Ceramic pans are a great choice for those who want to cook healthily with minimal fat, but they come with one condition: you have to treat them well. At Braadbaas, we see that many problems — sticking, brown stains, reduced non-stick — are not due to poor quality, but to a combination of incorrect use and burnt-in grease.
The good news? You can almost always fix what went wrong. In this blog, we explain how to use ceramic pans perfectly, and how to get them completely clean again when they start to lose their non-stick properties.
Why does a ceramic pan stick?
1. Too high temperatures
The most common cause of problems is simple: cooking too hot. That brown, coppery haze on the bottom? That's a sign of overheating.
Here's how it should be:
• Heat your pan gently to 70–80% of its power.
• As soon as your butter has melted and the foam subsides, reduce the heat by 20–30%.
• Then fry and cook over medium heat — that's more than hot enough.
It often goes wrong, especially on induction hobs. Induction is powerful, fast, and heats the pan in seconds. This can damage the coating without you realizing it.
2. Burnt-in grease (carbonization)
If a ceramic pan "suddenly" starts sticking, it's almost always due to burnt-in grease. This occurs due to:
• Olive oil (burns around 150–160°C)
• Too high heat
• Food residues left behind
• Washing too gently
• Cleaning too often in the dishwasher
Burnt-in grease forms a film between your food and the coating — meaning you're not cooking on the non-stick surface, but on a sticky layer of grease residue.
Here's how to test if your pan is spotless (milk test):
• Wet the pan with a little cold milk and tilt it.
• Does the milk run thickly or does it stick? Then there's still grease on it.
• Does the milk run off smoothly? Then the pan is clean.
3. Olive oil is not a cooking oil
Olive oil seems ideal, but for frying, it's not ideal for ceramic pans.
• Burns early (150–160°C)
• Leaves a sticky film
• Carbonizes faster than other fats
Better: butter, margarine, ghee, or oils with a high smoke point.
How to get a ceramic pan looking like new again?
Does your pan have brown stains, does it stick, or does the milk test fail? Then you can almost always solve the problem with this method:
Step 1 — The milk test
Pour a splash of cold milk into the pan. Where the milk sticks, there's burnt-in grease. You'll tackle those spots extra rigorously later.
Step 2 — Baking soda + vinegar treatment
This loosens the grease film from the coating.
1. Pour a shallow layer of vinegar into the pan.
2. Sprinkle baking soda over it (it will fizz).
3. Bring this to a boil and let it simmer gently for 10 minutes.
4. Then let the pan soak for several hours.
During soaking, the combination penetrates the grease layer and breaks it down.
Step 3 — Scrubbing
Use the abrasive side of a scouring pad.
• Especially scrub the areas where the milk showed resistance.
• Use warm water and dish soap.
• No metal, no steel wool — but a normal scouring pad is perfectly fine.
Ceramic layers can handle this. You won't scratch them.
Step 4 — Washing & checking
Rinse, wash, and repeat the milk test.
• Does the milk now run off smoothly? Pan is clean and non-stick is back!
• Is anything still sticking? Then repeat the treatment.
Stubborn burnt-in grease sometimes requires 2–3 rounds.
Why is the dishwasher not an option for cleaning a ceramic pan?
The dishwasher:
• Does not remove carbonized grease
• Uses aggressive agents that can damage the coating
• Shortens the lifespan of any non-stick coating
• Cutlery and steel racks can cause micro-steel to fly around the dishwasher, which can damage pans.
Handwashing = much longer lifespan and better cooking results.
Heat control: the key to success
• Heat the pan slowly
• Never use the highest setting immediately
• Use a cooking zone that matches the base diameter of your pan
• Cook over medium heat — that's more than enough
The material of the pan determines the final temperature, not the setting of your hob.
Does your pan still stick?
Then a few things might have happened that have irreversibly damaged your pan:
• The pan has experienced a significant heat shock, causing it to warp and start sticking.
• The pan has been used for a long time with burnt grease and oil, causing it to penetrate so deeply into the pan's layer that it has become as hard as glass and impossible to wash out.
In these cases, warranty is often not possible either. If you have any further questions? WhatsApp or email us with your order number and photos with flash or in direct sunlight.