I’ve read this article this afternoon and it kinda hit me with some negative feelings towards BB, always being a bit more thorough with their claims (which I usually find informing)…
Anyway, I work at GreenPan and while this can be a bit of a bias, I know, these words are my own as the subject really interests me. GreenPan actually launched the ceramic non-stick coatings some years ago. The basic ingredient of the coating is Silicon Dioxide (Silicon, not silicone) which is basically a kind of sand, also used for glassware etc. It is indeed completely free of chemicals that could be dangerous, even when overheated.
There is a small difference in use as ceramic non-stick pans distributes heat more efficiently so people tend to burn their food and oils and damaging the pan using too high heat. This is because they are used to “traditional” non-stick pans of which the plastic-based coatings block the heat somehow. But if you keep an eye out not to overheat them, they are equally convenient and durable.
It’s refreshing to find someone actually helps to inform the people on the true nature of PTFE pans and of ceramic non-stick wannabees.
Been a few years but I’m transitioning to SS, oil and butter make them non stick, no rust and clean up easy. Only issue is that my old cast iron pans last hundreds of years and I’m too cheap to just replace them.
I did not say anything scaremongering, I think the human body is capable of dealing with a lot of toxic substances in small enough quantities, and it is up to each person to choose their exposure to each one. No fear. I’d eat something cooked on teflon. I choose not to use it as my main pan type but have in the past. Perfectly reasonable and balanced view.
You are incorrect, it isn’t burning (exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidant) that makes these substances toxic.
PTFE and PFOA have known health risks to mamals, birds, and reptiles. They are released both through heating and mechanical wear. (they are lethal to birds whos lungs are especially susceptible to these toxins.)
PFOA is a toxicant and carcinogen in animals and has been detected in the blood of more than 98% of the general US population.
PTFE starts to be released at normal pan surface temperatures 300 °F (149 °C) and 450 °F (232 °C) and degrade into even more toxic substances at just below the smoke point for most oils 450 °F (232 °C). These are not burning temperatures for PTFE.
I was unaware PTFE presents health risks to any creature; the fluorocarbon products given off by heating it sufficiently are dangerous to a variety of animals, though. For humans, this concentration is much higher than what is released by a properly-used nonstick pan, and to my knowledge, PFOA hasn’t been used as a surfactant in most (all?) teflon cookware for many years.
We have a full set of All-Clad and it is great for things like sauces, but nonstick it is not, and for any sauteing where the Maillard reaction is an important flavor component your cast iron will be miles better.
actually quite a few reported cases from cookware that was overheated. under normal usage the concentration isn’t enough to cause full flu symptoms, but even small ongoing exposure is linked to thyroid issues and other health concerns in humans. we are animals after all.
PFOA is indeed still used in cookware, and is also used in the manufacturing process when adhering teflon to the base pan. tfal claims their process burns off most of the PFOA and their green line is made using an alternate process. most PFOA free non-stick market that on the label, so it is easy to determine for the savvy consumer. If you don’t see that, then it likely still has it.
We haven’t even discusses the other suspect compounds like TFE and PFOS, nonceramic nonstick coatings that have moved away from PFOA have switched to new similar compounds that also have suspected health risks. It isn’t that they no longer have any compounds that leech, it is that they have switched to newer lesser studied ones.
The bigger point is that these concerns are legitimate and can’t be compared off the cuff to anti-vaxers.
I don’t think the risk is that great under normal usage, but also, why expose yourself when so many fantastic alternatives exist that are 100% safe?
By the way, watch out for nickel and chrome leaching out of stainless steel:
Trials included three types of stainless steels and a stainless steel saucepan, cooking times of 2-20 h, 10 consecutive cooking cycles, and four commercial tomato sauces. After a simulated cooking process, samples were analyzed by ICP-MS for Ni and Cr. After 6 h of cooking, Ni and Cr concentrations in tomato sauce increased up to 26- and 7-fold, respectively, depending on the grade of stainless steel. Longer cooking durations resulted in additional increases in metal leaching, where Ni concentrations increased 34-fold and Cr increased approximately 35-fold from sauces cooked without stainless steel. (J Agric Food Chemistry 2013)
I see; I knew the EPA was testing alternative surfactants several years ago when the industry-wide voluntary stoppage program began and had preliminarily determined that they degraded faster and were less of a threat. I guess those are now being used?
That’s fair, I guess I’m just irrationally allergic to fear-based marketing and greenwashing and chemophobia and suchlike. None of the studies I’ve seen are compelling at the concentrations involved in proper use of the cookware, hence my sanguinity. If you’re a bird or a relevant factory worker you have a valid concern.
Yeah, I get that. In a day and age where people think that microwave ovens, cell phones, vaccines, and such are harmful and BS health products abound it is good to be skeptical, and to also realize that very little in life is actually risk free.
I agree, knowledge is good. It is exciting to see material sciences come up with new solutions to existing problems like non-stick surfaces.