Bakeware coatings made from PTFE play a critical part in both the industrial bakeware and the food industry, but how much do you really know about them?
We all know the basic premise of the coatings is to stop baked goods sticking to the pans, trays etc, but we’ve compiled a number of other facts that might just surprise you…
1. PTFE is the only known surface that a gecko cannot stick to because it renders the van der Waals forces ineffective. Watch the proof below:
2. The cleaning media we use on our coated bakeware travels at over 100 mph
3. PTFE only exists because a man named Roy J. Plunkett discovered it by accident back in 1938 whilst working for DuPont. The substance was patented by them as Teflon®
4. Our bakery coating systems are bonded together at 350℃
5. Bakeware coatings made from PTFE have a massive temperature resistance range of 530℃ (-270℃ to 260℃)
6. A French engineer by the name of Marc Grégoire made the first non-stick TeflonⓇ pan called Tefal back in 1954
7. Our bakeware coatings come in a range of colours to allow for easy tin maintenance in large bakeries
8. Before being used for bakeware coatings, PTFE was used in WWII by the designers of the atomic bomb
9. A long-life non-stick coloured coating will last for significantly longer than a traditional coating, under the right conditions up to 4 times longer
10. PTFE begins its life as a mineral called fluorspar (image below), which is mined in Derbyshire
11. Our bakery coating systems offer up to 3,000 releases
If you liked this article, you should also read our silicone paper vs non-stick coatings case study.
Sources:
http://www.tested.com/science/life/44398-geckos-dont-stick-to-teflon/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_J._Plunkett
http://www.tefal.co.uk/about-tefal/our-history
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/molecule-of-the-month-teflon-the-non-stick-myth-that-stuck-did-you-think-that-your-hi-tech-frying-1414648.html
