Metal Over Nonstick: A Simple Cookware Swap That Cuts Particle Shedding
Switching to stainless steel, cast iron, or glass cookware and discarding scratched non-stick pans is a one-off, low-cost way to cut microplastic and PTFE shedding into food.
A scratched non-stick pan is one of the few kitchen sources where the evidence on particle shedding is clear and the fix is simple. You do this once. It's not a lifestyle overhaul.
What to do
- Cook on stainless steel, cast iron, or glass where you can. In a 2024 controlled comparison, these materials added no microplastics above background levels.
- Discard non-stick pans once the coating is scratched, chipped, or flaking. That is when shedding rises sharply.
- Treat it as a one-off replacement. Swapping a damaged pan is a low-cost, do-it-once change.
- Don't panic-bin an intact non-stick pan. The strongest case is for replacing scratched coatings, not all non-stick.
Why it works
In 2024, Cole et al. tested cookware materials head to head. Stainless steel and glass added no microplastics above background. Plastic and PTFE (Teflon-type) cookware released significantly more.
The shedding scales with damage. A scratched Teflon surface can release large numbers of particles into food (Luo et al., 2022, based on extrapolated measurements). PTFE is a fluoropolymer in the PFAS family. That's one reason the coating itself, and not just the particles, is worth retiring once it breaks down.
The honest caveat
The evidence here is about exposure. Damaged non-stick coatings demonstrably shed more particles into food, and metal or glass do not. That part is well supported. What remains far less certain is whether ingesting these particles causes measurable harm to health. We're confident the swap reduces what ends up in your food. We are not claiming it prevents a specific disease. The good news is that the action costs little and carries no downside, so you don't need proof of harm to justify replacing a pan that is already worn out.