PFAS in Cookware, Which Brands Grade Best and Worst

Based on available materials and data, ceramic nonstick and traditional stainless, cast iron, and glass cookware consistently grade highest for PFAS concern in our database, while traditional PTFE-based nonstick pans from mass-market brands grade lowest. The clear standouts in our model-based grading are the GreenPan Chatham Ceramic Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set and the Scanpan Ceramic Titanium, both landing at 90 out of 100 in our lower-concern "Excellent" tier.

This guide is not a lab report. It's a comparison of publicly available materials, brand disclosures, and construction types, scored against our PFAS grading model. Grades reflect our model-based estimate from materials and public disclosure, not a lab test, and a high score means lower estimated concern, not a guarantee that a product is PFAS-free or "safe" in an absolute sense. Where brands make PFAS-free marketing claims, we note whether those claims are brand-stated only or backed by independent, third-party verification. For a full side-by-side across more cookware, use the cookware finder or the general PFAS Authority finder tool.

Summary comparison

Product	PFAS grade	Verdict
GreenPan Chatham Ceramic Nonstick 10-Piece Set	Excellent, 90/100	Top-tier, lower concern
GreenPan Dover 12-Piece Ceramic Nonstick Set	Excellent, 90/100	Top-tier, lower concern
GreenPan Ceramic Non-stick	Excellent, 90/100	Top-tier, lower concern
Scanpan Ceramic Titanium	Excellent, 90/100	Top-tier, lower concern
GreenPan Chatham Ceramic Nonstick Frypan Set	Excellent, 90/100	Top-tier, lower concern
GreenPan Dover Ceramic Nonstick 8" & 10" Set	Excellent, 90/100	Top-tier, lower concern
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet	Excellent, 80/100	Strong choice, coating-free by design
All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel	Excellent, 80/100	Strong choice, coating-free by design
Pyrex Ceramic Fry Pan 10-in	Excellent, 80/100	Strong choice
Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron	Excellent, 80/100	Strong choice
Pyrex Ceramic Cookware Set	Excellent, 80/100	Strong choice
Tramontina Professional 12-Inch Ceramic Fry Pan	Good, 65/100	Mid-tier, acceptable with caveats
T-fal Professional VX3 Brushed Nonstick Fry Pan	Bad, 5/100	Avoid if minimizing PFAS
Tefal Non-stick Frying Pan	Bad, 5/100	Avoid if minimizing PFAS
T-Fal Easy Care Nonstick Fry Pan	Bad, 5/100	Avoid if minimizing PFAS
All-Clad HA1 Non-stick	Bad, 5/100	Avoid if minimizing PFAS

The top tier, ceramic nonstick at 90/100

Six products in our database land in the "Excellent" tier at 90/100, five from GreenPan and one from Scanpan. These are all ceramic nonstick pans and sets, and they share a construction logic that helps explain the score, a mineral-derived, silica-based ceramic nonstick coating applied over a metal body, rather than the PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) coatings used in conventional nonstick cookware.

GreenPan lineup

Materials, Anodized or stainless aluminum bodies with GreenPan's proprietary "Thermolon" ceramic nonstick coating, covering the Chatham Ceramic Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set, the Dover 12-Piece Ceramic Nonstick Cookware Set, the standalone GreenPan Ceramic Non-stick pan, the Chatham Frypan Set, and the Dover 8" and 10" Frypan Set.

Brand claims, GreenPan markets its Thermolon coating as free of PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium. This is a brand-stated claim on GreenPan's own product and marketing materials. Our grading reflects publicly available materials and disclosure about the coating chemistry, not an independent laboratory test commissioned by us, so we describe these products as lower concern rather than confirmed PFAS-free.

Pros, Consistently high scores across the whole GreenPan ceramic nonstick range, widely available, easy food release without traditional PTFE coatings, oven-safe in most lines.

Cons, Ceramic nonstick coatings generally lose their nonstick performance faster than PTFE over years of heavy use, and the coating can degrade with metal utensils or high heat, which may require earlier replacement.

Scanpan Ceramic Titanium

Materials, Cast aluminum body reinforced with titanium, finished with a ceramic-based nonstick surface.

