- Contents -
1. Non-Stick Surface
2. To Preheat or to not Preheat
3. Lemon Juice
4. Coating in Oil
5. Soaking
6. Best Heat Conductors
7. Oven-to-Table 

There are multiple buzzwords when it comes to kitchenware, and non-stick is so often at the top of the list. Since 1920 Falcon Enamelware has been well known for being the best and number one destination for naturally non-stick kitchenware.

Enamelware is made from steel and coated with porcelain enamel which gives it the glossy smooth non-stick finish. Porcelain itself is produced using natural clay; it is baked and glazed in a kiln to make it as durable as we see on all of our enamelware today.

Here we’ve compiled the ultimate list of non-sticking kitchenware surfaces for your reference. We hope this list will help make them even more effective as you use them in your everyday.

Also included are some tips on ‘best use’ and how to make the most out of your non-stick surfaces and kitchenware. We hope you enjoy.

Non-Stick Surfaces

When discussing the notion of ‘non-stick’ many people will automatically think of Teflon, the material that has built a name for itself as the ultimate non-stick kitchenware. Teflon is a chemical mixture of perfluorochemicals, which is ‘non-polar’ i.e. it repels other chemicals really well. Teflon was created in 1938 by the DuPont chemical company and is used as an additive to paints, fabrics, carpets, and clothing. It is also used to treat materials to make them resistant to oils (like the inside of microwave popcorn bags).

Teflon has a primary chemical polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE to you and I, which has an incredibly high melting point (327ºC) which obviously makes it perfect for cooking. Anything above 350ºC and PTFE degrades releasing particles and other gases, which can damage our lungs when inhaled.  This has led to a backlash of Teflon for non-stick pans as its highly toxic chemical structure makes us wonder just what it is we’re cooking our food with.

There are alternatives to Teflon and anodised aluminium is just one of them. Most of us know what aluminium is, but the anodisation process changes this material, which builds up the metal’s natural coating of oxide making it tough, scratch-resistant and of course, non-stick.

As for Falcon Enamelware, it is made from steel and coated with porcelain enamel made from natural clay, baked and glazed to make it durable and non-stick. As it is natural clay, it isn’t toxic and if it chips then you can still use it, as the steel underneath will oxidise creating a natural seal. It is the ideal option for non-stock kitchenware.

We’ve looked at Teflon, aluminium, and enamel and there are two more key materials for non-stock kitchenware. Next on our list is a type of glass called Borosilicate glass, or Pyrex. This glass was first developed by the German glassmaker Otto Schott in the late 19th century and arrived in to our homes in 1915 under the aforementioned brand name.  Borosilicate glass is a mixture of glass and silica (a colourless, white, chemical compound) and boron trioxide (a white, glassy solid); in fact it is 80% silica, 13% boric oxide, 4% sodium oxide and 2–3% aluminium oxide which means it is heat-resistant and non-stick.

Last on our list of materials is silicone made from rubber, which can be heated to a massive 300°C and home ovens don’t usually reach this temperature so it’s more than safe to use. This material is soft and does not transfer heat very much at all, which means you can manipulate the material easily and touch the surface even after coming out of the oven. Some people complain of rubbery smells when cooking with this but if that does happen you won’t find it passes on to the food.

Our five examples here mostly contain different chemical elements to make the surface non-stick, which is why we love enamel kitchenware so much. The surface is natural… clay, baked and glazed to create it’s non-stick surface. 

Material	Max Temperature
Glass	500°C
Teflon	327ºC
Silicone	300°C
Enamelware	270°C
Anodised Aluminium	100°C

To Preheat or to not Preheat 

Many people question whether they should preheat their kitchenware before cooking in it. The simple answer to this is yes as most materials transfer heat, so by preheating your surfaces you can have an even transfer of heat over the entire dish. This surface heat also creates an immediate seal to the food, separating the enamelware from the food, which makes the enamelware even more non-stick. As the surface of your pan heats up, the material expands. Imagine microscopic little lines in the surface and if the swelling closes these gaps there is less space for food to stick. 

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice really helps to remove stains from Falcon Enamelware products, such as tea stains on mugs. Soaking the products in warm soapy water will also help remove baked on food, but avoid using abrasive sponges or brushes as this may scratch the surface.

A mixture of lemon juice and salt can work wonders on Falcon Enamelware. Sprinkle salt onto the stain, making sure there’s enough to cover it. Cut a lemon and squeeze the juice over the salt and let it soak into the stain. It should turn into a paste that you can use to scrub against the stain with a sponge. The stain should slowly start to lift off the enamel, and you can then wash it off rinse the salt and lemon juice off. Use warm water and rinse it thoroughly while wiping away any residue with a clean cloth. Finally, allow it to air dry or wipe it clean with a dry towel. 

Coating in Oil

If you are trying to prevent food from sticking to the pan then oil can be a great barrier between the food and the surface and allow it to lift from the pan more easily. Try preheating the pan first to allow the surface to swell and become as non-stick as possible prior to adding any oil, and continue to heat the pan until the oil has heated up.  This is the perfect solution to making the most of the non-stick qualities of the kitchenware whilst also allowing the oil to build a barrier even further. This will make cleaning after use far easier but avoid using too much oil or this can penetrate the food if not fully heated.

Soaking

Be wary not to scrub your non-stick surface too hard when removing food that is persistent. This scrubbing can either scratch the surface creating lots of tiny scars and marks on the surface, or it could even remove a layer of the surface. So before you pick up the scouring brush think twice about scrubbing away at that surface, and that includes enamelware, as the surface sheen will stay in great condition without the brush.

The best solution for removing those pesky marks and stains is to soak your dish with a little washing liquid and leave to stand until this softens the surface layers. Once that has softened, you can lightly scrub the food away leaving a shiny enamelled surface and a dish ready to use again. 

Best Heat Conductors

When choosing your kitchenware, one factor that is worth considering is how well it will conduct heat, which is important to help create an even cooking surface. You don’t want a dish that only heats from the top and not from the base, or another that conducts heat too much so we took a look at the Thermal Conductivity for the materials we’ve been researching in this article.

Material	Thermal Conductivity
Anodised Aluminium	237
Enamelware	1.05
Glass	0.58
Teflon	0.250
Silicone	0.003

Falcon is great for thermal conductivity but nothing compared to the amount that anodised aluminium can conduct. As you can see, aluminium is the clear winner in this challenge, which is why most aluminium pans are thin and lightweight. The material needs very little in order to conduct heat, which is why it is used for foil so often as only a thin layer of aluminium is all that is needed to conduct heat and cook the contents.

Whilst aluminium is the best conductor of heat from our tests, enamelware is 320% better than Teflon at conducting heat. 

We would advise moving away from chemical-based non-stick materials and over to natural materials.

Oven-to-Table

Our final test for non-stick is less about the material but more about how the product looks when presented to your guests. Most kitchenware is perfect for preparing food, but you’ll want to move it to a different dish before serving to guests. 

Our enamelware is perfect for taking straight from the oven and placing on to the table (on top of a trivet) so that your guests can dive straight in to your dish. Our kitchenware is ideal for dinner parties or afternoon tea parties where you want to prepare and serve in the same dish. 

Take a look at our Instagram page for some great ideas and inspiration for tablescaping this season. You’ll see how our friends and customers use Falcon Enamelware to make their food look even better placed on the table.