Teflon Cookware, Is it Dangerous? Hopefully you aren't using teflon cookware in your home. It was never made to cook food at high temperatures and the labels on them say so. How many of us never put a burner on high?
Using teflon coated cooking equipment at a high heat causes toxic fumes that are very unhealthy.
Canaries were used in coal mines because they were highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of toxic fumes. If a canary died, this warned the miners to the fact that there were dangerous fumes in the mine and they should get out.....QUICK.
Veterinarians have long known that overheating teflon cookware produces toxins that can kill birds. The syndrome is so well documented that it is included in the standard veterinary text on the subject:
Avian Medicine: Principles and Applications.
So it will kill your canary.....and do how much harm to you?
Oh, but it's safe at lower heats!
Safe at lower heats is what the industry that profits from the sales say. Does it really make sense that it's safe to use them at a lower heat? It may not cause you to collapse immediately, but will it cause toxins to build up in your system?
What happens when the they are older and the teflon has deteriorated?
Seems like a high price to pay for convenience.
An Alternative to Teflon Pans
I have cast iron skillets that are well seasoned. They aren't totally non-stick, but they are really easy to clean up.
After taking the cooked food from the pan, fill it back up with an inch of water and set it back on the warm burner you were just using (you can leave the burner on low heat if you like).
At the end of the meal take the pan over to the sink and whatever might have been stuck on the bottom of the pan comes right off. Then you:
.scrub it clean with water (do not use soap)
.wipe it dry
.put a light coat of oil on the inside of the pan (I use
olive oil)
you can put the pan back on the burner on low heat for a few minutes. This step is only needed if your pan has lost it's seasoning (you washed it with soap) or when it's new
An improvement on Granny's Cast Iron.
The new generation of cast iron skillets has an enameled exterior that gives them a really attractive appearance.
They look so nice that you can use the cookware to serve the food at the table. This will also keep your food from going cold right away.
Like the old style cast iron skillets, these are affordable and outlast other cookware by many years. Click on the external links to this article if you'd like to view these.
My Recommendation
Teflon pans were all the rage when they 1st came out because they made clean up so easy! Now that it is obvious that cooking in a Teflon pan at high heat is hazardous to just about everything (the environment, birds, you and me) what’s a person to do?
I like to recommend getting a cast iron skillet to my coaching clients.
If you absolutely won’t give up your Teflon cookware, at the very least be sure to use it at a low heat (and move your canary as far from the kitchen as possible).
Be aware, think for yourself, and take control of your own health.
