Can a Teflon frying pan be washed in the dishwasher?

The dishwasher has long become an indispensable household assistant. Housewives calmly trust the equipment with cutlery, plates, mugs and pots. As for frying pans with a special coating, everything is not so simple. Let's figure out whether it is possible to load such dishes into the device.

What happens to the Teflon coating?

Can Teflon pans be washed in the dishwasher? This question is asked by many housewives. It is not recommended to clean dishes with a special polymer coating by machine.

This can be explained very simply - due to strong mechanical impact, the spraying is erased. It’s not for nothing that only wooden or silicone spatulas are allowed to be used for cooking - careful handling is necessary to preserve the non-stick surface.

Teflon coated pans are easy to clean by hand. Food does not stick to the surface, so such dishes can be cleaned with soft sponges. Do not use metal brushes, powders or alkaline detergents.

The exception will be the most modern frying pans with TeflonTM non-stick coating. The manufacturer states that machine cleaning will not harm such dishes. Spraying can only deteriorate when exposed to temperatures above 260°C, and a dishwasher does not reach such temperatures.

What to do with Tefal frying pans?

Teflon-coated pans are not cheap, so it is important to understand how to properly care for them. Kitchen appliance manufacturer Tefal immediately warns that not all of their dishes are machine washable.But how do you know what you can and cannot put in the dishwasher?

Tefal pans that are dishwasher safe have a special symbol on the packaging or bottom.

Therefore, immediately after purchase, inspect the purchase and study all the information presented on the packaging. Even if the manufacturer allows you to put a Teflon frying pan in the dishwasher, this should only be done as a last resort to extend the life of the pan.

A dishwasher-proof Teflon-coated pan will last much longer. This has been proven through repeated experiments. With frequent machine cleaning, stains from the detergents used will form on the surface of the dishes. In addition, the appearance of the kitchen utensils will deteriorate - the walls of the stewpan will become discolored and dull.

Having found out that the manufacturer allows you to wash the frying pan in a machine, and having decided to take advantage of this, remember that you cannot leave the dishes in the chamber for a long time. At the end of the cycle, you must immediately remove the non-stick saucepan and wipe it dry.

Cast iron frying pans

Cast iron pans are stronger than Teflon, so are they safe to put in the dishwasher? This is allowed, but there will also be risks. Although cast iron is a very reliable material, a machine can ruin it.

Cast iron frying pans, like Teflon ones, are not recommended to be washed in the dishwasher because:

• cast iron does not like aggressive household chemicals, and dishwashers use just such products;
• prolonged contact with water is detrimental to such dishes; over time, cast iron will begin to rust, and the minimum cycle in dishwashers is as much as 30 minutes;
• high temperature exposure during the washing process negatively affects the material.

It is best to wash both cast iron and Teflon pans by hand using a soft sponge and a gentle cleaning agent.

Therefore, you should only use a dishwasher as a last resort. For example, when you can’t remove carbon deposits from the bottom of a frying pan. It is better to wash a cast iron or Teflon saucepan yourself, in warm water, using a soft sponge.

Non-stick frying pan

Today, in every kitchen you can find a frying pan with a non-stick coating. This type of cookware is very convenient – ​​you can cook on it without adding oil. To ensure that utensils last as long as possible, it is important to properly care for them. We'll tell you what housewives need to remember.

Nonstick pans should cool to room temperature. Do not place a hot vessel under running cold water in an attempt to cool it down. 20-30 minutes after cooking, the cooled saucepan can be washed. The sponge should be soft and the cleaning agent should be gentle.

It's best to clean nonstick cookware as soon as it cools down. Otherwise, the remaining food, as well as a layer of fat, will harden, and removing them without damaging the bottom and walls of the pan will be problematic. If you decide to put kitchen utensils into the dishwasher, use highly concentrated products that will not harm the products.

To extend the life of non-stick cookware, follow these recommendations:

• use only wooden or silicone spatulas for cooking;
• do not cut food at the bottom of the pan;
• clean the protective coating only with soft sponges without an abrasive surface;
• use gentle, concentrated detergents;
• do not serve food from the frying pan with metal spoons and forks;
• avoid sudden temperature changes when using and cleaning pans;
• When loading pans into the dishwasher, run the shortest mode, with a water heating temperature of no more than 40°C;
• Do not place non-stick pans in the refrigerator.

Teflon frying pans should not be overheated, although the manufacturer claims that they can withstand temperatures up to 260°C. A very high degree can permanently damage the coating. When the coating wears off, it is better to immediately throw away the vessel, otherwise the food will burn badly during cooking.

Before using coated cookware for the first time, rinse it under running warm water and dry it with a towel. Be sure to read the information on the packaging - there the manufacturer talks in detail about the product and provides recommendations for caring for it.

Thus, it is better to clean expensive Teflon-coated frying pans by hand. A dishwasher will significantly shorten the life of the stewpan. If you still decide to use the equipment, run the shortest mode and use gentle detergent compositions - this way you will be able to preserve the properties and appearance of the dishes.

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