Are non-stick frying pans safe?

[TNDemo]

My son has asked for one for Christmas but seems like I remember hearing that those things give off nasty fumes or something. Anybody know anything about this?

[StopTheMorans]

1. I'm still alive, and I've been cooking on them for 7 years

does that help :shrug: :D

[noonwitch]

2. I've been using them for years with no ill effects

They are so much easier to clean than other kinds.

[tsakshaug]

3. Cast iron work better

for whacking someone in the head

[Deja Q]

4. If you forget to turn off the stove and the pan gets above 300 degrees F,

it will emit the toxic fumes that will kill pet parrots faster than you can say "SQUAWK!"

Using the fan above the stove to disperse smells helps, but it is dangerous to use those pans in houses where you have pet birds.

[soothsayer]

10. yeah but then at least they won't stick when you pan fry 'em

[KurtNYC]

5. Teflon has problems at high heat

http://www.legalnewswatch.com/news_204.html

The Environmental Working Group asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to require manufactures of cookware to place warning labels on their products that caution consumers of the potential health risks of the non-stick coating.

According to a study by the advocacy group, pots and pans coated with Teflon could reach 700 degrees Fahrenheit (370 C) in 3-5 minutes, releasing 15 harmful gases and chemicals, including two carcinogens.

The advocacy group also said that internal documents from DuPont Co., which produces Teflon, indicated that toxic particles that can kill birds are produced at temperatures as low as 464 degrees (240 C).


edit to add other trade names:
Teflon, Silverstone, Fluoron, Supra, Excalibar, Greblon, Xylon, and others.

PTFE may be found in:
self-cleaning ovens
crock pots
nonstick pans and utensils
shatterproof light bulbs
irons
ironing board covers
stove top drip pans
coffee makers
portable heaters
woks
waffle makers
hot-air popcorn makers
tortilla grills
reverse cycle air conditioner heating elements

items, such as a wood perch, baked in a PTFE-coated environment for sterilization

The fumes can kill birds, homan get flu-like symptoms.

Personally, I love my 8" All Clad (stainless steel with copper core).

[ET Awful]

6. As long as you don't buy generic crap, they're perfectly fine.

The really low end ones will start to flake and peel (the coating that is), the better ones will work great.

The ones I'm using right now have turned out GREAT, and were reasonably priced. Check Costco :)

I can't remember the brand name off the top of my head, but the ones I bought were identical to the Kitchen-Aid ones I had been looking at, and were half the cost. I think I paid around $100 for the set (a smaller set of the Kitchen-Aid brand ones was $155). This was for a 15 piece set with 3 skillets, a chef's pot, a 10 quart soup pot, and 3 saucee pans plus lids and a veggie steamer, etc. Great set :)

[JimmyJazz]

7. They are safe, but you can't use cooking spary with them -

I think it deteriorates the coating somehow.

[MemphisTiger]

8. I use cooking spray and mine are fine,

but you can't stick it in the oven if you need to. I keep one hard anodized saute pan for that purpose.

[Magrittes Pipe]

9. Generally speaking, the only problem with PTFE is when you keep birds.

Still, anything that emits fumes that are fatal to birds can't be the BEST thing ever for humans. They probably do have some sort of deleterious effect on human health, but Dow Corning has long supressed that study. ;)

A good cast iron skillet and a decent set of 18/10 stainless cookware is all a youngster needs.