Should you ban your Teflon Pan?

We love our Teflon coated pans for their nonstick convenience. The problem is their coated with PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) which in older pans can disintegrate into your food or gas off into the air around you.

The manufacturers have created newer coated cookware made with more durable PTFE, but does that mean it’s safe — even for pregnant women and babies?

DuPont, who makes Teflon, claims PTFE-coated cookware is safe, and so does the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). But DuPont and other manufacturers of PTFE-coated pans are still phasing them out in their current form.

The reason may be the many complaints and concerns from environmental groups over chemicals called PFOA (particularly perfluorooctanoic acid) used to make the PTFE cookware.

PFOA are known toxins shown to cause cancer and other health problems in animals, especially baby animals.

Recent research at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md linked to PFOA levels in pregnant women to lower birth weight in their newborns.

The higher the pregnant women’s exposure, the lower the infants’ birth weight. You may not think decreased birth weight is much of a problem and might even be easier to deliver. But you really want to give your baby every chance to grow to full healthy potential unimpeded by toxic chemicals.

Unfortunately, most of us — about 95% of Americans — already have plenty of these chemicals in our blood. But we can still work to limit them as much as possible.

HEALTHY TIP: There’s no better time to make an effort than when you’re planning to get pregnant for the first time.

If you decide to still use coated nonstick pans, here’s how to reduce exposure:

Only use newer pots and pans with undamaged cooking surfaces.
Cook over low heat. PTFE coated pans spew out 15 types of toxic gases and particles when heated to higher than 464 degrees. At higher levels the materials begin to decompose. To help keep the pans from getting too hot, avoid preheating empty pans and don’t use them under the broiler.
Use non-metal cooking utensils. Avoid scraping and scratching coated pans with metal utensils.
Turn on the fan when you’re cooking with a nonstick pan.

Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet

What’s the Best Alternative?

Other acceptable options do exist. When New York Times columnist Marian Burros gave cooking pans the Stick Test, the highest rating went to The enameled cast-iron pan by Le Creuset {find it on Amazon}, which performed the best and was easy to clean, too:

I recommend Le Creuset pans with a matte black enamel interior, not treated with any Teflon-like substance. (The company makes its black and white interior enamel from the same material, and says the black is fired at a higher temperature and withstands higher cooking temperatures.)”

Using good nonstick cookware simply requires a little different technique.

Lightly coat with a good, healthful cooking oil and heat the pan before adding food.
Let the food cook a while — until the pan releases it — before trying to lift and move it around.
Cleaning a cast iron pan, carbon steel pan, or the Le Creuset pan recommended above, is easier than you think. Scrub off food that sticks to the cast iron or carbon steel pans with a stiff brush. Food that clings to the Le Creuset pan simply soaks right off. Soap is not recommended for cast iron and carbon steel, but you can use it on the Le Creuset.