The Biggest Mistake You're Making With Your Nonstick Pan

Anyone who tells you cooking comes easy to them is lying, or at least born with a lucky streak. There are so many things that can go wrong in the kitchen, even for professional chefs — it's enough to make your head spin. According to BuzzFeed, common mistakes home chefs make include not making enough space in a pan, not salting the water enough, using the wrong oil for a recipe, and even something as simple as "putting hot food in a cold fridge". 

Even the pros agree. deMilked rounded up a list of advice from professional chefs, who say they've taught themselves to avoid mistakes like not using a sharp enough knife, trying to work too quickly to the detriment of your food or safety, not tasting or cleaning as you cook, and more. It's no surprise that when it comes to using something as magical as a nonstick pan, there are specific ways to go about working with it. This mistake is said to be the most common one of all.

Meal Prepify explains that there are seven types of nonstick pans, each with their own individual coatings, including ceramic, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), superhydrophobic, silicone, enameled cast iron, seasoned cast iron, and anodized aluminum. While not all nonstick coatings are made equally, it is important to preserve them. And, as Food Network highlights, one of this biggest mistakes people make in messing with their preservation is preheating a nonstick pan with nothing in it. 

Just because they're nonstick does not mean you should go without some kind of additional coating of fat. As Food Network notes, cooking with an empty nonstick pan "puts this coating in danger and can also lead to damage of the pan's shape." They also warn not to use nonstick cooking spray or metal utensils, don't cook on too high of a heat, and don't wash the pan in the dishwasher. Armed with these tips, you can cook up a storm knowing you won't be messing up your nice new nonstick pans anytime soon.