Why don’t we sell nonstick cookware?
It’s a good question! To be perfectly honest, it’s possible we would be much better off from a business standpoint if we did choose to sell nonstick cookware. An estimated $23 billion is going to be spent on nonstick cookware globally this year, and it’s the fastest growing segment of the cookware market.
So, as a company, why do we choose not to participate in that market? Why don’t we make our own version of a nonstick pan? A few reasons:
1. Out of respect for our customers
Beyond any possible negative health impacts that using nonstick cookware might have, we know that overall it’s just a bad deal for cooks. Whether it’s a PTFE coating, a ceramic coating, or some other magical new ‘diamond-reinforced’, ‘30x stronger’ marketing-gimmick-filled coating, all of these chemically coated pans are bound to wear out over time. It might take a couple of months or a couple of years, but all of these coatings will eventually degrade, either through scratching or through the repeated heating and cooling that is bound to happen with your cookware.
As a result, cooks are left with two bad options: either keep using pans that are gradually getting worse with each use, or choose to toss them and buy them all over again.
That’s a really great deal for the nonstick cookware manufacturers out there! They get to sell you a sub-par product that they know will wear out over time, and then sell it to you again once you need to replace it. You just need to take a look at the warranty policies that these companies offer to make it really clear that they have no intention of backing their products beyond some limited initial use.
Obviously this isn’t a great experience for the cooks out there. It’s a choice between being dissatisfied with the cookware you’re using and having to pay double (or triple, or more) for continually replacing the same cookware.
We want to avoid that experience for our customers. We would much rather sell you good cookware that will last forever that you only need to buy once. We try our best to do that at a reasonable price that still rewards the American workers who build the product.
2. Out of respect for the environment
“Sustainable” or “green” or “clean” are terms often thrown around in relation to cookware marketing, but the actual claims are often incredibly vague or misleading. Is it “green” to sell cookware that’s built to wear out and get thrown out after a matter of months? We don’t think so! Is your cookware “clean” if you just avoid using PFOA? Seems like an awfully low bar to us!
As a manufacturer, we try to consider our entire supply chain and make the most responsible choices that we can. We know that using PFAS forever chemicals in any part of that supply chain is not a sustainable or responsible choice, so we don’t do it.
Ceramic type nonstick options that don’t contain PFAS aren’t meaningfully better from an environmental perspective, as those pans are bound for a trash dump even sooner than PTFE based pans due to their sadly limited useful life expectancy.
For us, the most sustainable and environmentally friendly form of cookware is the one that will be used the longest. Whether it’s your grandma’s cast iron skillet or a set of stainless steel pans passed down from generation to generation, these durable types of cookware are the most sustainable because they have the longest useful life.
3. Out of respect for our product
We spend a lot of time, money, and effort to source good materials and manufacture them into a beautiful and functional final product. Probably the most important part of that process is finishing the cooking surface of the pans so that it cooks evenly, releases easily, and performs reliably.
Why then would be cover up that beautifully finished cooking surface with some chemical coating? To us, it sounds like a way to pay more money for a lower quality end product - it doesn’t make a lot of sense!
It’s not so hard to make the switch
Nonstick cookware manufacturers work overtime trying to convince cooks that their cookware is the only one that is user friendly and easy to use. We do grant that cooking with stainless steel takes a bit of a learning curve, but once you learn a couple basic techniques you’ll be ready to handle whatever cooking challenge you want.
There’s a reason we’ve stuck to our guns and to this day manufacture only stainless clad cookware: we know that it works and we know that it lasts. We’re dedicated to spreading that message and knowledge to as many people as we can!
If you’re ready to make the switch, we’re here to help every step of the way.
