The internet gives us endless things to worry about when it comes to our health. In some ways, not knowing about all the potential dangers in the world like when we were growing up was better! But because of my worry wart tendencies, especially when it comes to my kids, it’s usually difficult for me to ignore things that are health risks. My latest obsession? Nonstick pans. I’ve read many headlines over the years about how nonstick pans are bad for you and cause cancer (but what doesn’t?). Two of mine were scratched, and I always quickly replace them when that happens, but this time I did a lot of reading to see if I should give up my beloved nonstick pans for a safer option. I’ve owned plenty of other types of pans before, but almost always grabbed my nonstick ones for ease of cooking and cleaning.
The controversy with nonstick pans was that they used to contain a chemical called PFOA under the brand name Teflon, but they’ve been phased out since 2013. But living in a third world country, I’ve seen many, many pans in restaurant kitchens where the nonstick coating was almost completely gone and they were still using the pan, so you could say I’ve been a bit traumatized by that.
Scientific American says, “One concern is that the nonstick coating can flake off and be ingested. This is more likely to happen with cheaper or poor-quality pans, or those that just haven’t been well taken care off. Using metal implements, for example, can scratch even a high-quality nonstick surface and make it more likely to flake. The good news is that ingesting small flakes of nonstick coating is not dangerous. The material will most likely just pass through the body. But it definitely reduces the nonstickiness of the pan.”
Still I don’t think they were talking about the pans I’ve seen that have almost no more nonstick coating remaining! The safest pans are supposed to be the ones that leach the least amount of heavy metals and chemicals, and there are a number of different options available.
1) Cast Iron – The general consensus among people who know much better than me, seems to be that cast iron is one of the safest material for pans because it doesn’t leach anything other than iron, which is good for (most) people. They get better with age, can be put in the oven (great for steaks!) and literally last forever. I used to own the Lodge Logic cast iron skillet (Apartment Therapy’s #1 recommendation) and loved to take it camping, but I hate washing cookware and was just too lazy to use it because of the difficult cleanup at home. I want to give it another try now that I’m older and a little less lazy. I can’t buy one locally, but it’s on my wishlist since it is so beloved!
2) Enameled Cast Iron – I’ve owned enamel cast iron pots (think Le Creuset) since I got married and love them for cooking soups and stews. Acidic foods like tomato based sauces are not recommended for cast iron, so enameled cast iron is a great alternative — I use my enamel pot to cook a lot of spaghetti sauce and chili! While I would love to buy an enameled cast iron pan, a good one that won’t chip is very, very pricey.
3) Stainless Steel – Stainless steel is also considered one of the safest cookware options. It lasts a long time, can be recycled, doesn’t chip, and can be put in the oven and dishwasher. I recently purchased a stainless steel pan to try to use nonstick less, and while it’s easier to clean than cast iron, it sticks much more than a nonstick so you have to use a lot of butter or oil. That’s fine for my kids who could use extra calories, but not for me who doesn’t. All Clad is the gold standard, but the general rule of thumb when it comes to pans is to go for the heavier ones.
4) Ceramic – I tried a ceramic pan once upon a time because it was supposed to be nonstick but safer. It quickly became not nonstick and I never tried another one again.
. . . . .
I read many articles that say nonstick cookware is not safe and that it’s safe. But I’ve decided to keep using nonstick pans, properly because I’d definitely been making mistakes like using high heat and cooking steaks.
- use only on low and medium heat
- don’t preheat an empty pan
- don’t cook things that require high heat like a steak
- use wooden, plastic, or silicon cooking tools, not metal
- use soft sponges that won’t scratch the surface
- replace chipped pans
- buy a heavier, higher quality pan
I do use my stainless steel pan a lot more than I used to even if it does require more cleanup, especially for foods that require higher heat. And I’ll have to get a cast iron pan the next time I’m in the country capital for my steaks!
What type of pans do you use? Do you worry about things like this or is it just me?
nectarine / 2180 posts
I use a combo of ceramic for my non-stick needs, stainless steal, cast iron, and enameled cast iron. My only nonstick cookware is my baking pans and most of them I line with foil or parchment and I use safe cleaning and cutting practices on them.
guest
I do worry. But they’re so convenient. I did not know about the no high heat rule. I do use my lodge cast iron Dutch oven every week or two-mainly for tomato based products because I was under the impression it was good to leach the iron into my system.
cantaloupe / 6730 posts
I use cast iron. But, I do use oil or butter in it every time (not sure if you do with non-stick) and I don’t follow the cast iron cleaning rules. I’ve seasoned it twice over 20 years, and I wash it in soapy water using a scrubber. It’s not a big deal. The only thing I am careful about is to dry it right away. It’s fine.
pear / 1565 posts
I don’t cook, so I have no clue what we do haha, I do know we have non stick and cast iron at home… DH mostly cooks with a wok though, I wonder if that’s non-stick as well. I think I’d worry more about what restaurants do than home!
blogger / apricot / 431 posts
I have been thinking about this recently. I replaced a few but still have gone with nonstick that are “better options” than some others. You are convincing me that for the other ones that I will replace, I should try some of the other options!
pear / 1648 posts
I switched to stainless and enamel a few years ago and am so happy with my choice. I saved one medium nonstick skillet (Anolon) for eggs, but barely use it since we don’t eat them a lot. We love this Cuisinart set and got a great deal on it too: https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP-12N-Multiclad-Stainless-12-Piece/dp/B009JXPS6U/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=cuisinart+stainless+cookware+set&qid=1562680807&s=gateway&sr=8-3
I use a Martha Stewart enameled cast iron dutch oven for soups and stews.
nectarine / 2964 posts
I can’t afford to worry about that… we do a sunny side or scrambled egg each morning, how am I going to do that on a cast iron or a stainless steel pan…? This is good to keep in mind though… and maybe we should do more hard boiled eggs in the morning from now on…
pomegranate / 3438 posts
@irene: I cook eggs on a cast iron pan all the time! Scrambled, over easy, over hard, etc. As long as the pan is well seasoned and you use some kind of butter or oil they won’t stick at all. I should add that it did take some trial and error to get it, but now it’s super easy.
We use cast iron exclusively. I do have a stainless steel pan but I only use it like twice a year.
nectarine / 2964 posts
@KT326: ahh! Maybe I should get a super small cast iron. We have a medium size one that I don’t use it unless I absolutely have to. It is painful to think about cleaning and maintaining and seasoning! And so HEAVY!!! DH makes it look like he is doing exorcism everytime he “maintains” the cast iron, and he always say I don’t do it right when I do it. If I get a tiny one maybe it would work and I won’t kill DS with cancer
guest
I use cast iron mainly, and some stainless steel, enameled steel, and enameled cast iron. Cast iron is SO easy to take care of if you just use boiling water to unstick everything and then empty and put to dry right away.. I’ve been cooking eggs in a small cast iron pan every morning for a few years now.
pear / 1648 posts
@irene: I also find enamel to be a good compromise. As @KT326: said, as long as you use butter/oil it won’t stick and you can use soap to clean enamel. You don’t get the benefits of the iron leaching into the food, but for me it’s more manageable
grapefruit / 4466 posts
We use mostly enameled cast iron, some stainless steel. When MIL comes to visit, she gets fairly annoyed that we don’t have non-stick pans, and says food won’t cook properly without it (which is just wrong!). I’m super happy with what we have.