Safe cooking.

[pontypool]

I have read quite a lot on the safest cookware. Here are my options.

Ceramic:
Pros. Decent non stick. Cooks evenly. Doesn't alter the taste of food. Very safe.

Cons. Must be 100% ceramic or may contain lead. Expensive. Breaks easily.

Stainless steel
Pro. Affordable. Generally safe. Moderately non stick.
Cons. May leech nickel etc if not 100% for grade steel.

Cast iron (my current top option.)

Teflon (absolutely not. Seems the least safe of all)

Pro. Cooks evenly. Very durable. Virtually safe (may even give health benefits by increasing iron) can be used on stove or inside oven and under grill
Cons. Maintainability (needs seasoning) reports of certain food carrying flavour into second meal (although placing in the oven after pre washing with soda seems to cure this)

Any thoughts?
In case you didn't know. They definitely have to be safe. 100% verified (which seems difficult to come across at affordable prices.
Safety is definitely more important than convenience.

 

[CraigC]

As with anything, you get what you pay for. We have SS steel (All Clad), CI and enamel coated CI cookware.

 

[skilletlicker]

I cook mostly with SS or cast iron. Stainless is All-Clad because that's whut I got but if was buying again wouldn't necessarily be brand loyal. Dutch oven is enamel covered CI. For a long time didn't have any "Teflon" but have a couple pans now that I use for certain things.

Missed my chance to die young and for good or ill, I'm less afraid of stuff that might kill me slow.

 

[GotGarlic]

I also have stainless, cast iron and enameled cast iron pans, and one non-stick pan I use for eggs. As long as it's not peeling, it's perfectly safe. They all have their uses.

 

[pontypool]

I also have stainless, cast iron and enameled cast iron pans, and one non-stick pan I use for eggs. As long as it's not peeling, it's perfectly safe. They all have their uses.

What was your non stick plan made of. BTW what's "all clad"

Thanks

 

[GotGarlic]

What was your non stick plan made of. BTW what's "all clad"

Thanks

I imagine it's Teflon. Not really sure. I've had it for at least a decade and it's still in great condition.

All-Clad is a brand of high-quality tri-ply (three-layered) cookware. I have one piece of All-Clad and a set of similar cookware from Calphalon. You get the most even cooking when the cladding goes all the way up the sides of the pan.

"Three ply cookware is three different layers of metal bonded together, most often stainless steel and either aluminum or copper. Some cookware is constructed an with aluminum base or disc. ... The aluminum center core, clad with stainless steel ensures your food will cook evenly."
https://blog.metrokitchen.com/guides/tri-ply-clad-cookware-differences/

 

[taxlady]

Like others here, I have cast iron, enamelled cast iron, stai%nless steel, and one non-stick frying pan.

The non-stick pan that I have is a Scanpan and the surface is some sort of five layer thing with no teflon that they call Strantium.

Because it's Danish, I believe it is safe. I'll admit that I'm biased. My mum was Danish and I have lived there. It also means that I can be better than 99% certain that the workers are treated well, that their work environment is safe, and that they are paid decent wages.

 

[pepperhead212]

I still have a few Teflon type NS pans in my kitchen, but I replaced a few of the skillets with some of the newer, ceramic type NS, mainly because I wanted something induction capable. So far, they haven't lost the NS capacity, like Teflon tends to to after some time, but then, I haven't used them that much.

I know we've covered this topic before. I'm not really worried about teflon, as it is non-toxic and non-reactive, except at very high temperatures - I think it was around 570°; something like you might get on some grills, but if you got a pan that hot, just about any food would burn, as well as the teflon.

 

[caseydog]

I have a little of almost everything. I have antique cast iron (smoother than the new stuff), enameled cast iron (LeCreuset) tri-ply stainless (AllClad and Cuisinart), and aluminum non-stick.

I don't worry about using any of them. I am a cancer survivor, and my cancer had nothing to do with what I ate or cooked with. It just happened. I am careful, but not paranoid. I don't buy cookware made in China, because who knows how it was made. But, I have no concerns about high-quality brands made to last a long time.

All of my cookware is used for specific kinds of cooks. The non-stick works great for an omelet or scrambled eggs, so I use it for that. It is high quality non-stick cookware, so the non-stick surface is not going to flake apart into my food.

CD

 

[Andy M.]

I have cookware made from a variety of materials. Coated and uncoated cast iron, Teflon coated aluminum, single-ply, tri-ply and disc-on-the-bottom stainless steel. I consider all of them to be safe if used as intended.

Teflon pans get an undeserved bad rap. While there is a carcinogenic chemical used in their manufacture, that chemical is not present in the finished product. As long as you don't overheat the pan to ridiculously hot levels, there are no issues. If any Teflon should flake off a worn pan and be ingested, it is inert and would pass through your digestive system harmlessly.

Check out this article:

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/co...eviews/a17426/nonstick-cookware-safety-facts/

 

[caseydog]

I have cookware made from a variety of materials. Coated and uncoated cast iron, Teflon coated aluminum, single-ply, tri-ply and disc-on-the-bottom stainless steel. I consider all of them to be safe if used as intended.

Teflon pans get an undeserved bad rap. While there is a carcinogenic chemical used in their manufacture, that chemical is not present in the finished product. As long as you don't overheat the pan to ridiculously hot levels, there are no issues. If any Teflon should flake off a worn pan and be ingested, it is inert and would pass through your digestive system harmlessly.

Check out this article:

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/co...eviews/a17426/nonstick-cookware-safety-facts/

Good points, Andy. Non-stick pans with Teflon or other non-stick coatings are NOT good pans for high-heat cooking. Health issues aside, they are just not the right tool for the job.

CD

 

[jennyema]

I also have stainless, cast iron and enameled cast iron pans, and one non-stick pan I use for eggs. As long as it's not peeling, it's perfectly safe. They all have their uses.

This is exactly what I have, too.

 

[dragnlaw]

ditto, ditto, ditto, ditto
Andy, Casey, jennyema, pepper