Brand claims, Scanpan states its ceramic titanium coating is produced without PFAS and without the older PFOA chemistry once common in nonstick manufacturing. Again, this is a brand disclosure, not a third-party lab certificate reviewed by us.

Pros, Matches GreenPan's top score of 90/100, titanium reinforcement adds durability that pure ceramic coatings sometimes lack, oven- and broiler-safe in most versions.

Cons, Premium price point relative to entry-level ceramic nonstick, and like all ceramic coatings, longevity depends heavily on care (no metal utensils, moderate heat).

Also excellent, 80/100, the coating-free category

Five products earn an 80/100 "Excellent" grade, and what they have in common is instructive, none of them rely on a nonstick coating at all. This group spans stainless steel, cast iron, enameled cast iron, and glass or ceramic bakeware-style pans.

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

Materials, Raw, pre-seasoned cast iron, no synthetic nonstick coating.

Brand claims, Lodge does not market this skillet as a PFAS-free nonstick alternative because it isn't a nonstick product in the conventional sense; its release properties come from seasoning (polymerized oil), not fluoropolymer chemistry.

Pros, No coating to wear off or replace, extremely durable, works on induction, stovetop, oven, and campfire.

Cons, Heavy, requires ongoing seasoning maintenance, not ideal for acidic foods like tomato sauce without a well-seasoned surface.

All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel

Materials, Tri-ply bonded stainless steel with an aluminum core, uncoated cooking surface.

Brand claims, All-Clad positions D3 as a professional-grade stainless line, without nonstick coating claims, since none is present.

Pros, No nonstick coating means no coating-related PFAS exposure pathway to manage, extremely durable, oven- and broiler-safe to high temperatures.

Cons, Requires more oil or fat and technique to prevent sticking, heavier and pricier than basic stainless sets. Notably, All-Clad's own HA1 Non-stick line, reviewed below, scores dramatically lower, a reminder that brand reputation alone does not determine a product's grade.

Pyrex Ceramic Fry Pan and Pyrex Ceramic Cookware Set

Materials, Ceramic and glass-based cookware construction, sold as the Pyrex Ceramic Fry Pan 10-in and the Pyrex Ceramic Cookware Set.

Brand claims, Pyrex markets these lines around glass and ceramic material safety generally, rather than specific PFAS-free nonstick coating claims.

Pros, Material composition (ceramic and glass) inherently avoids the fluoropolymer coatings that drag down PTFE nonstick scores, dishwasher-safe in most cases, easy to inspect for wear visually.

Cons, Heavier and more breakable than metal cookware, less even heat distribution than tri-ply stainless or cast iron in some cooking applications.

Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron

Materials, Cast iron core with a fused enamel (glass-like) exterior and interior coating.

Brand claims, Le Creuset markets enameled cast iron on durability and heat retention, not as a PFAS-free nonstick alternative, since the enamel finish is not a fluoropolymer coating.

Pros, No PTFE-style coating, excellent heat retention, can go from stovetop to oven to table, extremely long product lifespan when cared for properly.

Cons, Heavy, enamel can chip if dropped or subjected to thermal shock, premium price relative to bare cast iron.

Good but not top-tier, 65/100

Tramontina Professional 12-Inch Ceramic Fry Pan

Materials, Aluminum body with a ceramic-based nonstick coating.

Brand claims, Tramontina markets this line as a PFOA-free ceramic nonstick option. This is a brand-stated claim, and our 65/100 "Good" grade reflects that available disclosure is less complete than the top-tier ceramic nonstick lines from GreenPan and Scanpan, based on available materials and data.

Pros, More budget-friendly than premium ceramic nonstick brands, ceramic coating avoids traditional PTFE chemistry, oven-safe to moderate temperatures.

Cons, Lower transparency in publicly available materials compared to the top scorers, nonstick performance and coating longevity are generally considered average for the ceramic nonstick category.

What to avoid

Four products in our database land in the "Bad" tier at 5 out of 100, the T-fal Professional VX3 Brushed Nonstick Fry Pan, the Tefal Non-stick Frying Pan, the T-Fal Easy Care Nonstick Fry Pan, and the All-Clad HA1 Non-stick.

