I’ve Rated Every Kind Of Pan In 22 Years As A Chef. Even The “Titanium” Ones. Only 1 Isn’t A Coating.
Not coated. Not reinforced. Not infused. Here is what your food actually touches.
In 22 years in kitchens, I have cooked on every kind of pan.
A $25 nonstick from the supermarket. A $105 ceramic pan. A $200 hybrid with a honeycomb grid. And lately, a pile of pans that say “titanium” on the box.
Most of them are a coating. Only one is not.
So here are my scores. Out of 10. No favours.
1. Nonstick, Even “Titanium” Nonstick: 3/10.
The cheapest pan in most kitchens. These days the box often says titanium.
But that titanium is tiny bits mixed into the coating. Your eggs still sit on PTFE. And PTFE is itself a PFAS.
When it cracks, one crack can release about 9,100 plastic particles. The titanium does not stop that.
See a pan with no coating at all →
2. Ceramic, Even “Ceramic Titanium”: 4/10.
Sold as the clean choice. But the ceramic is a thin coating, most often over aluminium.
America’s Test Kitchen found “even the best ceramic nonstick surfaces quickly deteriorated with use.”
Then your eggs sit on whatever is underneath. And you buy another pan.
See the pan with nothing to wear off →
3. Stainless, Even “Titanium Stainless”: 4/10.
I cooked on stainless for years. It sears beautifully. But it is an alloy, with nickel and chromium inside.
The “titanium” kind is the same steel with under 1% titanium added.
In a 2013 study, tomato sauce simmered in stainless pulled both metals out. And eggs glue themselves on.
See what my food touches now →
4. Cast Iron: 5/10. Old School. Heavy. Reactive.
I respect cast iron. But acid pulls iron into your food.
In America’s Test Kitchen’s test, tomato sauce tasted metallic after 30 minutes.
A 12-inch skillet weighs 3.6 kilos. And it needs constant seasoning just to work. Lift one full of sauce, and you feel it.
See a pan that handles tomato sauce →
5. The Hexagon Hybrid: 5/10. Steel On Top. Coating Below.
The famous one. A steel grid sits over a nonstick coating. Since 2024, many use ceramic in the gaps instead of PTFE.
Either way, it is still a coating. One review said it: you need at least some oil.
And one maker paid $2.5 million to settle a “PFAS-free” lawsuit.
See the pan that is not a coating →
6. Real Titanium: 9/10. Not Coated. Not Reinforced. Not Infused.
This is the Siraat Hammered Pan Pro. Your food sits on pure titanium. Nothing to chip. Nothing to peel.
Under it is an aluminium core, because titanium alone heats unevenly. A steel base makes it work on induction.
Light Labs tested it: no PFAS, no PTFE, no lead, no cadmium.
See the pan that scored 9 →
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The only pan on this list that is not a coating. Cook on it for 30 days, or get every dollar back.
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Cook on it for 30 days or get a full refund, plus a 75-year warranty
7. What It Handles That The Others Can’t.
Metal spatula? Go ahead. You cannot scratch off a coating it does not have.
Oven safe to 1000°F. Gas, electric and induction. Dishwasher safe too.
My one rule: 2 minutes of heat and a teaspoon of oil. Then eggs let go, and steak gets a real crust.
See it sear →
8. Why Not A 10? The Price. Until Now.
Nonstick 3. Ceramic 4. Stainless 4. Cast iron 5. Hybrid 5. Real titanium 9.
The one thing that kept it from a 10 was the price. Right now it is 70% off, with 3 free gifts.
You get 30 days to cook on it. Not for you? Every dollar back. Then a 75-year warranty.
Start my 30 days →THE PAN THAT SCORED 9. 70% OFF
Stop paying for coatings. Lab tested, nothing to peel, and a 75-year warranty.
Check Availability NowFree with every order: a mystery gift, shipping and a cooking e-book. Plus: every order enters the weekly draw for a PFAS water purifier.
Cook on it for 30 days or get a full refund, plus a 75-year warranty
Scores are the author’s own opinion; pans are described, not named. Sources: OECD 2021 PFAS terminology report; Luo et al., Science of the Total Environment, 2022 (Flinders University / University of Newcastle); America’s Test Kitchen, best ceramic nonstick skillets (Aug 2026) and acidic food in cast iron; Combined Metals, Alloy 316Ti data sheet (2024); Kamerud, Hobbie & Anderson, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2013; Lodge 12” cast iron skillet spec (7.89 lb); Prudent Reviews, hybrid pan review (Apr 2026); Cliburn v. One Source to Market LLC, LASC 23STCV28390, $2.5M settlement with no admission of wrongdoing; Light Labs test results via Siraat’s Kitchen.