How does a nonstick pan keep food from sticking?
Teflon's Slippery Secret
How does a nonstick pan keep food from sticking?
You crack an egg into a regular pan, and within seconds it's welded to the metal like it signed a lease. But crack that same egg into a nonstick pan? It slides around like it's ice skating. How does the pan convince food to stay so chill?
To understand nonstick, you first need to know why food sticks in the first place. Metal pans, even when they look smooth, are covered in microscopic pits and scratches — like a parking lot full of potholes. When you heat food, its proteins and sugars melt a little and flow right into those tiny holes, grabbing on tight.
