Why You Shouldn't Use High Heat With Nonstick Frying Pans

We all know there is practically an entire manual written on how to properly use cast iron pans to avoid ruining them, but did you realize there are tons of ways to ruin your trusty day-to-day nonstick frying pan? If you're feeling shocked and disappointed, don't worry, so are we. Luckily there are a few tips that can save you a lot of sadness and money in the long run. While a few of your nonstick frying pans may be able to stand up to a lot of the standard wear-and-tear that goes on in your kitchen, most of them need a little gentler treatment than what they may have been receiving. 

According to Food & Wine, there are actually several ways you're ruining your frying pans. Firstly, using metal utensils is a big n-o. These can scrape off the nonstick coating, basically rendering your pan useless (especially if you have plans to cook eggs in them). Washing your pans in the dishwasher is a bad idea, too, as it can damage the nonstick coating. and using high heat on them is simply a recipe for disaster.

Not only can using high heat on a nonstick frying pan cause damage to the nonstick coating we all love so much, but it can actually release harmful toxins, according to Food & Wine. Kitchn further supports this, writing that using such high heat deteriorates the coating and can lead to potentially hazardous vapors rising up from your pan, which is clearly something that nobody wants. 

If you need to get a good sear on something or plan on cooking on high heat for another reason, then you should use a stainless steel or cast-iron skillet instead. These types of pans don't have coatings that can be damaged as easily and tend to hold up much better overall when subjected to high temperatures. Ultimately, when you're using a nonstick pan, make sure you're cooking at medium and low temperatures, as it's better for you, better for the pan, and further improves the lifespan of your cookware so you're not stuck buying new ones on a regular basis.