Chef's Classic Anodized Aluminum Skillet vs Rio Ceramic Nonstick Frypan: which is safer?

GreenPan Rio Ceramic Nonstick Frypan is the clear pick. Cuisinart Chef's Classic Anodized Aluminum Skillet carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Cuisinart Chef's Classic Anodized Aluminum Skillet

Cuisinart

Chef's Classic Anodized Aluminum Skillet

PFAS grade

Poor 35/100

Overall grade

Poor 31/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 1

Material

anodized aluminum (hard-coat anodic oxidation)

Confidence

78%

PossibleCoating degradation and leachables from breakdown

Our pick

GreenPan Rio Ceramic Nonstick Frypan

GreenPan

Rio Ceramic Nonstick Frypan

PFAS grade

Excellent 90/100

Overall grade

Good 58/100

Verdict

Buy with care

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

ceramic nonstick coating

Confidence

82%

LikelyCeramic coating degradation and peeling

PossibleAluminum leaching from base metal

ReportedCoating adhesion loss and metal exposure

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Coating degradation and leachables from breakdown on the Cuisinart and not on the GreenPan.
  • We flag Ceramic coating degradation and peeling, Aluminum leaching from base metal and Coating adhesion loss and metal exposure on the GreenPan and not on the Cuisinart.
  • The Cuisinart is anodized aluminum (hard-coat anodic oxidation) where the GreenPan is ceramic nonstick coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 55 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the GreenPan is the one to buy.

Both products run through the same public rubric: 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 →

More nonstick skillets: see the full ranking