Why I Tossed My Non-Stick Cookware

What’s all the hype about dangerous chemicals leaching from this modern convenience? Does Teflon, non-stick cookware and cancer have anything to do with each other? And why did I throw mine away 3 months after receiving it as a wedding gift? Let’s dive into the truth about cookware…

Have you ever cooked eggs on a stainless steel pan? If yes, then you know how much it sucks to have to scrape the pan once the egg has molecularly bonded with the cooking surface. Enter Non-Stick Teflon Pans to the rescue. But is this convenience worth a potential health risk? The answer: It’s Complicated.

Why I Threw Away MY Teflon:

Teflon, a non-stick material made by Dupont is a chemical coating that allows us to cook without our food sticking to the pan. As a mom, it’s an awesome CONVENIENCE! No longer does your food cook to the pan, but it practically washes off with water! But when you learn about the potential risks of heating your food on top of a sketchy chemical, you may want to make some changes in the kitchen.

With a disease like cancer, you pull out ALL of the stops to fight it. I did not want to take any risks in contaminating my body with Teflon when I worked so hard to detoxify it. Why would I want to put all of this fabulous food and supplements into my body and then top it off with some potentially Teflon-contaminated veggie stir-fry? My husband and I, personally decided to get rid of our Teflon coated pans, but this decision may not be for everybody.

Here are the Facts:

  • Dupont, makers of Teflon did not publicly release studies that showed that pregnant Dupont workers were passing on Teflon chemicals to their unborn children. Keep in mind that these women were exposed to the chemical process of making the Teflon and not exclusively to the finished product like we are. Still- I personally wouldn’t risk it.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also accused Dupont of failing to report evidence that the chemicals used to manufacture Teflon had contaminated water supplies affecting 12,000 people in the surrounding areas. Why would they cover up something like this?
  • A chemical used in the product of Teflon, perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA for short is considered likely to be carcinogenic (cancer causing.) Although the final product of Teflon is not supposed to contain this chemical, it is still used in its production. Again- not worth the risk.
  • A study conducted by the Center for Disease Control found PFOA in the bloodstream of 95% of U.S. citizens. According to the EPA, PFOA accumulates in the blood and can stay there for up to 4 years.

“But I Really Love My Teflon…”

I may be really hard core when it comes to getting potential carcinogens out of my home, but you need to consider the facts and make your own decision. It’s important to know that Teflon is seemingly safe if kept in immaculate condition with no scratches and kept from being heated above 500 degrees or scorched by your stove top. If your Teflon pans are scratched, flaking, or damaged in anyways, you should DEFINITELY throw them out. Scratched and brittle Teflon coating will off gas when heated and leach into your food, especially if heated at higher temperatures.

So What Now?

After the purging of the wedding registry Teflon pans within months of receiving it (YES- it was terribly torturous to do!) we now cook our food on stainless steel pans and pots. It requires the use of oil to avoid sticking, but for the most part (except the wretched scrambled eggs,) we don’t miss our Teflon. I have heard great things about ceramic cookware as well but am not incredibly knowledgeable about it. See Dr. Mercola’s article and video about that HERE. Another safe alternative are cast iron pans. These come with an added benefit of iron actually cooking into your food, and with many Americans being deficient in this mineral as well as many others, we can use all the help we can get.

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34 thoughts on “Why I Tossed My Non-Stick Cookware

  1. There’s a reason 95% of Americans have it in their bloodstream. It’s EVERYWHERE. Check the American Cancer Society website and their opinion of this ‘vaccine-like’ scare among the minions. Too many vitamins can hurt you too, but c’mon! I would have taken your 3 month old pans. : )

  2. No kidding. That is why there is a huge lawsuit by 3500 plaintiffs from Parkersburg, WV against Dupont now. I grew up there and my family was devastated by cancer. My father worked at the plant and passed away at age 39 with cancer.

