How to Make a Ceramic Pan Non Stick Again: The Ultimate Guide

By Lori Walker, MS, RD | Published on March 11, 2023 | Last Updated on August 16, 2023

Whether you are a professional chef or a home cook, ceramic cookware is everyone’s first choice nowadays. Leading to cook in ceramic pans gives us such pleasure and perfection as no other cookware can ever provide us.

They heat evenly and cook food perfectly. The smooth surface makes the food cook much easier and tastier to eat.

But over time, ceramic pans lose their non-sticky surface because of the lack of age of care. This can be frustrating, especially if you don’t want to replace your pan immediately

In this blog post, we will discuss how to make a ceramic pan non stick again with just a few simple steps. So, keep reading!

How To Make A Ceramic Pan Non-Stick Again?

Some DIYs are always a life saver for us. It’s difficult to earn money, so no one will want to misspend their hardly earned cash. Here we’re going to share with you some life-changing easy hacks for restoring your ceramic pans and making them non stick again.

Method One: Applying Salt

When it comes to restoring your old and loved ceramic pan, the simplest method is to add salt to your pan.

All you need to do is, just put some salt on the ceramic pan two to three pinches approximately and gently rub it with the help of kitchen tissue.

By performing this technique for about ten minutes, wash the pan with warm water.

Season it with vegetable oil, and then it will work like magic. You will get back your smooth non stick ceramic pan again.

Method Two: Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner

Heavy-duty oven cleaner is also another great product to restore non stick ceramic pan. It is effective in cleaning the oven and helps get your pan back to its former glory!

Just spray some oven cleaner on the non stick properties and leave this for about five minutes.

Just after five minutes, you will spot some flecks on the non stick surface.

At this moment, put your pan under sunlight and leave it for another five minutes.

Give it a good gentle wash with warm water when the five minutes are over.

You don’t need to use any dish washing scrub at this stage. Your hands will be good enough for this method, and then boom, you will find your ceramic pan as new as a newly bought one.

Don’t forget to season the pan before the next use.

Also read: Non-Stick Pan Coating Coming Off – How To Handle It

Method Three: Baking Soda and Liquid Dish Washer

Often people ask if Baking soda is natural? The answer is yes. It is natural. This product is made out of only one ingredient, which is Bicarbonate Sodium, and it only works as a cleaner when the thing is companied by-products like acids such as yogurt or vinegar.

First, put some water onto the pan to resile the ceramic pan. Then add some of your liquid dishwashing soap. No specific dish washer is required for this strategy. You can use any of your dishwashers.

Don’t forget to put the main ingredient, which is baking soda. (you can use baking powder as the alternative to baking soda).

And then start boiling the water. Boil until you can see the burned leftovers of your food, which got stuck on the bottom of the ceramic pan.

When the food residue has been removed from the pan, clean it with a soft sponge.

Now, wash the ceramic pan with clean water, dry it with a soft towel, and season it with some vegetable oil. And then your pan will become a non stick again!

Method Four: Baking Soda and Vinegar

Another excellent hack for restoring the nonstick of a ceramic pan is to use baking soda and vinegar.

First, take 1 cup of water, pour about ½ cup of vinegar into it and then add 1 teaspoon of baking soda.

Stir the mixture slightly, and then put it on your ceramic pan.

Start boiling this mixture over medium heat on the stove.

Wash out the pan after boiling for about ten minutes.

Dry up the pan with a kitchen towel.

Then, step up to the last procedure by greasing the pan with good-quality vegetable oil.

Now you can enjoy your breakfast with eggs and pancakes or anything you want to have cooked in your ceramic pan again.

Method Five: Salt and Baking Soda

If your ceramic pan is totally burnt and you are thinking about throwing it in the garbage bin, then let me inform you that you can save the hoard of your hardly earned cash this time. Going along with this trick can get your burnt ceramic pan back to life.

The trick is super easy. All you need to do is, take some salt and baking soda. Sprinkle them both on the surface of your pan as much as the surface gets covered by these two elements.

Add some liquid dish washing soap on top and give it a gentle scour with a soft sponge.

The next step is covering the pan with a paper towel for about two hours.

Remove the paper towels after a couple of hours. Then wash the pan thoroughly.

You will find your burnt wasted ceramic pan without a single spot on it. And it becomes non stick again.

These are some simple hacks of restoring ceramic pans. Applying these tricks, you will surely get back your ceramic pan to its former glory!

Also read: How to clean a burnt non stick pan

Why Do Ceramic Pans Losses Their Non Stick Coating?

You just bought a brand new ceramic pan. Everything you are preparing in the pan comes off super easy and smooth, but you notice that the foods you are cooking in the pan are getting stuck after a while. This usually happens when ceramic pans drop their non stick coating.

Here, we are going to talk about the reasons why ceramic pans lose their non sticky surface.

1. Making use of sharp-edged Utensils

Pans with non stick coating are meant to be dealt with utensils or spatula’s made of wood or silicone. The moment you assign sharp silver utensils to your ceramic pan, you will surely be about to demolish its non stick coating. It will immediately leave scratches on the pan. 

Silver utensils like forks are downright indecent for ceramic pans. Instead, you may use wooden or silicone utensils.

2. Putting The Ceramic Pan Into The Dishwasher

The hot water and detergent of the dishwasher are harmful to a ceramic pan. You may hand wash the pan. Leading to pans with ceramic coating are meant to be handled gently.

The cleaning procedure will not consume much time because it is really easy to hand wash ceramic pans. Besides, this will also prevent your ceramic pan from deteriorating.

