Whilst your food will very quickly let you know whether a pan is non-stick or not, there are less stressful ways of testing a non-stick pan. The first is by sight. The pan should appear dark in colour, smooth, shiny and scratch-free. Most non-stick pans are marked as such, so look out for that. The second is by touch. Non-stick pans should feel slick under your fingers, providing little resistance when you move them along the surface.