Does ceramic non-stick cookware "fail", and if so, how?

I have a ceramic-coated pan too, and always treated it with care (plastic utensils, no overheating, etc.) It failed too, after some time (I think I've had it for 9 months now, and used frequently).

Unlike a failed Teflon pan, it does not look or feel any different. But while at the beginning it was superslick, with everything gliding right off it in a fluid motion, now it is only moderately non-stick. I can still use it as normal, including for such problematic cases as omelets. But if I fry without fat, I need a spatula to dislodge the omelet from the surface. In contrast, when I bought it it was like polished ice. It is still more non-stick than, say, enamelled or seasoned iron, and definitely better than stainless steel. But it isn't as good as a good-quality PTFE.

If the non-stickness keeps at this level, I still think that it makes sense to buy it, if you have the money. They are expensive, especially the brand-name ones, but can give you nice, even heating. While they will give you less non-stick performance, they are more robust than PTFE - metal utensils don't damage them, they don't overheat as easily - and I found the non-stickiness sufficient. The nice thing about them is that the quality ones aren't thin aluminium, mine has a 10 mm sandwiched steel bottom - you don't get this in PTFE. So they can be used for applications impossible with PTFE, and will give you a better heating in the cases where PTFE would have worked.

On the other hand, you can decide to go traditional, with a combination of PTFEs for the sticky applications and iron or steel for everything else. It will probably give you a better tool for the stickies, as long as the PTFE coating itself doesn't fail through accidental overheating. It is up to you which style you prefer, but the ceramics aren't the panacea they are touted as.

I make ceramics (not pans) for a living. Maybe it isn't the ceramic layer itself that fails but the glaze used to cover it. Glaze is molten glass and can be scratched. It will also deteriorate in the dishwasher. I tend to take my (deteriorated) plates and cups (the ones where the tea stains no longer come out in the dishwasher) and refire them in the kiln. This melts the glaze and re-distributes it. They are then like new. However, I don't think the ceramic pan would survive this.

I purposely never used metal in my ceramic-coated ware, despite ceramic being harder than steel, but still after about 6 months the smooth coating had gone and it lost its non-stickability. They're Le Creuset, not cheap, so I'd like to think it wasn't a quality issue.

I thought it might be acidic casseroles being left in it for a few days in the fridge, but didn't really research it deeper. I'd also steam-fry naan in them until I noticed the damage occurring if one burnt.

These pans definitely require non-stick-friendly devices. Very recently, an Israeli investigative report tested the coating of a sample of ceramic coated pans and found excessive amounts of lead and cadmium in some (not all) of them. See coverage by The Jerusalem Post and the Green Prophet.

If you are not sure about the contents of the coating, consider replacing the pan when the non-stick starts to deteriorate.

Ceramic coating is a piece of crap. Don't waste your money on it and use whatever type material you wish on it. From the moment I got it, it has caused food to stick and stains very easily and hard to clean. You can't even cook bacon on it much less an egg, unless you like your eggs broken.

If you want the best use stainless and good grade oils. It last forever and its a lot easier to cook with.

I found that using a stiff sponge brought my pan back to life. I use it almost every day and after a year it still works great. my guess is that a small amount of egg residue is left on the pan by a cloth, and it builds up over time; a slightly stiffer cleaning method takes this film right off. To be clear I did not use the abrasive side of the sponge, just the soft side.

For folks with bad experiences with ceramic coated pans, believe me, I totally ruined an Orgreenic pan and have since discovered why!. I use an almost new gas stove and had been setting the dial or 4, which is much too high for these type pans. I bought a new pan and now only use 3 (which brings the pan heat to actually only about 255 degrees Fahrenheit. Everything cooks beautifully including sausage, eggs, bacon, hamburgers and more, and I don't use anything in the pan, no butter, and certainly no spray-on of any kind (that will guarantee a ruined pan). Hope this helps folks.

I purchased an 8 inch ceramic coated fry pan about 6 months ago for $12 at Ocean State Job Lot. I had high hopes for this magic pan. The name of the brand is "Fry Pan". I cook eggs and sausage separately maybe 3 or 4 times a week. I've burnt the sausage several times. Result is that the pan is exactly the way it was when I first used it. Everything I had hoped it would be, it is. When I slide the eggs out onto a plate I immediately squirt a little liquid dish soup in and hot water out of the tap, slosh it around and rinse it out with hot water and it's spotless again. Sometimes after I burn something, I use a sponge too. I have no way of knowing if this pan has toxic substances and really don't care! I'd like to find a similar 1.5 qt sauce pan but I don't think that they make one.

I have a 9-month old ceramic 12" fry pan. For the first 7 months, it cooked beautifully, stuff slid right out. Last two months, everything sticks horribly, it is stained, and horrible. Donating it this weekend. I was super careful with it, never cooked on high heat, and all that. It has just failed. I will no longer buy ceramic.