Teflon unsafe?

[Ed_]

In general, I'm not a huge fan of manufactured non-stick coatings. I don't find them all that helpful, and they always seem to wear out.

We have one skillet and a griddle that are cast iron, and if you season them well (even the supposedly pre-seasoned ones) they hardly stick, and they stand up to anything.

We also have several of the Calphalon hard-anodized aluminum pans. They're great--nice and heavy, even heat distribution. They do make some with non-stick coatings, but of course they wear out long before the pan itself. The ones we have are all metal (no plastic handles or anything) so they can move from stove to oven.

Also, I don't think non-stick coatings let food brown as well. If anything does stick, it's probably just going to taste better anyway. I'm sure you all do this anyway, but just deglaze with some stock/beer/wine/vinegar (whatever seems appropriate in the dish) and get all that good stuff back into the food where it belongs!

I do covet the 5qt Le Creuset Dutch oven...

Ed

[SpringJim]

Originally Posted by Ed_

they always seem to wear out.



Ed

If you treat them well and only use wood or plastic utensils and no metal srubbing stuff, I find they can last a while

[james]

I seem to kill off teflon pans in about a year. I use plastic utensils and we are gentle in cleaning -- I think we just cook too much. :-)

So, to keep my old pans out of the landfill, and for the teflon issue, I have bit the bullet, and ordered some Calphalon anodized aluminum pans from eBay. I'll let you know how it goes. I still have my stainless and cast iron for the WFO. Those, and my trusty, rusty paella pans.

One last thing. Don't microwave food in plastic. I think there is enough evidence that that does cause cancer.

James

[Les]

James,

I think the world is confused on this issue - I guess it doesn't hurt to be safe.

Les...

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Microwaving Plastic Releases Cancer-Causing Agents

[brokencookie]

I use a set of waterless, greaseless pans for a lot of non-WFO cooking. These are a 7 ply material with surgical stainless steel as the outer layer. The heat transfer is so efficient that you can stack the pans ontop on one another on the stove top. The temperature difference between the bottom pan and the top pan is about 3 degrees F ( 1 degree C). They are kind of different to cook with because everything is cooked a lower temperature because of the efficient heat transfer. They are pretty spendy, but have a lifetime guarentee and since owning one I have never purchased another teflon coated pan.

[Ed_]

Originally Posted by brokencookie

... The heat transfer is so efficient that you can stack the pans ontop on one another on the stove top. The temperature difference between the bottom pan and the top pan is about 3 degrees F ( 1 degree C)....

Name names, please! I'm curious about these (even though I'm not really in the market at the moment).

[brokencookie]

HealthCraft. Its made with a 7 ply metal sandwich. You can also find a few other brands like this. I think regal is one. I used to run my electric stove on 6 to cook chicken in a teflon pan. Now I run it at 2.5 for the same amount of time. One of the other interesting things about cooking like this is that I can put the chicken, rice and vegatables all in the same pan and cook them at once. The flavors do not mingle unless I stir them together.
If you are interested (I have no connection with the company) I would look to buy a single pan off e-bay and try it. Someone is always buying these and then not using them. The pans run between $275 and $600 each. Last year I bought a new $500 10 qt pan with lid for
$65.

Bruce

[gjbingham]

James,
Let us know how you like that Calphalon. I bought a frying pan and pasta pot/strainer about 10 years ago. I almost never use them because they are so hard to get clean. They require a special abraisive which goes for 10 bucks for about 12 ounces. Even using that, it is very laborious in my hands.

Most of the chefs on the food network use the Calphalon and it always looks pristine. I figure they use a new set for each show because the food would not look nearly as good in an old oxidized one like mine.

[james]

I'll let you know.

As an aside, Costco has two restaurant-grade aluminum saute pans with Teflon coating for $20. You can use them for a year or so, and toss them when the non-stick is shot. The more I think about it, non-stick on expensive anodized aluminum pans doesn't make sense. You have a great pan, but the non-stick still wears out in 12 months and you can't use it any more.

James

[BrianShaw]

Originally Posted by gjbingham

Most of the chefs on the food network use the Calphalon and it always looks pristine. I figure they use a new set for each show because the food would not look nearly as good in an old oxidized one like mine.

I figure that you are probably right! My hunch is that when Claphalon (or any other manufacturer) sponsors a show they provide sufficient product so they (both the food AND the pans) will be shown in the most flattering way.

I've been happy with Calphalon for many, many years. As long as they are properly heated prior to cooking I have little sticking. Mine never really get cleaned back to the "like new" appearance. I'm too cheap to pay for the special cleaner.

I'm happier, though, with my All-Clad - finding All-Clad more even heating than either Calphalon or Circulon, of which I have a few pieces.