Is it safe to use pans with peeling nonstick coating?
Is it safe to use pans with peeling nonstick coating?
I have a set of 3 Bra Premiere non-stick frying pans that I've used for a while. The coating on them says "Teflon Innovations without PFOA". Recently I've noticed that on the most used pan, the 26cm one, the Teflon coating has started to peel off.
I know that Teflon coatings can release harmful fumes and chemicals if overheated, but what about if the coating is physically peeling? Is it still safe to cook with them? Or should I stop using especially the 26cm one? I don't want to keep exposing my family to anything dangerous unknowingly. Any advice if these types of pans are still safe to cook with if the nonstick surface is peeling would be appreciated!
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Do you want to eat teflon? 'Cause that's how you end up eating teflon.
In theory, the teflon should continue to be inert as it passes through your digestive tract, but don't do that. It's time to throw out the pan.
Related advice: non-stick is overrated to begin with. Replace all your nonstick pans with tri-ply stainless clad aluminum, cast iron (enameled or not), carbon steel, etc..
If you insist on having a teflon pan, recognize it for the semi-disposable item it is: get the cheapest one you can find, use it only for things that really need it (e.g. eggs), and accept that you're going to be throwing it out and replacing it every couple of years.
I don't even think you need one for eggs necessarily. I switched from PTFE nonstick to all metal (stainless/carbon steel and cast iron) a few years back. Eggs were no problem once I figured out heat control. I cook scrambled eggs and omelettes every week with no sticking.
I did eventually get a ceramic nonstick for making soft tofu in a sticky sauce. Definitely don't try that in a stainless steel pan. It worked okay in the carbon steel wok, but was obnoxious to clean.
I don’t even think you need one for eggs necessarily.
Oh, for sure, you don't! I didn't phrase my previous comment correctly: what I meant to convey is that if you must have a teflon pan, only use it for the very few special things that benefit from it the most instead of as a general-purpose pan.
non-stick is overrated to begin with
I'd say it's correctly rated. It does the no-stick well while not being as durable. In my experience that's what people expect from it.
I've never known anyone in real life who owns Teflon cookware who thinks it's a concern in any way. If they saw any issue with their 15 year old teflon skillet, it's that it visually looks bad from all the scratches
That’s because most people didn’t realize they start shedding microplastics after the coating is damaged and you keep cooking with it until pretty recently.
The main issue from Teflon is the manufacture of Teflon
Making that stuff makes some gnarly byproducts
The Teflon it's is relatively safe as long as you keep it under like 220C, if it gets too hot it will start breaking down and releasing some gnarly gas
I mean, I never cared to know more, when in 2001 someone told me that I'd be eating chemicals if I used metal utensils with non stick. I never needed or wanted proof that was bad. Other than having to explain this several times, it's never caused me any issue just to not do it. Using different cookware or a wooden spoon is quite a low effort fix.
I've found that time and again, when I explain this, people almost act like I'm stupid for caring to take this tiny precaution. I've always found it really weird to need hard evidence before taking easy precautions which cost little to nothing... Like people who smoked until it was proven to cause cancer. It was pretty fucking obvious to anyone couple years into adulthood and paying attention.. that shit was bad for you.
The one concern is that cheaper ones get ruined real fast, that's why all cooking groups hate them (but people also keep buying them because cheap and convenient).
No stick but not durable seems to be the consensus I've seen and that's, yeah that's what it is.
The one concern is that cheaper ones get ruined real fast
Expensive ones get ruined real fast, too. There's no point in buying expensive teflon cookware; it all wears out at the same rate, so the fancy stuff is just a rip-off.
Oh. I've had much better experience with more expensive ones. At least in my use they seem to survive better.
I don't have personal experience with it myself; all I know is that experts (e.g. America's Test Kitchen, who test pans regularly, and Alton Brown, who wrote a book on what pans to own) tend to recommend cheaper pans.
Hard to argue with that. Maybe I've just been lucky
I learned that the biggest difference between cheap and expensive non stick pans is basically the amount of non stick coatings. Regardless, the non stick coating will wear off over time. This was the conclusion from a documentary I once watched on whether it was more economical to bit a cheap pan every so often or an expensive pan less often.
Personally I would strongly recommend cast iron from a reputable brand or carbon steel if you can afford it. Stainless steel also works, but is more tricky to not stick. Cast iron is heavier, but very forgiving and will last you a generation or more.
The non-sticks are usually cheap and require minimal effort. Carbon steel could be a cool alternative though