Q: If Teflon doesn’t stick to anything,...

Q: If Teflon doesn’t stick to anything, how do they get it to stick to pans?

A: Manufacturers use a mechanical process not unlike that used to attach stucco to buildings. To apply stucco, builders first nail wire mesh to the wall. When stucco dries around the mesh, it is held rigidly in place.

The key to applying Teflon to metal surfaces, according to DuPont spokeswoman Christa Kaiser, is to mix it with another polymer that does bond to metal. When the two polymers dry, their long chains are intermingled, just like the stucco and wire mesh, holding the Teflon to the pan. One or two additional coats of pure Teflon are then applied and heated so that they bind to the Teflon in the primer.