Chef's Classic Stainless Nonstick Skillet Set of 2 vs Rio Ceramic Nonstick Frypan: which is safer?

GreenPan Rio Ceramic Nonstick Frypan is the clear pick. Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless Nonstick Skillet Set of 2 carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless Nonstick Skillet Set of 2

Cuisinart

Chef's Classic Stainless Nonstick Skillet Set of 2

PFAS grade

Bad 15/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Stainless steel with proprietary nonstick coating (unspecified)

Confidence

45%

PossibleTeflon-type coating/fluorinated coating off-gassing (thermal decomposition)

ReportedCoating degradation and particle shedding

PossibleManufacturing or proprietary additive residues

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 PTFE/fluorinated coating off-gassing (thermal decomposition), Coating degradation and particle shedding and Manufacturing or proprietary additive residues 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 Stainless steel with proprietary nonstick coating (unspecified) where the GreenPan is ceramic nonstick coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 75 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the GreenPan is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Cuisinart grade, at 45% confidence against 82%, because it discloses less.

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