I have changed up my cookware …
OUT WITH THE OLD
IN WITH THE NEW
Teflon pans are safe … as long as they are not overheated! Non-stick cookware has been very popular. It is convenient & easy to clean. But if overheated, it also emits toxic fumes.
If the danger begins when pans overheat, then how hot is too hot? “At temperatures above 500ºF, the breakdown begins and smaller chemical fragments are released,” explains Kurunthachalam Kannan, Ph.D., an environmental toxicologist at the New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center. DuPont, inventor and manufacturer of Teflon, agrees that 500 degrees is the recommended maximum for cooking.
How fast will a nonstick pan reach 500°F, the point at which its coating can start to decompose? The Good Housekeeping Research Institute put three pieces of nonstick cookware to the test: a cheap, lightweight pan (weighing just 1 lb., 3 oz.); a midweight pan (2 lbs., 1 oz.); and a high-end, heavier pan (2 lbs., 9 oz.). We cooked five dishes at different temperatures on a burner that’s typical in most homes. The results: Even we were surprised by how quickly some of the pans got way too hot. Check out the test details on the next page.
If cookware is flaking, you might accidentally swallow a chip — but don’t be concerned, says Paul Honigfort, Ph.D., a consumer safety officer with the Food and Drug Administration. “A small particle would most likely just pass through the body, without being absorbed and without having any ill effect on the person’s health,” he says. But why would you want too!
Other alternatives:
Stainless steel is a terrific alternative to a non-stick cooking surface. Most chefs agree that stainless steel browns foods better than non-stick surfaces.
Cast iron remains a great alternative to non-stick cooking surfaces. Lodge, America’s oldest family-owned cookware manufacturer, refers to its cookware as “natural non-stick.” Cast iron is extremely durable and can be pre-heated to temperatures that will brown meat and will withstand oven temperatures well above what is considered safe for non-stick pans.
Copper pans cook food evenly, but unlined pans can cause copper to leach into food and cause diarrhea and sickness.
Glass cookware … Consumer Reports Magazine reports investigations of glass cookware made Pyrex in the U.S., and its competitor Anchor Hocking, unexpectantly shattering . The manufacturers web-site have created several pages debunking what they say are misleading reports!
My choice … Corning Glass ware … out with the old … in with the new & non toxic!