Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Let's all agree to never use non-stick pans again! Throw them away today.


The fact that it poses MAJOR health risks is not new information, it's not even controversial. The coating that makes it non-stick is the same chemical used on carpets to make them "Stain resistant", and it is toxic. On carpets it "off-gasses" and you breathe it in, not to mention your toddler who crawls on it giving him or her the opportunity to rub it all over his skin and absorb it that way.

On cookware, the chemicals are dangerous in a variety of ways. One chemical, called PFOA (ammonium perfluorooctanoate), or C-8 is used in manufacturing the non-stick, and has been linked to cancer. Another substance, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) is the reason why we are not supposed to use it to cook on high heat (are we all monitoring our cooking temperatures?) it emits poisonous gasses when used at high heat. It has actually killed birds-not lab birds, but people's pet's in their own homes. Also, when you cook using that metal spatula just scrapes the chemicals right into your meal.

These various chemicals have health risks including-but not limited to: Cancer, birth defects, deformities, the "Teflon Flu" (look it up in the ABC article listed below), and who knows what else.

So let's recap: It is unsafe to use these cooking pans at high temperatures, you can not use hard spatulas, you can not scrub them, you can not use them for too long otherwise the coating breaks down-and these are just the guidelines that the actual MANUFACTURERS recommend! It is just not worth it for the mere convenience, especially when there are perfectly viable alternatives.
Cast iron skillet
I love to use cast-iron. It is non-stick (as long as you treat it well), and is not toxic :)
And since we did love our George foreman grill, specifically for making sandwiches, my Mom bought us a great cast iron grill pan with a top-the perfect panini maker.
Cottage Collection Cast Iron 2-piece Grill Pan with Press

So what's the consensus? We Can live full & full-filling lives without using toxic non-stick products!

Still not convinced? Don't take my word for it! See what a little TV network called ABC had to say about it all the way back in 2003-this is an important article to read:

The Canadian Cancer Society wrote this:

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