Anti stick pans

Shayne · Jan 28, 2013

Hi,

I have heard about fumes from anti stick pans and smoke is very bad for a macaws health. How far do fumes from these things usually travel. If I get a macaw it will be located about 8m, one door and two thick curtains away from the oven in the kitchen. Is this likely to pose a threat or is it more a matter of not letting the bird in the kitchen. Also could a fan placed on route aleviate the problem.

Thanks

Shayne

Cami · Jan 28, 2013

Rule of thumb is to Not have any type of non-stick pans at all. However I do understand the ease and convenience. I use non-stick pans, but Never place them on high heat ever, especially when empty on the burner. I use them for low heat cooking only, simmering, etc and use the vent above the stove. Invest in a good stainless steel set of pots and pans for high heat cooking. It's worth it.

Merlee · Jan 28, 2013

X2 what Cami said. I only use a nonstick pan onlywhen making fried or scrambled eggs, which is rare. Otherwise it's stainless steel on a daily basis and 90% of the time a fan is on too. You might be careful using nonstick bakeware or when using the self-cleaning feature of the oven.

wwendy104 · Jan 28, 2013

I have all stainless steel pots and pans and own only one small non stick frying pan which I only use occasionaly for eggs but open the window by the stove and have a fan blowing any fumes if there is any. Its best just not to use them. As for the oven I use baking stones. I always try to be on the safe side!

KatherineI · Jan 28, 2013

There have been reported incidents of birds dying from the odorless, colorless gas that the non-stick coating emits, from as far away as the other side of a large house on a separate floor. While others might take the chance and swear they use them on "low heat settings", you never know what could happen. You could have it on a low setting, have something happen (such as an emergency) and forget it's there. Then it burns, even on a low temperature.

I have a 0 tolerance for non-stick anything in my home. I use stainless steel, ceramic, glass and aluminum. I have a mini-cupcake maker my daughter bought me for Christmas a couple of years ago, that I have stopped using altogether as soon as my first Fid came home due to it's teflon coating, and am donating it to Goodwill. And I LOVED that thing! But it's simply not worth the risk, IMO. Why would you spend a fortune on a bird and not take every precaution possible to keep any harm from happening to them? My birds are my children, and I would absolutely put my life on the line for my daughter, so I certainly wouldn't chance their health either.

weco · Jan 28, 2013

Shayne, the others are right about the dangers. The toxic gas that is released coats & blisters a bird's air sacs.....there is no remedy, care or cure.....the birds will scream & fall over dead.

While Teflon is the name usually associated with non-stick coatings, the key words & terminologies you need to know are Fluoropolymers, PFOA & PTFE.....they are plastics, formulas and/or chemicals and are what you want to ask about rather than Teflon. Teflon is a product trade name & its formula has been licensed for use under different trade names.....so, if you ask a manufacturer if their product contains Teflon or uses Teflon in its manufacturer, they could honestly and legally tell you NO if what they use is a licensed formula of another trade name.

Abigal7 · Jan 28, 2013

I would suggest a ceramic pan that is PTFE or PFOA free. Or an skillet that is not nonstick.

weco · Jan 28, 2013

Yep, you're right Abigal, the new ceramic coated pans coming out on the market are safe & do (at least for now) what they advertise.....cook, serve & wipe the pan out.....

WharfRat · Jan 28, 2013

I only use my non-stick for low heat items and use the exhaust fan as well. The key thing here is also weather or not your fan vents outside or not (Mine does). If you have a fan and can feel air blowing out of the top of it, it IS venting inside!!! If you're not sure, the vent will be right outside the house where the stove is located and should be able to hear it running. I always use my stainless when using high heat such as frying.

Featheredsamurai · Jan 28, 2013

I think of teflon non stick pans as the evil which must be slain lol. I used to get head aches and feel sick all the time, and later after reading about the dangers realized that I was experienced Teflon flue symptoms. I no longer use teflon, but I'm heart broken that they are still in the house I live in. My brother's girl friend can't cook on normal pans(which makes me mad, since I'm great at cooking on normal pans) so whenever she is cooking I have to bring Rosie upstairs and hide in my room with her. I usually bring her upstairs when stuff is being cooked anyways since we have a self cleaning oven(teflon) and I worry about things giving off smoke.

weco · Jan 28, 2013

It's either next year or 2015 that Teflon & similar non-stick formulas have to be gone from consumer goods.....

