Should I season a Teflon-coated stainless steel frying pan

Question

I am not sure if I am allowed to say the brand & model, but here is the spec

• Can also be used in the oven since it is made entirely of metal.
• Thick base with one layer of aluminium between two layers of stainless steel. Gives an even and energy-efficient heat, which reduces the risk of food burning and sticking.
• Made of stainless steel, which makes the pan durable and easy to clean.
• Treated with Teflon® Platinum plus, a very hardwearing non-stick coating that makes the pan suitable for everyday use.
• The exterior is made of brushed steel which means that stains do not show as much as on a high-gloss surface.

Should I season it?

Related question: What's the best way to season a cast iron skillet?

Answer 1

No. Neither plain stainless steel nor non-stick pans (which yours is as it's coated with Teflon) need to be seasoned. Not only is seasoning unnecessary, but it will only cause your pan to look dirty. It would do no good at all.

Seasoning is all about preventing rust and sealing "pores", making the surface more resistant to sticking. Neither of those things are an issue with stainless steel or Teflon, and it's unlikely that the seasoning would even stick to your pan. On your pan you can even use soap!

Some people (a distinct minority) do season stainless steel (Do I need to season a stainless steel saute pan?), but absolutely don't try to season Teflon.

EDIT: It is often recommended use a paper towel to wipe a small amount of oil on Teflon before use. Apparently some people do call that "seasoning", but it bears no resemblance to the seasoning of cast-iron. NY Times

Answer 2

Absolutely not

A non-stick pans surface will be ruined when any oil becomes polymerised onto it. The whole idea of a non-stick pan is that it's surface is non-stick to food. Permanently layering it with anything else will make it less non-stick

Only use non-stick pans for low to medium heat cooking, and use no, or very little oil in them. Be very gentle with the surface so as not to scratch it, as the scratches eventually make it sticky again

Most manufacturers of non-stick pans recommend gentle hand washing with soap from new, and then removal of excess oil from the pan with a plain paper towel while still warm. Never hard washing or scrubbing

If oil does become polymerised onto the surface, sometimes you can recover them by using 3M style green polyester scourers with liquid soap to gently remove the hardened oil, if done carefully it will not overly scratch the non-stick coating

Seasoning is for plain metal pans, not for coated, glass, or ceramic

Answer 3

If the teflon/PTFE surface is in good condition, it doesn’t need seasoning. However, when it becomes degraded by scratches, overheating and abuse, there are 3 options:

1. Throw the pan away - I didn’t want to do that to my high quality pan.
2. Try to season it like a cast iron skillet. I tried that but eventually, the hard carbonised surface tended to flake off here and there due to the teflon.
3. Get the pan sand blasted. It creates a microscopically rough surface that is perfect for seasoning. It’s worked for me, but using a stove top to do it was tricky (it doesn’t fit in my oven). Stop heating immediately you see any smoke, as polymerisation occurs below smoke point. I used rape seed oil, similar to Canola oil. Over time, my stir fry pan bottom has become black, and the sides are still a bronze colour. So far, so good.