Short answer: the smooth coating in almost every non-stick pan is made of PFAS. These substances don't break down in nature, they now turn up in the blood of nearly everyone, and Europe is in the process of banning them. As long as the coating is intact, little happens. But that coating wears away, scratch by scratch, and what comes off does not vanish into thin air. You can also simply skip the whole issue: a pan of solid stainless steel with a silicon dioxide coating cooks just as easily and lasts for years.
Take a good look at your frying pan. See any scratches? Dull patches? Spots where food suddenly does stick?
Then your non-stick coating is disappearing. And the question worth asking yourself is simple: where did it go?
What is actually in a non-stick coating?
PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a family of thousands of chemicals that repel grease and water. That is exactly why your fried egg slides straight out.
The problem is what else they do. The bond between carbon and fluorine is one of the strongest that chemistry knows. So strong that nature can do nothing with it. They do not break down. Not in ten years, not in a hundred. That is why they are called forever chemicals.
By now they are everywhere: in rainwater, in fish, in farmland. And in people. The Dutch health institute RIVM found that people in the Netherlands take in more of them than the amount considered safe by the European food authority EFSA in 2020.
That is not a problem for the future. That is where we stand today.
Europe is banning these substances
Lawmakers rarely run ahead of the panic, they usually trail behind it. So look at what has already happened:
- PFOA, used for years in the making of non-stick coatings, has been banned in the European Union.
- In 2023 five European countries, the Netherlands among them, filed a proposal to restrict the entire PFAS group. It would become one of the biggest chemical restrictions ever in Europe.
So nobody is debating whether these substances are a problem. The negotiation is about how quickly they have to go.
The only question left is whether you wait for that, or get your own kitchen in order now.
What happens when your pan gets too hot?
An empty pan on high heat is hotter than you think within two minutes. Above roughly 260 degrees the coating starts to break down and gives off fumes.
Bird owners have known what those fumes do for decades: a bird in the same room often does not survive it. In people it is documented as flu-like symptoms after breathing them in.
Let's be honest here. Who is watching for 260 degrees while the children sit waiting at the table and the phone rings?
And the coating you scrape away?
Every scratch is material that has come off your pan. It does not dissolve. It goes along with whatever you serve up that evening.
On top of that: once the coating is damaged, it stops doing its job. Food sticks, you scrape harder, more comes off. That is how it goes with every non-stick pan, however expensive.
A non-stick pan is not a purchase. It is a subscription. Every two or three years all over again. Work out what that costs you across ten years.
The pan that skips this whole problem
No clever trick is needed. All you need is a pan that does not get its smoothness from chemistry.
DotShield is solid tri-ply stainless steel with a non-stick coating of silicon dioxide (SiO₂): the same material as sand and glass. Inert, so it reacts with nothing. Not with your tomato sauce, and not when the pan gets too hot for once.
- No PFAS, no PFOA, no PTFE. Nothing that can leach out or fume off.
- No coating that flakes after six months. Five years from now you will still be taking this pan out of the cupboard every day.
- 3.5 mm solid tri-ply in the frying pans, in the base and the walls. Nothing warps there, not even at full power on induction. No wobbling base, no oil running off to one side.
- Works on everything: gas, electric, ceramic and induction. And it can go in the oven up to 300 degrees.
- CE and LFGB certified, including DIN 10955. Tested, not promised.
Does food not stick to stainless steel?
Straight answer: stainless steel asks for a little more attention than a chemical coating. Two habits and it never bothers you again.
- Do not heat oil too long on high heat. Medium-high is plenty.
- Clean the pan as soon as it has cooled down, with a non-abrasive sponge and warm water.
In return you get a pan you do not have to replace every few years, one you can use a metal spatula in, and one you slide into a 250 degree oven without a second thought.
This is the last frying pan you buy.
What you can do today
- Get your pans out and look. Scratches, dull patches or flaking edges? Then that coating is already on its way to your plate.
- Start with the pan you use most. Usually the 28 cm frying pan. That is where you make the biggest jump.
- Just try it. You get thirty days to change your mind, even if you have already used the pan, and a five year warranty.
See the DotShield pans and cook without PFAS from tonight
Frequently asked questions
Should I throw out my current pan straight away?
If the coating is still completely intact, you can keep using it for now; just never heat it empty. If you see scratches or flaking spots, replace it. From that moment on you are eating whatever comes off.
Is PFAS banned in Europe?
PFOA is banned. For the entire PFAS group a European restriction proposal has been on the table since 2023, filed by five countries including the Netherlands.
What is the difference between PFAS, PFOA and PTFE?
PFAS is the collective name for the whole family. PFOA is one specific substance from that family that was used in production and is now banned. PTFE is the material of the smooth coating itself, commonly known as teflon.
Why is silicon dioxide safe?
SiO₂ is the main component of sand and glass. It is inert: it does not react with your food and nothing leaches out, not even at high temperature.
Does a DotShield pan work on induction?
Yes, on every heat source: gas, electric, ceramic and induction. The magnetic base layer is picked up straight away and the pan stays flat.
What if I do not like the pan?
Then you send it back within thirty days, even if you have cooked in it. On top of that you have a five year warranty on material and manufacturing defects.