Oct 23, 2023 11:08:00

SharkNinja, a frying pan manufacturer that claimed to be ``manufactured at three times the temperature of the sun,'' is sued

SharkNinja, an American-based home appliance manufacturer, has been sued for deceiving consumers by claiming that its non-stick frying pans are manufactured at temperatures exceeding the surface temperature of the sun.

Frying pan company sued for claiming temperatures that rival the Sun - The Verge

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/20/23925424/sharkninja-lawsuit-frying-pan-temperatures-hotter-than-sun

SharkNinja is a small home appliance manufacturer that handles the Shark brand, which is known for robot vacuum cleaners, and the Ninja brand, which sells kitchen products such as blenders.The problem in this lawsuit was that the special manufacturing process makes the finish difficult to peel off. This is the ``Ninja NeverStick Premium Cookware Set,'' which is advertised as being difficult to cook.

Amazon | Ninja Foodi NeverStick Premium Hard Anodized Cookware Set Slate Gray | NINJA | Home & Kitchen

According to SharkNinja's

official website , unlike traditional frying pans that are made at only 900°F (approximately 482°C), the NeverStick series of cookware is 'super heated at 30,000°F (approximately 16,648°C)'. Plasma ceramic particles fused to the surface of the pan create an ultra-hard, textured surface that interacts with our proprietary coating for superior bonding.As a result, NeverStick pans are free from sticking and chipping. It won't peel or flake off.'

The following is an advertisement for SharkNinja that is actually featured in court documents.

However, Patricia Brown, who became a plaintiff on behalf of consumers, cited a NASA

document that states, ``The surface of the sun is extremely hot at 10,340 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 5,700 degrees Celsius).'' SharkNinja's statement that it was made at nearly double the temperature was criticized as ``both false and absurd.''

Mr. Brown also claims that ``It is physically impossible to heat a frying pan to this temperature, given that the aluminum that the frying pan is made of vaporizes at 4,478°F (2,470°C).'' He also points out that it can only be used in the oven at temperatures up to 500°F (260°C).

However, it's also possible that SharkNinja frying pans really are manufactured at temperatures above the sun. For example, in a 2002 article unrelated to SharkNinja, The Washington Post wrote about Teflon coatings, saying, ``The latest high-tech technology to prevent sticking is a coating called Ceramic Titanium, developed in Denmark and used in Scanpan cookware. The titanium and ceramic mixture is heated to temperatures high enough (30,000 degrees Fahrenheit) to break up the atoms into a cloud of charged particles, and is fired at supersonic speeds onto the surface of an aluminum pan, where it is fixed directly to the metal. 'It creates a hard, scratch-proof surface.' In other words, the coating sprayed on the frying pan is nearly three times as hot as the sun, so the frying pan itself doesn't get very hot.

The Verge, an IT news site that covered this lawsuit, asked SharkNinja about the authenticity of the claim, but they said they have not received a response. The Verge commented, ``Mr. Brown claims that ``SharkNinja's claims are nothing more than flashy and false marketing.'' That may be true, but I would also like to hear what SharkNinja has to say.'' did.

A forum related to this article has been set up on the GIGAZINE official Discord server. Anyone can write freely, so please feel free to comment!

• Discord | 'Are you particular about the material and surface treatment of your frying pan?' | GIGAZINE
https://discord.com/channels/1037961069903216680/1166304910757859378