419487 Mon Jul 09 15:45:29 -0700 2007 11 41 Cookware 0 2733636 Hey there - I just replaced a 12" non-stick All Clad that had pretty much given up the ghost. Save for the non-stick surface, the pan is in great shape. Has anyone out there ever removed the non-stick coating from a pan and converted it into a standard aluminum surface? It seems such a waste to toss out an otherwise sound pan. Steel Wool? Wet-Sand? Waste of time? Mon Jul 09 15:45:29 -0700 2007 13690 Sam B 1 2733724 Funny you should ask. Some 13 years ago I bought a pricey non-stick Imusa here in Colombia. The F**&*&(*(g B*&^*&(s had put their label sticker on the pan cooking surface; and nothing would take it off. Had to scrape the sticker off, destroying the non-stick. I removed the rest with steel wool and have used the pan ever since up at our finca with great results. Mon Jul 09 16:18:45 -0700 2007 2733636 36661 Sam Fujisaka 1 2733750 Is All Clad lifetime guaranteed? It can't hurt to email them and see if you can get a new one. As for non-stick pans, I do what Alton Brown recommends -- I buy a cheapie ($10 or less) every year or two because non-stick (Teflon) surfaces aren't expected to have a long life, so why spend big bucks. I usually buy mine at Ikea every couple of years and I think it's as cheap as $5 for 2 or 3 pans packaged together. Mon Jul 09 16:27:29 -0700 2007 2733636 11778 irishnyc 1 2734101 Even a nonstick All-Clad is guaranteed. There are a number of things the site mentions will void the warranty (dishwasher, metal on the nonstick, broiler use, abrasives). Not to suggest you've mistreated it or anything, just that before paying to mail a heavy pan back to them you want to know why they might deny a warranty claim. Info you need is here http://www.all-clad.com/consumer-service/frequently-asked-questions/ Mon Jul 09 18:25:25 -0700 2007 2733636 40162 CrazyOne 2 2734669 It's been a great pan - have abused it for years, and I have no complaints - just hate to throw out what is otherwise, a perfectly sound pan. think I'll try the steel wool approach and turn it into a pan for the campfire Mon Jul 09 21:36:13 -0700 2007 2734101 13690 Sam B 3 2734678 Again, Sam B, use it. It has many years of use ahead as a good pan. Sam f. Mon Jul 09 21:41:53 -0700 2007 2734669 36661 Sam Fujisaka 3 2736317 I think that steel wool would have worked on stuff made a decade or more ago, but anything newer is going to be incredibly hard to remove w/o removing metal with a sand blasting type set-up. PLUS those super small particles of PFTE are not good to have around -- even though they are inert once they get in your lungs they'll stay there -- hello "Miner's Lung"! And there are those who would suggest that the the toxics that were used in the manufactiring process will also be re-exposed. Send the damned thing back... Tue Jul 10 11:43:44 -0700 2007 2734669 87093 renov8r 4 2741509 I highly agree. That stuff is toxic and I think the OP would be better off without it. And I *hate* waste. If there were a way to test it to see if all the residue were absolutely gone, that would be swell. Wed Jul 11 18:13:09 -0700 2007 2736317 42513 Mawrter 1 2734733 If you have used commercial non-stick sprays on it like Pam you could try oven cleaner. Be careful not to get it on to the the aluminum surface because it will pit it. The non-stick sprays burn almost on contact and produce a sticky residue wich is difficult to remove. After ruining several Claphalon non-stick skillets and buying new cheap ones as a replacement and reading the directions, the cheap nonstick skillets from TJ MAxx have been great for over 10 years and are srtll looking almost like new Mon Jul 09 22:12:09 -0700 2007 2733636 10285 Candy 1 2738047 I was standing in line at Sur La Table and a guy brought his very tired all-clad ns pan in and they took it and he got a new one right there and then. I was shocked! That may be an option. Tue Jul 10 20:02:23 -0700 2007 2733636 15457 peppatty 2 2742191 Interesting, I wonder what the criteria for a replacement is. Thu Jul 12 00:14:55 -0700 2007 2738047 77247 Romanmk 1 2742189 I had my All-Clad 12" NS pan recoated with whatever that Dupont non-stick for $25. Beats sending it to the landfill. The new coating seems even more slippery than the original. You just have to mail the pan to these guys. http://www.frypanman.com/how.html Thu Jul 12 00:13:59 -0700 2007 2733636 77247 Romanmk