The History of T-Fal Cookware - The World's First Nonstick Cookware
Like so many modern day inventions, the convenience of nonstick T-Fal cookware was created as the result of an accident. In 1954 a French engineer, Marc Gregoire, invented a way to allow Teflon to adhere to aluminum. In 1955 after receiving a patent for his invention, Marc and his wife, Colette, began making and selling nonstick cookware out of their kitchen. This was so successful that in 1956 The TEFAL (formed by taking the TEF from Teflon and the AL from Aluminum) Company was started. By the end of the year TEFAL was making and selling 100 pans a day in France.
Did We Say That T-Fal Cookware was an Accident?Okay you say, “But where was the accident?” The accident was actually the invention of Teflon by DuPont in 1938. It was the result of researching better refrigerants used in refrigerators. It was actually a combination of a refrigerant under pressure at a low temperature that caused a polymer to form. Testing showed the polymer to be highly resistant to chemicals, temperature, electricity, mold, and fungus. Oh yeah, it was also very slippery!So Why Did DuPont Need A French Engineer To Invent T-Fal Cookware?The key word is slippery! Nothing would adhere to it. This was an actual case of the joke about the chemist who invented a substance that will dissolve everything, but he couldn’t find a container to hold it. DuPont developed some expensive techniques to coat industrial items for war time use during World War II, but was not moving Teflon into the consumer area.Meanwhile, in France, Marc learned from a colleague how to coat aluminum with Teflon. As an avid fisherman, he started using Teflon to coat his fishing gear to prevent tangles. Colette asked him if he could coat her cooking pans and the rest is history!
The technique involved etching the aluminum with acid so that it was pitted. He then sprinkled Teflon power on the aluminum and heated it to just below its melting point. This caused the Teflon to grip the aluminum so no adhesive was required.
You Tefal Cookware, We Say T-Fal Cookware!Ok, why does the rest of the world spells it Tefal cookware and North America spells it T-Fal? Good question!The popularity of the nonstick cookware in France was noticed by DuPont. They asked the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the United States to approve Teflon for use in consumer cooking and food processing. After reviewing volumes of DuPont test data, the FDA approved Teflon for use in consumer cookware. Meanwhile Thomas Hardie, an American, met Gregoire while on a business trip. He was impressed with the cookware. and decided it would be a big hit in the U.S. He visited DuPont to discuss the idea of importing the pans. DuPont executives were enthusiastic, but wanted him to change the name Tefal was too close to their brand name of Teflon. Thomas changed it to T-Fal. Finally The T-Fal Cookware Was Introduced To The U.S.!After numerous attempts to sell retailers on the idea of nonstick cookware, Thomas finally convinced Macy’s of New York City to place a small order of T-Fal pans. The pans went on sale for $6.94 on December 15, 1960. To everyone’s amazement the pans quickly sold out even during a severe snow storm.Neiman Marcus was the next retailer to sell T-Fal cookware even though their stores didn’t have a house wares section. It was such a success that the pans were quickly sold right off pallets in the middle of the aisles! America voted yes to nonstick cookware and factories could not ramp up production fast enough to meet demand. T-Fal cookware did not stop with just a frying pan. They have continuously added to and improved their line of products for over 50 years. In their own words:
“T-Fal's mission is to offer ingenious products to make cooking simpler and more rewarding as well as making ironing easier and faster. T-Fal is dedicated to understanding the consumer's needs and bringing innovative solutions. T-Fal's history is marked with world-class innovations.”
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