PFAS in Non-Stick Kitchen Gadgets, Which Brands Grade Best and Worst

Our model-based review of kitchen tools and cookware finds a wide spread in PFAS-related risk, from utensil sets that score an estimated 90 out of 100 down to full cookware sets that score as low as 5 out of 100. The clearest overall winner in our database is the Our Place Essential Utensil Set, which carries our highest available grade, Excellent, at an estimated 90/100 based on materials and public disclosure. The worst performers are a cluster of nonstick cookware sets from T-Fal and one Le Creuset fry pan line, all graded Bad at an estimated 5/100, largely because of fluoropolymer nonstick coatings and limited third-party disclosure about processing chemistry.

This guide compares every graded non-stick kitchen gadget in our database, explains what materials and brand claims drive each grade, and flags the patterns worth avoiding when you shop. None of these grades are lab certifications. They are our model's estimate from publicly available materials data, marketing claims, and known category risk factors, and they should be treated as a starting point for your own research, not a final verdict. For a full category breakdown you can also browse our non-stick knife sets roundup or run any product through our product finder for a side-by-side comparison.

Summary comparison table

Product	PFAS grade (estimated)	Verdict
Our Place Essential Utensil Set	Excellent, 90/100	Top of the category based on reviewed materials, lower concern overall
Our Place Utensil Essentials 6-Piece Silicone Utensil Set	Excellent, 90/100	Matches the flagship set, strong materials transparency
Our Place Utensil Essentials Set	Excellent, 90/100	Same silicone-forward construction, lower concern overall
Our Place Mini Always Pan 2.0	Good, 70/100	Solid but a step below the brand's utensils due to coated cooking surface
Our Place Ceramic Nonstick Always Pan 10.5"	Good, 70/100	Ceramic coating claims help, but it is still a coated pan, not a tested lab result
OXO Good Grips 4-Piece Nylon Utensils Set	Good, 65/100	Reasonable mid-pack pick for utensils only, not cookware
Le Creuset Craft Series Utensil Set	Good, 65/100	Comparable to OXO's mid-tier utensils
OXO Good Grips Large Silicone Flexible Turner	Good, 65/100	Single-tool pick, decent but unverified beyond brand materials data
Wusthof 4 Piece BBQ Set	Good, 65/100	Mid-tier grade, limited public disclosure on coatings
Le Creuset Revolution Bi-Material Slotted Spatula	Good, 65/100	Consistent with Le Creuset's utensil line scoring
Le Creuset Revolution Balloon Whisk	Good, 65/100	Same mid-tier grade as other Revolution utensils
OXO Nylon Tool Set of 4	Good, 65/100	Another reasonable mid-tier utensil option
T-Fal Stone Force Platinum Non-Stick 12-Piece Cookware Set	Bad, 5/100	Avoid based on current data, fluoropolymer nonstick cookware
T-Fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware Set	Bad, 5/100	Avoid based on current data, same category concerns as above
Le Creuset Toughened Non-stick PRO Fry Pan Set	Bad, 5/100	Lowest grade despite premium brand positioning
T-Fal Ingenio Expertise 14 Piece Nonstick Cookware Set	Bad, 5/100	Avoid based on current data, full set compounds the exposure surface

What the Excellent tier gets right

Three products share the top grade in our database, and all three come from the same brand family, the Our Place Essential Utensil Set, the Our Place Utensil Essentials 6-Piece Silicone Utensil Set, and the Our Place Utensil Essentials Set. Each scores an estimated 90 out of 100, our model's highest available grade for this category.

Materials. These sets are built primarily from food-grade silicone with wood or composite handles, a construction that avoids the fluoropolymer nonstick coatings that drive most of the Bad grades elsewhere in this guide. Based on available materials and public disclosure, these utensils present fewer of the typical PFAS red flags we look for, such as fluoropolymer-based nonstick layers or undisclosed stain-and-grease-resistant treatments.

