Non-Stick Pan

Is a non-stick pan surface slippery because it’s smooth?

This dataset shows the surface of a Ninja Foodi Never-Stick pan. The surface is extremely durable, even against metal utensils, but will not stick.

So, is it slippery because it’s smooth? Not even close! The Sq value is over 6 µm, which is on par with grinding, milling, and drilling operations.

(By the way, if you want to add statistics to view in OmniSurf3D, click the Show/Hide Parameters toolbar button, then double-click in the right panel to view and add parameters.)

So, how does this compare to other cookware surfaces? The Cast Iron Pan dataset, also in this library, provides a good contrast. In the image below the Ninja is on the left, and the cast iron is on the right. The Sq value for the cast iron is 14.4 µm—quite a bit rougher than the Ninja. While the surface texture matters, there’s clearly more that goes into making a non-stick cooking surface!

Measured via Zygo ZeGage Plus (10x)

Data source:  Digital Metrology Solutions (www.digitalmetrology.com)