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Nonstick pans are great at a variety of foods but they fail at the high heat needed for searing meats. If you plan on searing steak, a different pan is the way to go.

David Watsky Managing Editor / Home and Kitchen

David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips. David earned his BA from Northeastern and has toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom. Right now he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or tinkering with a toaster. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week.

Expertise Kitchen tools | Appliances | Food science | Subscriptions | Meal kits

3 min read

Nonstick pans were a game changer in the kitchen when they were introduced and today they're a common tool in many homes. They make it easy to cook eggs, flip pancakes or omelets without a mess, and make cleaning up a breeze. That doesn't mean these pans are suitable for cooking up everything though. If you use them to cook certain foods, you could end up with a lackluster meal.

The issue comes down to heat and chemistry. Nonstick pans are designed for low to medium temperatures, so they can't achieve the high heat necessary for proper browning. When you try to sear a steak or chicken breast in a nonstick pan, you'll end up with pale, steamed meat instead of the caramelized, flavorful crust that develops through the Maillard reaction. That golden-brown exterior isn't just about appearance -- it's where much of the flavor lives.

Beyond disappointing results, misusing nonstick pans can damage them. High heat and metal utensils gradually degrade the coating, shortening the pan's lifespan and potentially introducing coating particles into your food. We all love  as much as the next bloke, but most of your culinary projects fare better in , carbon steel or . These pans impart high surface heat, giving food char, depth and flavor development. I asked a career cooking teacher to compile the ultimate nonstick no-go list.