Nonstick Lesson 102: How is The Quality of Nonstick Coatings Different

Various levels or parameters of a nonstick coating can be measured to gauge its quality. In most cases, the quality of the material used and the actual amount of surface coating determines the quality and longevity of the nonstick coating. These different types of nonstick coatings can be roughly divided into the following types:

• OPP/Promotional: These are cookware with a single-layer nonstick coating, typically used in entry level, inexpensive cookware that doesn't perform well and doesn't last long.

• Moderate/OPP: This is the next level coating where the top coat has a higher amount of PTFE and the first coat is basically customized for good adhesion. This first coat is also called a primer coat.

• Upper Moderate/Gourmet: They feature a three-layer coating of nonstick material, usually internally reinforced with high quality microscopic hard reinforcements mixed into the coating to increase the resistance to abrasion and wear and tear. These are usually used in high end, fancy, expensive cookware.

• Ceramic Coatings: Ceramic is a new phenomenon in the cookware coating industry, only commercially launched in 2009, but rapidly gaining popularity as it is considered more environmentally friendly than Teflon and more versatile in terms of colors and finishes. Ceramic coated cookware is also considered to be more durable and stronger than those with a Teflon finish. In terms of price, the two are nearly equal, at least at the entry level, and are now available in supermarkets and online stores. However, it is true that most nonstick cookware made today still uses Teflon as the coating medium.

To Be Continued…