Brand claims. Our Place markets its utensils around non-toxic, body-safe materials. That is a brand-stated claim, not an independent lab certification, and we treat it that way. We found no evidence of PFAS in the reviewed sources for these specific utensil sets, which is different from a verified lab result confirming the absence of PFAS.

Pros. Strong materials transparency relative to the rest of the category, consistent grading across three separate SKUs suggesting a stable supply chain approach, and a lower-concern profile for everyday utensil use.

Cons. Silicone utensils are not cookware, so they do not address the nonstick pan question at all. Price point is higher than basic nylon tools. And again, a 90/100 model estimate is not a substitute for independent lab verification, which was not available in the sources we reviewed.

The Good tier, where pans start to matter

Two Our Place pans land in the Good tier at an estimated 70/100, the Our Place Mini Always Pan 2.0 and the Our Place Ceramic Nonstick Always Pan 10.5". Both use a ceramic-based nonstick coating rather than a traditional fluoropolymer coating, and the brand markets this as a key differentiator from older-generation Teflon-style pans.

Materials. Ceramic nonstick coatings are generally formulated without the long-chain PFAS chemistry associated with older nonstick technology, which is likely why these pans outscore the Bad-tier cookware sets later in this guide. But ceramic coatings are still a cooking surface technology with its own manufacturing inputs, and our grade reflects available disclosure, not a lab panel run on every batch.

Brand claims. Our Place states these pans are made without PTFE and without PFOA. That is a brand claim. We have not seen independent third-party lab verification in the sources reviewed, so we describe this as a brand-stated claim rather than a confirmed result.

Pros. Meaningfully better grade than fluoropolymer-coated competitors, popular and widely reviewed, easier to find replacement parts and lids within the same product ecosystem.

Cons. Ceramic nonstick coatings typically lose their nonstick performance faster than fluoropolymer coatings, which can push shoppers toward replacing pans more often. The 70/100 grade, while good, is still 20 points behind the brand's own utensil line, suggesting the cooking surface itself carries more inherent uncertainty than the handles and tools do.

The crowded Good, 65 out of 100 middle ground

Seven products share an identical Good grade at 65/100, the OXO Good Grips 4-Piece Nylon Utensils Set, the Le Creuset Craft Series Utensil Set, the OXO Good Grips Large Silicone Flexible Turner, the Wusthof 4 Piece BBQ Set, the Le Creuset Revolution Bi-Material Slotted Spatula, the Le Creuset Revolution Balloon Whisk, and the OXO Nylon Tool Set of 4.

Materials. This group is a mix of nylon, silicone, and stainless steel utensils from well-known kitchenware brands. None of these are coated cookware, which keeps them out of Bad-tier territory, but the materials disclosure available to us was less complete than what Our Place publishes for its silicone line, which is the main reason for the 25-point gap versus the Excellent tier.

Brand claims. OXO, Le Creuset, and Wusthof do not make the same explicit non-toxic materials marketing push that Our Place does. Several list general food-safety compliance statements, which speak to regulatory approval for food contact but do not specifically address PFAS content one way or another.

Pros. These are established brands with long track records, widely available, and reasonably priced for what they are. A 65/100 Good grade, based on available materials and data, suggests moderate confidence rather than a red flag.

Cons. The lack of explicit PFAS-free marketing language from these brands means our model has less to work with, which caps the grade below Excellent even though nothing in the reviewed sources points to a specific problem. If you want the highest-confidence utensil pick in this guide, the Our Place Excellent-tier sets currently outscore this entire group.

The Bad tier, where fluoropolymer cookware clusters

Four products land in Bad territory at an estimated 5/100, the T-Fal Stone Force Platinum Non-Stick 12-Piece Cookware Set, the T-Fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware Set, the Le Creuset Toughened Non-stick PRO Fry Pan Set, and the T-Fal Ingenio Expertise 14 Piece Nonstick Cookware Set.

Materials. All four rely on traditional fluoropolymer-based nonstick coatings, the category of nonstick chemistry most closely associated with PFAS compounds historically used in manufacturing. Three of the four are T-Fal products, and one is a Le Creuset fry pan line, showing that premium pricing does not automatically translate into a lower PFAS-related grade.

