What About Eating Food Cooked in Teflon / Non-Stick Pan?

[WannaBeAParrot]

I meant to post this here and don't know how to move it.

http://www.parrotforums.com/questio...d-cooked-teflon-non-stick-pan.html#post184504

I am well aware of the dangers and horrible consequences of toxic fumes from Teflon and similar non-stick surfaces including pans, appliances, etc. I don't use any of this in my house, but after all these years, it just dawned on me that my mom cooks in the stuff all the time at her place and sometimes I bring home a "to go" container of this or that and will usually share some with Pritti because mom cooks healthy, tasty foods (except that they are cooked in toxic pans :-0 . Like some stir fry chicken and veg, or baked salmon, or a veggie omelet, a pancake, rice, etc.

I haven't been able to find much about whether eating small amounts of food cooked in "Teflon" is deadly/toxic too. I found only one thing on the web about that and it said it is "probably" okay for a bird to eat food cooked in Teflon.

Now that I realize what I've been doing, I'm going to cut it out. But, I still would like to know what you know about this subject. I think people don't think about it when they bring in food prepared by others, restaurants, etc. I didn't.

Thanks.

 

[suebee]

i cook with teflon and nut eats food from the pans

from what i read its the gas released when the teflon is super heated, so if i am every having to fry anything that needs a higher temp then a fried egg i shoo her out, and open back door

 

[DebsFlock]

Suebee is right. No problem eating food cooked in nonstick pans. I'm not actually sure that chewing on the pan would be a problem, although I'd rather not see anyone test that -- it''s breathing the products from burning up the pan coating that is deadly, not eating the material.

The issue with PTFE-based nonstick ("Teflon" and its cousins) is that the material breaks down at above about 500°F and when it does, it undergoes physical and chemical changes and emits fumes that are toxic to breathe. They make people sick, too -- it's called polymer fume fever -- but it's rapidly fatal to birds in a very dramatic way.

I've gotten rid of my PTFE-based nonstick but it actually is a low risk when used properly, it's just that most people don't use it properly, plus there is always the risk of an accident with the pan left on the stove...

You could buy your Mom some PTFE-free nonstick like Cuisinart's Green Gourmet. It performs very well and eliminates the risk, plus the production process is more environmentally friendly (no PFOA).

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Thanks folks. I'm definitely going to get some of the PTFE-free nonstick in to my mom's kitchen. She likes crisping foods, which is pretty hard to do in a pan that has little to no oil - unless you heat it up beyond what is safe. I don't want she and my dad breathing that toxic air.

I don't use them in my house at all. I own one large wok style with nonstick. I've used it a total of once, and that was outside on the gas burner to the bbq grill.

It's good to know the food I have been eating and feeding to Pritti from those pans was safe.

 

[DebsFlock]

For browning food, cast iron would be a better option than nonstick. It will basically ruin the nonstick coating to use it that way. The biggest mistake people make when browning stuff in cast iron, anodized aluminum or stainless is to try to move the food too soon and too often. A small amount of fat and enough patience wiill produce a far better result than fidgeting with it in a nonstick pan!

You Are correct, too, that a small piece of food in a nonstick pan on high flame is a scenario where the edges of the pan can get much hotter than than the food, dangerously so.