Posted on 05/06/2010 9:11:28 PM PDT by LouAvul
The debate is widespread. From googling articles I gather that the EPA says it is, Dupont says no.
What say ye?
“Some 27.3 percent of investors voted at the company’s annual meeting April 26 in Wilmington, Del., to ask management to report on options to accelerate the company’s phaseout of the use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The chemical is used in production of Teflon® cookware and grease and stain repellent coatings for carpets, textiles and fast-food wrappers. It lingers in the environment and is linked to potential health effects such as cancer, liver damage and birth defects.”
http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/04/27/union-backed-shareholder-vote-tells-dupont-to-end-toxic-poison/
Their enamel products are made in china, if you care.
Iron is the only way to bake a corn bread pone ... heat that Crisco to sizzlin’ then pour in the batter and pop it back in the hot oven! ... Makin’ myself hungry here boss.
It always comes off. Into your food and into your gullet. I was a professional cook, have cooked many times for large groups. I cook everything from scratch.
I cook with only cast iron, stainless steel and glass. No teflon other than one or two attempts decades ago. Nope. Supposedly it’s so you don’t eat fat but butter and ghee are good for you.
Lodge makes really good frying pans. I have two or three.
I worked for Meyer Corporation who manufacture Anolon and Circulon cookware. Basically, today’s non-stick is not your grandmother’s non-stick - at least on the higher quality pans. The chemical that used to be deemed dangerous has been discontinued. Meyer does have their product independently tested and I was told that that testing found none of the dangerous chemical. That chemical cannot withstand temps higher than 300 degrees (if I remember correctly). Meyer’s pans are heated to a temp of 500 degrees and the chemical is burned away, no residual remains.
Now less expensive pans, I can’t vouch for. I own Al-Clad which also has high quality non-stick.
There is something absolutely comforting in hearing the lid go onto the Lodge super size chili pot. And the dutch oven baker lid rattling open to release the smell of fresh biscuits ... well, those are the sounds that stick with me from childhood and cooking in a fireplace in my Mother’s log house. She even had a swinging boom installed when the fireplace was built!
Dupont owns most of the patents on non-stick. They are the top of the line when it comes to the manufacture of non-stick today. I agree with another poster who warned about cheap pans and overheating. Cheap non-stick can give off a toxin if over-heated that can kill pet birds in the home. The top 3 brands when it comes to pan quality and non-stick quality are Al-Clad, Calphalon, and Anolon/Circulon, in that order and priced in that order.
Recently I have made aware of a very insidious chemical that seems to be in everything we consume, is a by product of mechanization, is used in silicon wafer fabrication, etc.
Hell, it’s even found in swimming pools and it is well established to be found in our drinking water.
This chemical is known Dihydrogen Monoxide and for the life of me, I don’t understand why our government and the EPA doesn’t investigate this!
I still use as my primary cooking pots and pans that were Faberware stainless steel, when they still made them well. I bought them in 1974!!! They still even look good. I only have a few calphalon pans for sauteing, frying or eggs. Those Farberware pans were expensive even back then (over $200. for a set) but they have been worth every dime! They also have a lifetime guarantee.
I agree...use only Crisco solid shortening. Some hot, crispy corn bread sounds just fine for tomorrow night’s dinner. Not too warm yet that some pinto beans with ham on rice might make a great meal to go with! Thank you.
You should write up your memories.
And tell me how to make biscuits in a Dutch Oven. I’ve got one but just cook regular stuff in it; it’s not the kind with little legs and the lid isn’t concave.
Do you need the concave lid and legs to bake in it?
It’s amazing isn’t it . That works out to less than the cost of a box of chicken nuggets at McDonals a year for those pans. I’d say that was a great investment.
I have quite a few odd and end stainless and cast iron that belonged to my husbands grandmother that I use all the time.
They put to shame all my newer ones. They still look good too.
Plus science and the physical laws of the universe cannot swing back and forth tracking the imbecility quotient of the moment.
Waste of time.
The scientific method is well-known except perhaps in East Anglia and a few other twilight zone sites.
Or simply global warming supporters or part of the Bugs and Bunny crowd?
Absolutely everything will kill you, but nothing is more deadly than the EPA.
Anything is carcinogenic in high enough doses. But realistically, people ought to be a lot more worried about dying of stroke, slipping in the tub or getting hit by a drunk driver. I refuse to live my life in fear of trans fats, secondhand smoke, grilled food and other silly alarmist nonsense.
Never cared much for teflon pans. Got a couple, but don’t use them much. I prefer cast iron or stainless steel.
I’ve had a set of Wearever stainless steel cookware for over 40 years - inherited from my mother. Great stuff.
My old Scout troop had several cast iron dutch ovens - cooked fantastic meals and deserts in those. Had to teach the kids how to properly clean them and reseason when needed - (they hated doing kp, LOL). They got really good at cooking chili, pot roast, apple pie, cornbread, etc.
Food always tastes better when cooked over an open fire on campouts than anything cooked at home or from a restaurant.
oops - Should have said apple cobbler instead of pie.
(The kids made all types of cobbler - apple, cherry, peach - aplle is just my favorite.)
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