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[#1]

I know way more than any human should about cookware and nonstick coatings. I've been involved with cookware, in some form, my entire life — whether it was cooking in my restaurant or developing cookware concepts for QVC. It's not easy to come up with new ideas in cookware, after all, as one cookware company president said, "…cookware is really just a circle and a stick!"

About a year and a half ago, I showed the buyers a new concept that hadn't made its way to QVC just yet. It's a beautiful white nonstick made of ceramics that contains no chemicals or additives like PTFE and PFOA. The cookware has fun colors on the outside and pure white interiors — beautiful! Their immediate reaction was to ask, "Will it stain?" I'd been testing it for a couple of months and was very happy with its stain resistance. I told them that it's like a white T-shirt — bright white out of the box and, like most white things, fades slightly, but still looks beautiful and white.  

Okay, so what's the big deal about white nonstick cookware, and what's the deal with these new white coatings? For years, chefs have resisted using nonstick coatings for a few reasons.  1. We didn't think we could get a proper sear or make a pan sauce. 2. We didn't like the fact that the cookware was so dark that it was difficult to monitor what was going on in the bottom of the pan…difficult to see when your sauce was reducing, etc. 3. Nonstick pans were notorious for breaking down quicker in a restaurant due to the extreme heat.

The white nonstick from ceramic addresses all three of these issues. Ceramic nonsticks are designed to withstand incredible stovetop temperatures. The beautiful bright white coating actually makes it easier than stainless steel to monitor the cooking process. In fact, a sauce looks as pretty in the white-coated pan as it does on a bright white restaurant plate.

Now this all sounds great, right? The buyer should now simply tell me when he'd like to put it on air, right? WRONG. The buyer issued a challenge. He said he felt the folks would be resistant to such a new color and nonstick story, and we need a three-piece skillet set for a retail of $29.99! We all looked at him, shocked. Great quality cookware on QVC started at about $35 for just two small skillets. Now he wants an 8", 10", and 12" for $29.99!  

So we started designing and figuring out how we could make it happen without skimping on the cookware. We pulled it off, and it looks amazing. The performance of the nonstick is fantastic, and I hope you'll join me Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET on In the Kitchen with David to see the Walah! set of 3 skillets (8", 10", and 12") with white ceramic nonstick coatings and great exterior colors!

-Eric

Imagine a nonstick more brilliant than your eggs!