You're right about self-cleaning ovens, but on the off occasion that function ever gets used around here, it's on a nice day & the birds are outside, on the windward side of the house, then portable fans are set up for a couple of hours, evacuating to the outside through room windows.

Shayne · Jan 29, 2013

Well that pretty much settles that then.

I have also heard that air fresheners can be bad for them which could pose a problem as we have lots of them as my mates smoke in the kitchen. Is there any truth to this. Also, I have a gas fire in the room that I plan to keep the macaw. Can these give off toxic fumes too?

Featheredsamurai · Jan 29, 2013

weco said:
It's either next year or 2015 that Teflon & similar non-stick formulas have to be gone from consumer goods.....

You're right about self-cleaning ovens, but on the off occasion that function ever gets used around here, it's on a nice day & the birds are outside, on the windward side of the house, then portable fans are set up for a couple of hours, evacuating to the outside through room windows.

I always try to get Rosie out of the house whenever my parents decide to let the oven clean itself. One morning my sister left my door open and the whole house smelled weird, when I realized it was the oven I freaked out, ran upstairs and opened my window, shut Rosie in her cage and turned the ceiling fan on high. No one in my house is a bird person and they don't understand how serious teflon and other harmful things are. it drives me nuts and I cannot wait to move out.

Featheredsamurai · Jan 29, 2013

Shayne said:
Well that pretty much settles that then.

I have also heard that air fresheners can be bad for them which could pose a problem as we have lots of them as my mates smoke in the kitchen. Is there any truth to this. Also, I have a gas fire in the room that I plan to keep the macaw. Can these give off toxic fumes too?

Air freshener's are bad, smoking is bad(second hand smoke), and a gas fire is only bad if smoke is getting into the room, or the fire goes out and only gas is coming out.

weco · Jan 29, 2013

As long as gas heaters are designed for indoor use, installed properly & there is enough oxygen for them to burn properly (all window & doors are not sealed), they're OK for birds.....

Nyck32 · Jan 29, 2013

As soon as I brought my fid's home I donated all my teflon stuff and went total casr iron and only uae.olive oil in them. I have mainly used cast iron anyhow because they get a natural nonstick coating from the.oil used in them.

Shayne · Jan 29, 2013

weco said:
As long as gas heaters are designed for indoor use, installed properly & there is enough oxygen for them to burn properly (all window & doors are not sealed), they're OK for birds.....

Well it's good to hear the fires OK as that is the one obstacle that couldn't be overcome easily. It is a proper gas fire place installed in the room. Not one that I put in there.

I'll have to get my mates to smoke outside. Then we won't need the air fresheners. Kill two birds with one stone. (I'm guesing people around here probably don't like that saying)
I think I should also put some fans in the dining room pointing at the kitchen to be on the safe side.

Shayne · Jan 29, 2013

Sorry about the onslaught of questions but are deep fat fryers toxic to macaws as I also have one of them in the kitchen. I better watch my ass aswell as that stuff does smell toxic.

KatherineI · Jan 29, 2013

Smoking is bad; I've seen what second-hand smoke can do to a bird and it's not pretty

Air fresheners, scented candles, perfume, strong chemicals, etc etc etc. If it's got a smell, unless it's an all natural essential oil, you can pretty much determine it's bad for the bird. I had to give up scented lotions and perfumes. Also dying my hair because the chemical smell bothered me for days afterwards, I can only imagine what it would do to my fids!

As for deep fryers, I would be cautious. I can't honestly say whether or not they're bad for them.

Blue · Jan 29, 2013

deep fryers bad... keep birds out of them... well except chickens, deep fryers are good for chickens

I would think as long as you're using an oil with a high smoke temp they would be ok, as long as there isn't any non stick stuff in it.

I've given up all my non stick stuff, pans, waffle iron, mini cupcake maker, electric griddle and bought a pump up oil sprayer, so I'm not using aerosol cooking spray.

Anti stick pans

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