Contemporary Stainless Steel Round Grill Pan vs Signature Nonstick 12-in. Round Grill Pan: which is safer?
Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel Round Grill Pan is the clear pick. Calphalon Signature Nonstick 12-in. Round Grill Pan carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Our pick
Calphalon
Contemporary Stainless Steel Round Grill Pan
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleStainless steel nickel or chromium leaching under acidic conditions
Calphalon
Signature Nonstick 12-in. Round Grill Pan
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleTeflon-type coating fume risk (thermal decomposition)
LikelyCoating degradation and microparticle release
PossibleAluminum leaching from bare substrate
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Stainless steel nickel or chromium leaching under acidic conditions on the Calphalon and not on the Calphalon.
- We flag PTFE fume risk (thermal decomposition), Coating degradation and microparticle release, Aluminum leaching from bare substrate and Lack of use-temperature guidance on the Calphalon and not on the Calphalon.
- The Calphalon is stainless steel, non-nonstick where the Calphalon is Nonstick coating (type unspecified), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 60 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Calphalon is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Calphalon grade, at 35% confidence against 82%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
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