratch the first time you use a metal spatula.

Americans are not as helpless as the industry imagines. We can learn and adapt — we did after phasing out leaded gasoline and asbestos. Forever chemicals are just the next “miracle” that turned out to be more curse than cure.

Some say a California ban will hurt manufacturers or lead to lawsuits. Maybe. But the status quo is already hurting something far more important: people. Farmers who can’t sell beef from PFAS-tainted pastures. Families who can’t trust their tap water. Workers exposed on the job. This isn’t just regulatory math; it’s a moral equation.

I’ve spent my life cooking and traveling. To me, preparing food isn’t about shortcuts — it’s about attention. When we trade durable materials for disposable ones, we lose not only our health but also a small part of our humanity: the part that knows how to care for something, maintain it, season it, and pass it down.

America doesn’t need nonstick pans, and Governor Newsom has the chance to accelerate the shift away from them. A California ban won’t just protect citizens from toxic chemicals; it will remind us that better cooking doesn’t come from better coatings. It comes from better choices.

@The New York Times