Value Village ／ Food & living
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
Frying pans are made from very different materials, so care advice from one country rarely matches another. The habits you brought with you may be for a different kind of pan from the one in your Japanese kitchen. Knowing one number changes the decision.
Fluoropolymer (so-called Teflon) coatings are generally described as having a maximum continuous-use temperature of about 260°C. Above this the coating begins to degrade, and at about 350°C there is a risk of decomposition gases being released.
If you heat an empty pan (空焚き, *karadaki*, "dry heating"), the surface reaches this temperature within a few minutes. If you realise you have dry-heated a pan, ventilate the room at once; if you feel unwell, see a doctor.
[Verify] The temperatures are figures from manufacturer and industry documents. Before publication, confirm them with the Japan Fluoropolymers Industry Association (一般社団法人 日本弗素樹脂工業会) or a manufacturer's official documents.
Coated pans can be damaged by steel wool, abrasive cleaners and metal spatulas. Check the product's instructions first.
This is advice for iron pans (鉄のフライパン). Non-stick coatings have the temperature problem described above. Follow the instructions for your pan's material.
This too is something sometimes said about iron pans. Do not apply it to every material.
A sudden change in temperature can warp the pan and cause the coating to peel. Let it cool before washing — that is the basic rule.
Once the coating starts to peel, the tool has reached the end of its life. Deciding when to replace it is part of looking after it.
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https://www.jfia.gr.jp/
https://www.kokusen.go.jp/
https://www.nite.go.jp/jiko/
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
Some ingredients need thorough cooking. Eat raw only foods that are sold for raw consumption. If you have allergies, check the ingredients.
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