Materials, All four use traditional PTFE-based nonstick coatings over aluminum or hard-anodized aluminum bodies. PTFE itself is a fluoropolymer, and while modern manufacturing in the US and EU has largely phased out PFOA (a legacy processing chemical once linked to PTFE production), the coating class as a whole is why these products score so low in our model.

Brand claims, T-fal and Tefal (the same parent company, Groupe SEB, under different regional names) generally state their modern nonstick coatings are PFOA-free, a narrower claim than "PFAS-free." All-Clad's HA1 line is marketed on hard-anodized durability and nonstick convenience rather than a PFAS-free claim. None of these brand statements amount to independent, third-party verification of a PFAS-free coating in the sources we reviewed.

Pros, Strong, consistent nonstick performance from day one, generally lightweight, budget-accessible in the case of the T-fal and Tefal lines.

Cons, Lowest grade tier in our database, PTFE coatings degrade with scratching, high heat, and metal utensils, and coating breakdown is the primary mechanism of concern this grading tier is meant to flag. If minimizing PFAS exposure pathways in the kitchen is a priority, these are the products to deprioritize.

As a category, conventional PTFE nonstick pans, regardless of brand, tend to cluster at the bottom of PFAS cookware grading. This holds even for a brand like All-Clad, whose stainless steel D3 line scores 80/100 while its own nonstick HA1 line scores 5/100. The lesson is that coating chemistry, not brand name, drives the grade. The same logic extends beyond the stovetop, PFAS turns up in bakeware nonstick coatings pizza stones and baking surfaces, and even lunch boxes and food containers, so it's worth checking those categories with the same coating-first mindset.

Our pick

Based on available materials and data, the ceramic nonstick sets from GreenPan and the Scanpan Ceramic Titanium line represent the strongest combination of nonstick convenience and lower estimated PFAS concern in our database, each scoring 90/100. For cooks who want nonstick behavior without a PTFE coating, the GreenPan Chatham Ceramic Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set stands out as a practical, full-kitchen option, while the Scanpan Ceramic Titanium is a strong single-pan alternative built for durability.

If nonstick convenience is not a requirement, uncoated cookware in the 80/100 tier, such as the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet or the All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel, sidesteps the nonstick coating question almost entirely by design, since there is no fluoropolymer coating present to evaluate. These remain strong, lower-concern choices for anyone building a kitchen around materials rather than coatings. None of this constitutes a claim that any of these products is definitively "PFAS-free" or medically "safe"; it means that, based on public disclosure and material composition reviewed for this guide, they carry lower estimated concern in our model than PTFE-coated nonstick alternatives. Compare more options anytime in the cookware finder.

Frequently asked questions

Is ceramic nonstick cookware actually free of PFAS?

Ceramic nonstick coatings like Thermolon (GreenPan) and Scanpan's ceramic titanium finish are marketed by their brands as free of PFAS and PFOA, and their construction is fundamentally different from PTFE-based coatings. However, these are brand-stated claims in the sources reviewed, not independent laboratory certifications we have verified directly. Our grading reflects this distinction, and "Excellent" in our model means lower estimated concern based on available materials and data, not a guarantee of zero PFAS content.

Why does All-Clad have both a top-tier and a bottom-tier product in this guide?

The All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel line has no nonstick coating at all, scoring 80/100, while the All-Clad HA1 Non-stick line uses a traditional PTFE-based coating and scores 5/100. This shows that within a single brand, the coating technology used on a specific product line matters far more to PFAS grading than the brand's overall reputation.

Does cooking with PTFE nonstick pans cause health problems?

Some research has found associations between certain PFAS compounds and health effects, but association is not the same as causation, and findings vary by specific chemical, exposure level, and study population. Modern PTFE cookware sold in the US and EU is generally manufactured without PFOA, a legacy processing chemical of particular research interest. If you want to reduce potential coating-related exposure pathways in the kitchen, choosing uncoated cookware (stainless steel, cast iron, enameled cast iron, glass) or ceramic nonstick alternatives graded "Excellent" in our model is a reasonable, precaution-based approach, though it is not a certified elimination of all possible exposure.