Is there really such a thing as nonstick?

Well seasoned cast iron is virtually nonstick.

My son brought me two Greenpan (I think they were originally Todd English on HSN) frying pans he found new in the boxes at a thrift store (he sells on eBay and frequently makes the rounds)...he wanted to know what I thought about them. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised. They are very heavy, and VERY non-stick, and I have used metal utensils in them as they had said you could when presented on HSN. They heat very quickly and hold the heat level. I didn't believe some of the presentations when they were being sold there, but I do now. I haven't looked to see if they're still being sold anywhere, but I don't think they're on HSN any more. (BTW, they are not green, they're gray.)

I have quite a few pieces of Technique hard anodized that I've had for years and they are all still working perfectly.

I think they promote some things on their presentations that are just plain bad for nonstick. Putting them in the dishwasher, for one - nonstick is NOT dishwasher safe and will eventually break down. Also, using on high heat and using with Pam, or other such spray products, will break the nonstick down.

Short of those things, I've never had problems with regular nonstick holding up very well. I don't use metal utensils at all, except for a few of my whisks which I don't use in nonstick pans (I have some nylon and silicone whisks for that), and that works well. I use either nylon utensils, silicone, or wood.

Both my 100 year old as well as more recent (28 year old) cast iron is still non-stick. I also have soome Farberware Millenium that's over 20 years old and has retained it's non-stick properties quite well. It has a 25 year warranty on the non-stick.

Not that I know of.

I cannot answer any scientific questions about what material is used, but I always buy T-Fal and never do I have a problem with stuck on food.

Don't use spray such as Pam on them. That ruins them.

I do put mine in the dishwasher, both hard anodized and stainless. They are all going strong after years of use except the skillets, which I replace every few years. The Green Pans from Todd English did not last and I trashed them. I do not use Pam, only oil or butter.