What is Ninja NeverStick coating made of? You may have heard of the terms PTFE, PFOA, PFA and wondered what they mean and if it’s safe.
After all, you don’t want to purchase a pan that may potentially expose your food (and you) to harmful chemicals.
So here’s the inside scoop on Ninja’s non-stick coating:
Ninja’s NeverStick cookware is made of a non-stick polymer coating that is PTFE-based, which short for polytetraflouroethylene (also known by the brand name Teflon). NeverStick’s coating is FDA-approved, food safe, and is PFOA and PFA free. It’s also dishwasher safe and oven safe up to 400ºF.
If your main question is, “Is NeverStick coating safe?” then the answer is: Yes! You’re unlikely to experience any problems since the coating is completely inert.
And while PTFE did use to employ harmful chemicals like PFOA in its manufacturing, those have not been used since 2013.
How Does NeverStick Coating Work?
PTFE was actually discovered by accident in 1938. A DuPont chemist was trying to make a new type of refrigerant and ended up creating one of the most effective non-stick materials that exists.
What makes this coating so special is the low amount of friction it generates, which is what produces the non-stick effect. Basically, anything that touches it tends to slide right off.
NeverStick’s coating is PTFE-based, but it employs a much higher manufacturing temperature of 30,000ºF which helps to create a much tighter chemical bond that’s resistant to chipping and flaking.
In comparison, most other non-stick pots and pans are manufactured at a temperature of around 900ºF.
What Is PTFE?
PTFE is the abbreviation for polytetraflouroethylene, a non-stick polymer that’s more commonly known by the brand name Teflon.
What Is PFOA?
PFOA stands for Perfluorooctanoic acid, a chemical that was used in the manufacturing of PTFE and Teflon up until 2013. After it was discovered that this chemical can injure the liver and affect growth and development, it’s use in making PTFE was discontinued.
What Is PFA?
PFAs are another type of chemical that has been found to cause adverse health effects. It’s especially important to make sure that non-stick coating is PFA-free due to the high temperatures involved in cooking.
What You Should Know
Ninja’s NeverStick coating is based on the same material as most other non-stick pans on the market, but it uses an exclusive technique that makes it more resistant to chipping and flaking.
It’s FDA-approved and food safe, so you don’t need to worry about it causing any problems for you or your family. And because of it’s high manufacturing temperature, it’s also dishwasher safe and oven safe up to 400ºF, which is an added bit of convenience.
Like most non-stick pans, however, it’s a good idea to only use it on medium-to-low heat in order to avoid stressing the non-stick coating. Pans can get extremely hot on a stove top at high heat and this can cause the coating to lose its effectiveness and it can become harder to clean over time.
Patrick Ward