A woman is suing SharkNinja for claiming that its frying pan is made at temperatures hotter than the sun
Picture created via Dall-E 2
- SharkNinja says its frying pans have a stronger nonstick coating because they're made at 30,000°F.
- That's as hot as certain parts of the sun, which is only 10,340°F at its surface.
- A new lawsuit argues the company's claim is misleading and defies the laws of physics.
Is there a limit on how hot a frying pan can get?
SharkNinja claims that its nonstick pans are manufactured under a maximum temperature of 30,000°F, which is almost three times hotter than the surface of the sun. The company says the super hot temperature ensures that the nonstick coating on its pans is more resistant than competitor pans made at lower temperatures.
In a proposed class-action lawsuit filed against the company, New Jersey native Patricia Brown argues that SharkNinja's claims are physically impossible.
Brown purchased two 12-inch, nonstick frying pans made by SharkNinja in 2021, according to the lawsuit. SharkNinja advertised the pans under the premise that they wouldn't "stick, chip, or flake" because they had been manufactured at a scorching hot temperature of 30,000°F, unlike pans made at just 900°F that "rapidly lose nonstick."
Brown says that claim is "little more than a glitzy, deceptive marketing technique," according to the lawsuit, which was filed in the New Jersey District Court on October 13.
Brown says in the lawsuit that SharkNinja's nearly $60 pans lose their nonstick coating more rapidly than competitor pans priced under $10 or $20 and that manufacturing pans at a temperature of 30,000°F "defies the laws of physics and thermodynamics."
On the company's product page for the pan, it explains that it creates its nonstick coating by fusing plasma ceramic particles "super-heated at 30,000°F" to the surface of its pans to create "a super-hard, textured surface that interlocks with our exclusive coating for a superior bond."
But Brown says the company's messaging suggests the pans themselves are also being heated to a temperature of 30,000°F in the manufacturing process.
"Defendant would have the average consumer believe that their nonstick pans are manufactured at a temperature that would vaporize the aluminum pan base metal into gas," Brown says in the lawsuit, adding that the boiling point of aluminum is about 4,478°F. She also notes that the surface of the sun is a "blisteringly hot" 10,340°F, according to NASA — far below the company's maximum manufacturing temperature.
While SharkNinja did not respond to Insider's request for a comment, there is evidence to suggest its claims are physically possible. Even in the early 2000s, the Danish cookware company Scanpan was coating its pans by heating up a mixture of ceramic and titanium to 30,000°F and firing the resulting plasma particles at the surface of its pans, according to the Washington Post.
Brown's legal counsel told Insider that it's too early to comment on the case, but the lawsuit has gained the attention of some experts on advertising law.
Gonzalo E. Mon, a partner at the law firm Kelley Drye & Warren LLP who is not directly involved in the case, told Insider that the SharkNinja case initially caught his eye because the language of the complaint was "a little over the top" and he thought it might make for a catchy blog post.
In his post, Mon references a 2021 case, also cited by Brown, in which the National Advertising Division reviewed SharkNinja's claims. At the time, NAD didn't actually dispute SharkNinja's temperature claims, but they determined that SharkNinja didn't provide enough evidence that its cookware exhibited more resistance to "sticking, chipping, and flaking" than traditional nonstick pans, Mon noted in his post.
"One of the things that was interesting in this case is that they only tested one food. They tested scrambled eggs," Mon told Insider. "Clearly, one food was not enough for NAD, but they didn't say how many the company had to test."
As Brown's case unfolds, Mon said he's waiting to see whether SharkNinja will present evidence on additional foods they've tested.
While the lawsuit has not yet been certified as a class-action, Brown claims there are thousands of purchasers who have been hurt by the company's advertising.
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