Every once in a while, you have a Teflon pan that’s highly scratched. Such pans present us with the problem of accidentally ingesting Teflon particles that come off the pan.
It has led many people to wonder if there’s a way to completely remove the Teflon coating, leaving a smooth surface and reusable pan.
While there are multiple methods of removing the Teflon coating completely and making your non-stick pan Teflon-free, we would advise you not to use them on the pan if it has an aluminum core. The aluminum reacts with many ingredients and can leach into the food, exposing you to the toxicity and hazards of the element. You must check our recommendations for the best ceramic coated non-stick pans, which is an excellent alternative of Teflon.
In This Article
How to Remove Teflon Coating? FIND OUT
If you have a Teflon pan with cast iron or stainless steel core, you can use any of the following methods to remove the non-stick coating.
Using Angle Grinder
It’s one of the easiest methods of removing the Teflon coating completely. It doesn’t involve the manual effort of scrubbing the Teflon coating, but it is better to carry out this procedure in the open air to avoid dust and fine particles of Teflon.
Things You Need
- Angle grinder
- Wire cup brush attachment
- Polishing disc
- Gloves
- Dust protection mask
- Glasses
Method
- Wash and dry the Teflon non-stick pan.
- Attach the wire cup brush attachment to the angle grinder.
- Slowly start using an angle grinder in a circular motion to remove the coating.
- Make sure to use it around rivets and on the rim too.
- Also, use it on the exterior to remove the coating from the outside.
- After scraping off the Teflon layer, use a polishing disc of the angle grinder to smooth the surface.
- Apply the metal polishing paste and give it a final buff with the polishing disc.
- When you are satisfied with the polish, rinse the pan with a fat-dissolving dishwashing liquid and sponge to remove polish residue.
- Season the pan with oil before using it.
Check the step-by-step method of seasoning the frying pan here.
Note: You can also use sanders such as mouse sander or multi max sander to remove the Teflon coating at home. The process would be the same; the only difference is in the tools you use. Sanders are more precise and less brute compared to angle grinders, but they both work fine in removing the Teflon coating
Using Sandpaper
Using sandpaper to scrub off the Teflon coating entirely requires some elbow grease, but it’s an inexpensive method to make the scratched pan reusable again.
Things You Need
- Sandpaper
- Gloves
- Cloth
Method
- Wear gloves to protect your hands.
- Take a small piece of sandpaper and start scrubbing the non-stick pan with it.
- During the entire process, keep cleaning the pan with a dry cloth to remove fine Teflon particles.
- And shake the sandpaper frequently to dislodge Teflon particles stuck to it.
- It will take time to remove the Teflon coating entirely.
- After the Teflon coating comes off, you can apply the metal polishing paste and leave it for a few hours.
- Wash it with a dishwashing liquid and season the pan.
Using Pressure Washer
The pressure washer is another chemical-free DIY technique that you can use in your backyard to strip the Teflon coating. It ejects water from a nozzle with a high pressure and a powerful velocity to remove the surface coating. But be cautious about using this as the water has enough pressure that it can remove the flesh from the bones of your fingers if they get in front of the nozzle.
Things You Need
- Pressure Washer
- Something to clamp your non-stick pan on it.
Method
- Keep your non-stick pan firmly clamped in a vertical position so that it doesn’t move around when you use the pressure washer.
- After setting the pan, start using a pressure washer at a slow pressure and then increase the pressure as you go.
- You will see the non-stick layer coming off, and the internal core of the pan is visible.
- After completing the process, wash it, season it, and you are done.
Sandblasting
Sandblasting means cleaning or finishing the top coating of the surface by using a powered motor that propels the fine particles of abrasive material at a very high velocity.
Sandblasting isn’t a DIY method. You will need to contact your local sandblasting companies to check if they can sandblast your Teflon non-stick pan or not.
But it is advisable to go for walnut sandblasting as it is much gentler and wouldn’t damage the interior core to make it reusable for cooking. But it isn’t a cheap process and often costs more than the new Teflon pan.
Lye
Other methods include putting lye in the non-stick pan. But here’s the word of caution – Lye or caustic soda is a very strong alkali solution that can even dissolve animal tissue or skin. And you can’t use it on non-stick aluminum pans as aluminum reacts violently with the lye.
Even using it requires caution by wearing gloves and glasses and not inhaling the fumes coming off the chemical. That’s why we strongly recommend you to stay away from this method.
Wrapping Up!
Removing Teflon coating from the non-stick pans is doable but requires effort to make it reusable. In fact, it is better than disposing of a Teflon pan in a landfill. You can try any of the above methods, but properly wash the pan and season it before using it. If your non-stick pan manufacturer offers a lifetime guarantee, you can also send it over for repairing the Teflon pan by removing the old coating and replacing it with a new one.
