An uncoated frying pan is made of stainless steel, cast iron or carbon steel, or has a titanium cooking surface. Ceramic and PTFE non-stick pans don't qualify: ceramic may be PFAS-free, but it is still a coating that wears away. Each of the four uncoated materials asks something different of you, so the right one depends on how you cook.
Key points
- An uncoated frying pan is stainless steel, cast iron or carbon steel, or has a titanium cooking surface.
- Ceramic may be PFAS-free, but it is still a coating that wears away.
- Cast iron and carbon steel need seasoning and don't suit acidic food; stainless steel and titanium do.
- Without a coating, technique does the work: preheat over a medium heat, add a little oil, and don't move food until a crust has formed.
For the wider picture on materials and health, see our guide to the healthiest frying pan. This article focuses on the options with no coating at all.
What is uncoated cookware?
Uncoated cookware has no layer applied to the cooking surface: the metal you see is the metal your food touches. Non-stick pans work the other way round. A PTFE (Teflon-type) or ceramic layer sits on the pan body, and that layer does the non-stick work until it wears.
Enamelled cast iron sits in between. Which? describes it as an iron core finished with a protective coating. That enamel is a glass layer, not a PFAS, but strictly speaking it is a coating.
PTFE-free is not the same as uncoated
Many ‘PTFE-free’ and ‘PFAS-free’ pans are ceramic-coated. Ceramic (sol-gel) coatings are silica-based and generally contain no PTFE, but independent tests show how quickly they can lose their release:
- Stiftung Warentest, Germany's best-known consumer testing organisation, dropped PTFE pans from its 2025 test because making and disposing of them can release PFAS into the environment. Of the 13 PTFE-free pans it tested (ceramic and cast iron), only 2 were rated ‘good’, and eggs often stuck early in the endurance test.
- Kassensturz, the Swiss broadcaster SRF's consumer programme, put 9 ceramic pans through a year of simulated use in 2024. Only 2 performed as well as the PTFE reference pan; on several others, including models from Greenpan and Tefal, omelettes stuck.
Labels can also mislead. Tefal describes its ‘Titanium Excellence’ coating as reinforced with titanium particles, and states that its non-stick coating contains PTFE. Our guide to titanium coatings versus titanium pans explains how to tell them apart.
Your four uncoated options
Stainless steel
The good: Which? calls stainless steel very durable, excellent for searing and browning, and usable on all hob types and in the oven (as long as there are no plastic parts). It also notes that stainless steel pans are generally a better choice if you want to avoid PFAS. No seasoning needed, no rust worries in normal use, and acidic sauces are fine.
The trade-offs: nothing is non-stick. Food will cling unless the pan is properly preheated and lightly oiled. Stainless steel is also a poor heat conductor (around 14–16 W/m·K, roughly a tenth of aluminium), which is why good pans have an aluminium or copper core or a thick encapsulated base.
Metals: stainless steel isn't completely inert. In a 2013 study by Kamerud and colleagues, six hours of simmering tomato sauce raised nickel levels up to 26-fold and chromium up to 7-fold, depending on the grade of steel, with leaching falling over repeated cooking. An earlier French study (Accominotti et al., 1998) found intakes below the tolerable levels set by the WHO.
Best for: an everyday, low-maintenance pan, if you're willing to learn to preheat it.
Cast iron
The good: Which? highlights its excellent heat retention, durability and resistance to abrasion. It sears well, holds its temperature and works on induction because iron is magnetic.
The trade-offs: Which? calls cast iron ‘exceptionally heavy’. It can rust if not dried properly, needs regular seasoning, and acidic foods such as tomatoes or wine are best avoided until the seasoning is well established.
Metals: in 2025 the German magazine ÖKO-TEST tested 10 cast iron pans in an acidic solution for two hours at 100 °C. Three of the six bare pans released arsenic and other metals above Council of Europe guideline values; two of the four enamelled pans released too much cadmium, one of them five times the guideline. Cast iron also adds iron to food: a 1986 US study found significantly more iron in 90% of the foods tested, particularly acidic, moist dishes cooked for longer.
Best for: keen searers who don't mind the weight and enjoy looking after a pan.
Carbon steel
The good: carbon steel is an iron-based material, close to cast iron in how it behaves. It conducts heat around three times better than stainless steel, handles high heat, and once seasoned builds a patina that helps food release. Germany's consumer advice centres (Verbraucherzentrale) describe iron pans as very good for frying, with a good non-stick effect once seasoned.
The trade-offs: the same routine as cast iron: season it, dry it straight away, oil it lightly, and keep tomato sauces and wine for another pan. The Verbraucherzentrale also points out that some iron pans released metals above EU guideline values when tested with an acidic solution. Our guide on how to season a pan walks you through the process.
Best for: cooks who like very high heat and don't mind maintenance.
