Can this TikTok hack actually bring your worn-out nonstick pan back to life?

Nonstick pans make cooking sticky foods, from scrambled eggs to quesadillas, a breeze. Their coating lets you fry, sear, and sauté without worrying about food sticking, making both serving and cleanup easier.

However, many home cooks have faced the disappointment of a nonstick pan that loses its effectiveness over time. What now? Can a nonstick pan be saved, or is it time to toss it? When is a nonstick pan unsafe to use?

A recent TikTok video has been circulating, promising an easy solution to restore a sluggish nonstick pan using an everyday kitchen staple: salt.

What’s the TikTok trick for bringing your worn-out nonstick pans back to life?

Sophie Louise, known for her popular cleaning hacks, shared a viral trick for reviving a nonstick pan using salt that quickly took social media by storm.

In the video, Sophie first cleans the pan with dish soap and a soft sponge, dries it, and heats it on the stovetop. She then covers the bottom with an even layer of table salt, which browns after a few minutes of heat. Once heated, she removes the pan, tilts it to discard the salt, and wipes it down with a damp towel to remove any salt residue. To finish, she cooks an egg in the freshly cleaned pan, and the nonstick surface seems to work as good as new.

Does this TikTok hack really restore a nonstick pan to its former glory?

A key indicator of whether a social media hack is legitimate is whether the creator shows a clear before-and-after comparison. In this case, the 'after' shot was convincing—after using the hack, the pan looked as nonstick as ever. The catch? There was no 'before' shot to show the pan's original state.

My go-to nonstick pan for eggs had been giving me trouble lately, so I decided to test this hack before replacing it. I cleaned the pan, added salt, cooked, and wiped it down—but unfortunately, I saw very little improvement.

For some reason, I wasn't ready to give up just yet, so I decided to give it one more go, following the steps in the video to the letter. After wiping out the pan, I thought it might help to treat it like a cast-iron skillet, so I rubbed a small amount of neutral oil into the cleaned surface. While it wasn’t a miracle fix, it definitely improved the nonstick performance compared to doing it without the oil.

To determine if there was any truth to this hack, we decided to dig a bit deeper.

Why do nonstick pans lose their effectiveness in the first place?

Nonstick pans can become less effective when the coating wears down or gets scratched, which means it's time for a new one. Another major issue can be cooking spray. While it works great on other cookware, the extra ingredients in the spray, such as lecithin, can build up on nonstick pans. This creates a layer that interferes with the nonstick coating, preventing it from performing as it should.

How does salt help restore a worn-out nonstick pan?

In this viral TikTok cleaning method, heating the pan and using salt to 'exfoliate' it helps remove the buildup from previous cooking sprays. I also suspect that adding a bit of oil afterward gives the nonstick surface an extra boost, much like it does for cast-iron pans.

The Verdict

We give this hack 2 out of 5 stars. On the first attempt, we noticed no improvement. It wasn’t until we tried it again with oil that we saw some change, but it still wasn’t impressive. This trick could potentially work for regular maintenance, but if your nonstick pan is still sticking or has scratches, it’s time to replace it.