Every busy household with kids needs a good set of pots and pans. So, being a busy parent myself, I am contemplating the purchase of a new set of cookware to handle my growing culinary needs.
Over the years I have heard rumblings about the safety of nonstick cookware. Apparently, there are cancer causing chemicals used in the manufacture of Teflon. A search brought up several web sites and articles in support of both sides of this debate. Out of all the search results that I reviewed I was only able to find one that I felt was unbiased, straightforward, and credible.
You can read about the health safety of nonstick cookware in an article entitled “Keep Your Cool When Using Teflon” by washingtonpost.com by clicking here.
Basically, this article states that nonstick cookware is generally safe. However, the coating will break down at extremely high temperatures and release gases into the air that can be toxic. That doesn’t sound too good. But is it dangerous enough to make me give up the convenience that nonstick cookware offers?
I think I need to modify my approach. At this point, I realize that I use a lot of nonstick cookware – even for items that don’t really stick (for example, my soup pot is nonstick). But you can’t beat the ease of nonstick cookware for potatoes, pancakes, and omelettes, among other things. So perhaps a “middle of the road” approach is the way to go. Stainless steel or anodized aluminum for most stuff but a few nonstick cookware standbys for those “sticky” situations.
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Parrots are particularly vulnerable to the toxic burn-off fumes of nonstick cookware. Even a small amount that isn’t lethal to a human can quickly kill a parrot, even a large macaw or cockatoo.
Frank,
I do recall reading that somewhere. Do you know if this is an issue from normal use of nonstick cookware in homes where birds are kept as pets?
Most concerned bird owners prefer to use other types of cookware or take their pet to a location in the house well away from the kitchen area when using PTFE coated cookware. This helps reduce the risk of a tragic accident should overheating occur.
I know that humans and birds are different creatures entirely, but it does make you think twice about the safety of daily cooking in a product that is so dangerous to another species.
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