Titanium cooking surface
The good: the Council of Europe's technical guide on metals in contact with food (EDQM, 2024) describes titanium as ‘practically inert’, thanks to a tightly bonded passive layer of titanium dioxide that resists even 3% acetic acid with added salt. The guide doesn't consider a specific migration limit for titanium necessary. Titanium doesn't rust and copes with acidic dishes. Seasoning isn't essential: follow the maker's advice, as preheating with a little oil matters more.
Titanium metal is not the same thing as the food additive titanium dioxide (E171), which the EU banned in 2022 after EFSA could not rule out a genotoxicity concern. That assessment concerns only the additive.
The trade-offs: titanium conducts heat about as poorly as stainless steel, so it needs gentle, thorough preheating and loses heat when cold food goes in. It isn't naturally non-stick, so a little oil is still needed. Pure titanium isn't magnetic, so it only works on an induction hob with a magnetic base, such as stainless steel. Published migration data for commercial titanium pans are scarce. And titanium pans cost more than an entry-level non-stick pan. For a side-by-side look, read titanium vs stainless steel: which pan to choose.
Best for: cooks who don't want to rely on seasoning or rust care, often cook acidic dishes, and are happy to preheat as they would with stainless steel.
Uncoated frying pans compared
| Material | Seasoning | Rusts? | Acidic food | Induction hob | Documented leaching | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stainless steel | optional | not in normal use | yes | most modern pans | nickel, chromium (long, acidic cooking) | everyday cooking |
| Cast iron | yes | yes | best avoided | yes | iron; arsenic or cadmium in some models (ÖKO-TEST) | searing, heat retention |
| Carbon steel | yes | yes | best avoided | yes | iron; other metals in some models | very high heat |
| Titanium surface | Not essential (see maker's advice) | no | yes | with a magnetic base | ‘practically inert’ (EDQM); few pan measurements | low maintenance, acidic dishes |
Is there a truly non-toxic frying pan?
No material can claim proven zero migration, and no study directly compares the health risk of these materials in everyday cooking. What we have are measurements under specific conditions: nickel and chromium from stainless steel, iron and occasionally other metals from cast iron, wear on ceramic coatings, and fumes from PTFE if it overheats (around 360 °C, according to Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, BfR, which considers PTFE safe in normal use). Choosing well means matching the material to your cooking, then using it correctly.
How to stop food sticking to an uncoated pan
Without a coating, technique does the work. Preheat over a medium heat, add a little oil, and only add food once the oil is hot. Take ingredients out of the fridge a little early, and don't move meat or fish until a crust has formed. To know when the pan is ready, use the water droplet test, which Which? also recommends for stainless steel.
If a titanium surface appeals, the Untitan pan: titanium cooking surface, uncoated, PFAS-free is one option. It has a hammered surface and a stainless steel base that makes it suitable for all hobs, including induction. It comes in 26, 28 and 30 cm, and you have 30 days to try it (return and refund). As with stainless steel, the hammered surface, well preheated with a little oil, helps food release.
Frequently asked questions
Is a ceramic frying pan uncoated?
No. Ceramic is a sol-gel coating applied to the pan. It is usually PTFE-free, but tests by Stiftung Warentest and Kassensturz show its non-stick performance can fade.
What cookware does not have PTFE?
Stainless steel, cast iron, carbon steel and bare titanium surfaces contain no PTFE. Most ceramic coatings don't either, though ‘hybrid’ or ‘reinforced’ ceramic coatings may, according to the Verbraucherzentrale.
Which uncoated pan is best for tomato sauce?
Stainless steel or titanium. Cast iron and carbon steel don't suit acidic food, which damages the seasoning and increases iron leaching.
Do you need to season a stainless steel pan?
It isn't essential. Which?'s advice for stainless steel centres on preheating the pan properly, checked with a drop of water, rather than on seasoning. Some cooks season it anyway; it is optional.
Sources
- Which?: How to buy the best stainless steel pans
- Which?: How to buy the best cast iron pans
- Stiftung Warentest: Pfannen im Test (test 1/2025, in German)
- SRF Kassensturz: frying pans without Teflon tested (2024, in German)
- ÖKO-TEST: cast iron pans tested (2025, in German)
- Verbraucherzentrale: cast iron, stainless steel, Teflon – which pan when? (in German)
- Verbraucherzentrale: pans and PFAS (in German)
- BfR: questions and answers on PTFE-coated cookware (in German)
- EDQM / Council of Europe: Metals and alloys used in food contact materials and articles, 2nd edition (2024)
- Kamerud, Hobbie, Anderson: Stainless Steel Leaches Nickel and Chromium into Foods during Cooking (J Agric Food Chem, 2013)
- Accominotti et al.: chromium and nickel enrichment during cooking in stainless steel utensils (Contact Dermatitis, 1998)
- Brittin, Nossaman: Iron content of food cooked in iron utensils (J Am Diet Assoc, 1986)
- EFSA: safety assessment of titanium dioxide (E171), 2021
- Tefal: Expertise range (Titanium Excellence)
- Tefal: non-stick material (PTFE), in French