3. Cooking With Spray Oils

The use of cooking sprays builds up blemishes on the surface of ceramic pans. You can use olive oil or butter instead. 

The extra smooth veneer of olive oil or butter will help the ceramic pan remain non-stickiness. Plus, they are also perfect for your health as olive oil contains a huge amount of antioxidants, prevents strokes, and is also protective against heart diseases. 

4. Cooking Wrong Dishes on Ceramic Pan

In ceramic pots, such as eggs and pancakes, you should cook meals in ceramic pans that require medium to low heat, like eggs pancakes. 

Dishes like burger patties, chicken, steaks are not for ceramic pans.

5. Using The Pan as Food Container

Avoid using ceramic pans as your food container because when you store your leftovers in a ceramic pan and keep this into the refrigerator, this procedure will destroy the pan’s non sticky surface. 

Is It Safe Using Slightly Scratched Ceramic Pans?

You suddenly can spot some moderate spots on the surface of your ceramic pan, and you are concerned if the pan is still employable or not.

If the scratches are not so deep, you can still use the pan. But there are ways of restoring them, which we’ve already described above. You may pursue any methods that interest you to repair your ceramic pans’ scratches.

However, a slightly scratched ceramic pan has no health issues, but it’s better not to leave it scratchy.

How Long Does Ceramic Pan Last?

In today’s market, there are various types of ceramic pans available. Among them, all are not the real ones.

Therefore, the durability of the ceramic pan is dissimilar from each type. We all know that ceramic pans are Teflon-free. Predominantly there are two types of ceramic pan.

One is made of metal coated with ceramic. And the other one is original ceramic. However, the longevity of the ceramic pans depends on who produced them and which brands you are buying.

In general, the original ceramic pan lasts about more than two years only by being taken care of properly. And the metal pans with ceramic coating ones last for a year, sometimes less than that.

You can not overlook taking good care of your ceramic pan. It’s because ceramic pans are a bit more delicate than other metal or silver pans. 

Applying caustic dishwashing scrubs and metal scrubs can easily ruin your ceramic pans. So, you should always hand wash them with a soft sponge.

However, if you are using your pan for more than three years, it’s time to throw away your old pan and get a new one. Our Easy Kitchen Guide experts have reviewed some best frying pan for electric stove. You may read it for further information.

How to Stop Ceramic Pans from Sticking?

Getting a new set of cookware is always delightful for any home cook. However, when it comes to re-buying your recently purchased ceramic pan just for the reason of food stickiness to the bottom of the pan, you will no longer be delighted, right?

At the same time, you’re irritated because you can’t enjoy your breakfast anymore because your omelet, pancakes, or sausages are getting stuck in the pan.

Well, there are ways of restoring slightly scratched ceramic pans, which we’ve already discussed above.

Here, we are going to discuss ways to prevent ceramic pan sticking.

1. Avoid cleaning the pan with metal scrubs

The moment you rub the ceramic pan with metal scrub, you will surely leave the pan with a couple of scratches. 

Ceramic pans have a smooth surface and don’t need any tough procedure to clean. Hand washing the pan would be good enough for the pan to get clean.

2. Do Not Over Heat The Ceramic Pan

Ceramic pans are meant to get heated quickly compared to metal or silver or any other type of non stick pans.

And ceramic pans can’t handle the high heat. After cooking on high heat, you suddenly won’t be able to spot any blemish in the pan. But after 2-3 weeks, you can notice the difference that your smooth non stick pan is now holding food at the bottom. 

So, you should always try to maintain the temperature under 500°.

3. Don’t Put the Ceramic pan Under Water Right After Cooking

After undergoing the heat, ceramic pans get quite a blaze. It needs time for the pan getting cool down by itself. Don’t be impatient at that moment. Sudden temperature changes are harmful to ceramic pans. 

If you put the ceramic pan into the water right after cooking, the ceramic coating will lose its smooth surface, or it might be warped.

4. Do Not Preheat The Ceramic Pan Before Oiling 

Before putting the ceramic pan on the stove, make sure to grease the surface of the pan. This is the directive of cooking on ceramics. 

Avoid applying cooking sprays in this step as they are detrimental to ceramic pans. You can switch to butter or olive oil, or avocado oil instead.

5. Do Not Use Metal Utensils

You shouldn’t use metal utensils on the ceramic pans. Silicone or wooden spatula is excellent for them.

6. Avoid cooking acidic food in a ceramic pan

You shouldn’t cook acidic food in ceramic pans because it might ruin the non stick surface.

7. Don’t use the dishwasher

Don’t wash the pan in the dishwasher. The harsh chemical of a dishwasher can damage the pan.

8. Bright-colored exteriors in the pan should be avoided

You should avoid buying ceramic pans with bright-colored exteriors because they might get burnt during cooking, reducing the lifespan of the pan.

9. Don’t put other cookware on the ceramic pan

Don’t put other cookware on top of a ceramic pan. Always put tissue paper first on the surface of the pan. This way, the upper non sticky portion won’t get scratched.

Wrapping up

Thanks for reading the complete guide about how to make a ceramic pan non stick again. We hope you’ve found this guide helpful and informative. To sum up, we just want to mention again that non-stick pans are a kitchen staple for a reason.

 No one wants to spend their time scrubbing at burnt on food, and with a non-stick pan, you don’t have to.

However, even the best of pans can start to lose their non-stick properties over time. If your ceramic pan has lost its non stick coating, don’t worry, you can make it non stick again using some simple and safe methods that we’ve covered above.

 If you follow these simple steps, your old pans will be as good as new in no time! Please share this post with your friends and family so they can benefit from these tips, too. And if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the comment section below. We love hearing from our readers!

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