GEM #4: Being Green is Sticky Business

I've been trying to decide what to do with my old Teflon pans for some time.  The thing is, they aren't really that old, just shy of 10 years.  But they have definitely earned some scrapes, like any 10 year old.  Over the summer, I began learning more about Teflon and the chemical that's used to make it.  Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is used to make Teflon, and isn't supposed to be present in the final product, although some tests by the EPA have found PFOA in nonstick cookware and microwave popcorn bags (yes, Teflon is used for everything from Snickers wrappers to fast food packaging to nonstick cookware.)  This chemical is considered a "likely carcinogen" and DuPont has promised to eliminate release of the chemical from its plants by 2015 (this is not, by the way, the same thing as phasing it out...).  Because Teflon can't be made any other way currently, they are actively seeking an alternative - what do you think are the chances that it too will be a likely carcinogen?

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is Teflon itself, doesn't seem to have the same level of health hazard...for humans at least.  Byproducts of Teflon breakdown seem to be especially lethal to birds, who always seem to get the short end of the human ingenuity stick.  So what makes Teflon, which otherwise seems to last for millions of years, break down?  Heat.  High heat, but not so high to be out of reach of the average kitchen.  Teflon begins to break down at a temperature of 260 C (500 F) which is easily reached if an empty pan is heated over a high flame.  This also happens to be the smoke point of many oils and is below the smoke point of some (like avocado oil).  Besides whacking the dinosaur descendants, you can also give yourself flu-like symptoms from these break down products.

So are there good non-PTFE nonstick pans out there?  We were steered towards a Danish model at Sur La Table, but they honestly weighed 1,000 pounds.  Same thing for cast iron, which is a good environmental nonstick but will break your wrist.  Just a few weeks ago, I invested in a few Cuisinart GreenGourmet pans and I've been really impressed.  These are so nonstick that I've had more than a few meal parts end up on the floor!  They also are a nice weight and design.  It remains to be seen how long they will keep their slipperiness, but for now I'm definitely sticking with them!

Relevant Blog: Greener Penny: The post is over a year old, and I think the Cuisinart pans have come out since then, but they do point out some of the problems with believing the hype from the cookware companies.

Image from Jannie-Jan, via Creative Commons