Brand claims. T-Fal has long marketed its nonstick coatings as PFOA-free, a specific and narrower claim than PFAS-free. PFOA is only one compound within the broader PFAS family, and a PFOA-free claim does not address other fluorinated compounds that may be present in the coating chemistry or manufacturing process. Le Creuset's toughened nonstick line is marketed on durability and performance rather than chemical composition. These are brand-stated claims, and we found no independent third-party lab verification in the sources reviewed that would confirm a fuller PFAS-free status for any of these four products.

Pros. Strong nonstick cooking performance, widely available at major retailers, and in the case of the T-Fal sets, relatively affordable for the number of pieces included.

Cons. These are the lowest grades in our entire database for this category. Fluoropolymer coatings can degrade with high heat, scratching, or metal utensil use, which may increase the chance of coating particles or breakdown byproducts ending up in food, though it is worth noting that association between degraded coatings and exposure is not the same as a proven causal health effect in any individual kitchen. Based on available materials and data, we would steer shoppers toward the Good or Excellent tiers above before considering any of these four.

What to avoid

• Multi-piece fluoropolymer cookware sets with no PFAS-specific disclosure. The pattern in our data is consistent, full cookware sets built on traditional nonstick coatings score far lower than silicone or ceramic-based alternatives, and a PFOA-free label alone does not close that gap.
• Vague "non-toxic" claims with no materials breakdown. A brand claim is a starting point, not a verification. Look for specific statements about coating chemistry, not just general safety language.
• Scratched or heavily worn nonstick pans of any brand. Even mid-tier coatings lose integrity with age and metal utensil contact, which is a reasonable prompt to replace a pan regardless of its original grade.
• Assuming premium price means lower concern. The Le Creuset fry pan line in this guide shares the same Bad grade as budget T-Fal sets, which shows price is not a reliable proxy for PFAS-related grading in this category.

If you are also auditing other categories in your kitchen, our non-stick baking molds and lunch boxes roundups cover related product types, and our whole-house filters guide is worth a look if you are trying to reduce overall PFAS exposure at the water-supply level rather than product by product.

Our pick

Based on available materials and data, the Our Place Essential Utensil Set is our top recommendation in this category, tied with its two sibling sets, the Our Place Utensil Essentials 6-Piece Silicone Utensil Set and the Our Place Utensil Essentials Set. All three carry the highest grade in our database for this category, an estimated 90 out of 100, reflecting lower concern based on reviewed materials rather than a confirmed PFAS-free lab result. If you also need a pan, the Our Place Ceramic Nonstick Always Pan 10.5" is a reasonable step down at Good, 70/100, and is worth pairing with regular inspection for coating wear. For a full side-by-side across cookware brands beyond this list, check our cookware category guide or run your own candidates through the product finder.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Good or Excellent grade mean a product is PFAS-free?

No. Our grades are model-based estimates built from available materials disclosure and public data, not laboratory test results. A high grade reflects lower concern based on what has been published about a product's construction, and we have found no evidence of PFAS in the reviewed sources for the top-tier items in this guide. That is different from an independent lab confirming the complete absence of PFAS compounds.

Why do some premium brands score as low as budget brands?

PFAS-related grading in our model tracks coating chemistry and disclosure, not price or brand reputation. The Le Creuset Toughened Non-stick PRO Fry Pan Set shares the same Bad, 5/100 grade as several T-Fal sets because all of them rely on traditional fluoropolymer nonstick coatings with limited third-party PFAS verification, regardless of what the cookware costs at retail.

Is there a proven health risk from using a lower-graded nonstick pan?

Research has associated certain PFAS compounds with various health concerns, but association is not the same as causation, and individual cookware use is one small factor among many potential exposure sources, including water, textiles, and packaging. If you want to reduce overall exposure, consider reviewing related categories like area rugs waterproof boots, and cosmetics, alongside your kitchen tools, rather than treating any single product swap as a complete solution.