Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 19:59
No idea about the "teflon getting too hot" point, however I do prefer heavier gauge saucepans for cooking
Hiya Mfewster
No worries Buddy,The Teflon debate has been going on for years...
Who trusts the French (they eat snails for crying out loud lol)
To me the Gear seems of heavy duty..I have a hotplate that stands over the fire,The Saucepans in general will be used on the gas cookers or beside a fire on coals where its not raging hot...
From abc.net
Should I throw out my non-stick fry pan?
When it comes to the non-stick products themselves though, DuPont says there is no risk to consumers. PFOA, says the company, is used the in the manufacturing process but is driven out during that process. There is no PFOA left in the non-stick surface in the final product.
The EPA agrees. 'At the present time, EPA does not believe there is any reason for consumers to stop using any consumer or industrial related products that contain PFOA', says the EPA's website.
Nevertheless, non-stick fry pans can release toxins. At high temperatures Teflon is known to give off a cocktail of 15 types of toxic particles and gases, including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and phosgene. These chemicals are known to be poisonous to birds. And in humans they case headaches, chills, backache, and fever - a condition known as 'Teflon flu'.
DuPont admits this, but it says in humans the condition is reversible, and in any case it only occurs at high temperatures, not during normal cooking use.
This too is the accepted wisdom amongst consumer groups; in Australia, for example, in a November 2004 'road
test' of non-stick frypans, the Australian Consumers' Association said:
'It's true that chemicals such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) can be given off by some coatings at extremely high temperatures. But it's unlikely to happen during normal cooking…Research hasn't indicated harmful long-term effects of TFA on people. At this stage there's no evidence that non-stick cooking poses a safety risk.'
About 80 per cent of non-stick kitchen utensils on sale in Australia use Teflon - the rest are made by other chemical companies using a similar process that involves PFOA. There are no Teflon manufacturing plants in Australia.
And, according to the Australian Government's industrial chemicals regulator, NICNAS:
'Based on information currently available, there is no risk to the health of consumers using non-stick cookware under normal cooking conditions.'
But the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an independent US non-profit consumer group, disputes this. It says that Teflon begins to deteriorate after the temperature of cookware reaches about 260°C (500°F), and begins to significantly decompose above 350°C (660°F). Cooking fats, oils and butter will begin to scorch and smoke at about 200°C (392°F), and meat is usually fried between 200-230°C (400-450°F), but hot spots in the pan can easily exceed this temperature.
Off-gassing can occur when a Teflon pan is left unattended. A Teflon pan can reach 383°C (721°F) in just five minutes heated on a conventional, electric stovetop, says the EWG.
Consumers to decide?
It's important to note that no Teflon product has been recalled in the US, Australia or anywhere else. As far as the regulating bodies are concerned, they're safe - as long as you don't let them overheat.
But the finding that a chemical in the production process has been identified as causing cancer, acknowledged by the company - together with the company's 'difficulties' with the EPA in the past - is likely to have an effect.
The problem for companies like DuPont is, consumers are increasingly punishing products in the marketplace that are seen to have a question mark over their safety, despite company assurances they're safe, even if they were once consumer staples. Think cigarettes, fast food, and sugar-enhanced breakfast cereals.
Here's our tip: expect to see rows of non-stick frypans in discount stores going cheap; and poached eggs - cooked in conventional stainless steel frypans - making a comeback.
Cheers
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