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I bought a large non-stick baking pan and I would like to use it on my thermador freedom induction cooktop to make pancakes. The cooktop will apply energy evenly to the rectangular footprint of the pan. The pan is coated with or made from the same material as just about all bakeware that I have used before.

After washing it I heated it up on a low setting (3.5 out of 9) and monitored the temp with an infrared thermometer. When it reached about 200 F it released a plastic-y smell. It also deformed slightly which I know I will not be able to prevent and I can live with as long as it mostly maintains contact and doesn't shoot pancakes across the kitchen.

I took it off the cooktop after that and fired up the exhaust hood.

My concern is the material. Is it safe at pancake temperature (375 F)?

EDIT:

Is there a difference between the pan being heated in an oven from convection plus a relatively weak infrared source versus the heat being generated within the pan by induction? Is the induced heat more effective at decomposing the PTFE (Teflon)coating? Does the magnetic field in the pan affect the PTFE coating itself, or only kinetic heat?

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    The plastic smell is weird to me. The pan should be rated at 500+F. Maybe the oven is causing a very hot spot on the pan in excess of the rated temp.
    – Caleb
    Commented Jan 15, 2017 at 2:38
  • @Caleb I'm actually using it on the cooktop and not in the oven. The cooktop changes the size and shape that it "heats" to match the cooking vessel's footprint. In this case it is a very large baking sheet (13.5" x 21"). I'm not too worried about the uniform application of "heat" across the surface area, just with the coating.
    – Keith Payne
    Commented Jan 15, 2017 at 18:22
  • I meant to say stove, oops! That's a cool cooktop. Maybe you can cook the pancakes directly on it :)
    – Caleb
    Commented Jan 15, 2017 at 22:45

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I'm using nonstick pans on my induction cooker without any issues. Also frying pancakes is fine.

So, if something smells weird, it must be a particular issue with your pan, not a general induction-cooker-vs-nonstick-pan thing.

375 F (190°C) should not be a problem for any decent cookware, regardless of the cooker the cookware is being used on. This holds true, regardless whether you're using Teflon, Ceramic or a stainless (uncoated) pan.

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  • I edited the question to concentrate more on the Teflon coating.
    – Keith Payne
    Commented Jan 15, 2017 at 18:31
  • @KeithPayne: edited too
    – eckes
    Commented Jan 15, 2017 at 18:41

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