  3. Hi. Just wondering HOW did you dispose of the pans? I was thinking that there must be a safe way to do this so the PFOA doesn’t end up in our water or elsewhere in our environment. PFOA has been recently showing up in high levels in many water supplies across the country so could it be that we are disposing of it improperly? Thanks, Maria

  4. I meant to say the lodge pans are made in usa which is a plus since some brands are made overseas which is another safety concern, depending on the country its made, Europe I think I would trust. My main cuisinart set was made overseas and I didnt realize it and some of all clads stainless specialty pots are made overseas but most are made in usa and they claim they monitor them for safetey overseas. My fiance suffered a heart attack so I was worried but being they dont have a coating to leach into food I guess its okay and he says hes sure its fine and that its only food products that are a concern. But I got scared due to so many things going on recall made over seas. Many old pot brands (like faberware and cuisinart) I heard used to manucacture in usa and now make there pans overseas. I guess greedy ceos want to get more for there money but hopefully not compromising our health. Thats another reason to stay away from pans with a coating though.

  5. Yes they last forever unlike the nonstick. And its really great to have old pans passed on from family. And the lodge pans are usa made which is another safety concern as I heard some countries you have to be careful buying food from. But I guess if theres no coating it should be fine as theres nothing to leach into food. My main pan set from cuisinart I found out is not made in usa. At the time we thought it was the same as all clad and that it was just a name but later realized all clad was usa made, or at least most of there stainless steel pans, some of there specialty items are not. Many old pans are made in usa, even if the new ones in the same brand are made over seas. Not that all countries other than usa are not trustworhty because I think european brands are fine.

  6. But cast iron is probsbly the best pan for nonstick. I added an extra one to my gift registry a small one so my fiance and I could use thwt for our eggs. And my fiance agrees if nobody eggs us thwt lodge pan it would be a worthy investment. He agrees that nonstick pan has seen its day.

  7. Excuse my typos im using my fiances touch screen, having been using a regukar key board for years im not conditioed or quite comfortable with touch screen.

  8. I found this post interesting since I always worry about my fiance making his eggs on his little no stick pan, especially since he suffered of a heart attack a few years ago.Well as long as you let the pan and the fat get hot the food shouldnt stick much and and you wont need to add much fat and with steel or cast iron you may scoop the exess eggs up with a metal spachelor. My fiance bought us the cuisinart steel pan set. He initially wanted to get nonstick but I convinced him to get stainless steel. We were in debate over whether to get that or whether it was worth it to pay a little more for all clad which he bought his sister years ago for her engagement gift and still work great (or a lot more if not on sale). We coud have chipped in for all clad. Thats one of those times its not wasteful to pay a brand name. But the pans seemed so similar and had similar ratings. Althougn we didnt know at the time that unlike all clad these were not made in the usa, which is a other safety concern, but on the plus side there isnt any coating on it to leach into food and by the time we learned this it was too late anyway. Some people at the time told us to get a inexpensiven set and later do a gift registry, but we both lime to cook so we figured it was a worthy investment. Also, we bought a cast iron griddle and a cast iron fry pan, tne lodge brand which is ade in us and less expensive then so e other bra ds made over seas that I think people get just for the name. So far all those pans have worked. My fiwnce still loves using the nonstick pans for his eggs and he took one my parents used nontstick pans. I was a little concerned because even then it was very used and starting to peal as my dad used a metal spachelor on them and even the most babied nonstick pans peal after a while. But I added a smaller lodge pan to my wedding gift registry which my fiance and I will purchase it ourselves if we dont get as its not too pricey.

  9. Thanks for the article and the information. I have been reading about the dangers of Teflon, PFOA and PTFE and have been looking for safe cookware. Its a shame that people feel they have to attack you on this site. Hope you are healthy and cancer free!

  10. Hello,
    Seriously? Saying you bet I did not have cancer was condescending. People who wants to have the truth; fight and dig for it, not just throwing rocks at an invisible enemy and dragging other people in the same ignorance, you have no idea what I fight for everyday…
    You should talk about how cigarette smoke is the killer! Not a frying pan with Teflon which is completely inert!

  11. If they are still researching what causes cancer exactly, you cannot SAY that ”With a disease like cancer, you pull out ALL of the stops to fight it.”
    First of all, people do not get cancer only from substances, but it can be hereditary too.
    Second, a carcinogen is what causes or enhances cancer and PTFE, Fluorine even PFOA are not carcinogens.
    PTFE will disintegrate when overheated to release non-carcinogen Fluorine.
    Fluorine is toxic in a huge amount. Breathing in fluorine from PTFE will cause a polymer fume fever which is as much as breathing in another individual’s toxic cigarette smoke, but unlike cigarette, fluorine is not carcinogen.
    Hence there is nothing to worry about here, just how to CARE and USE your PTFE coated pan.

    Kitchenware Trainer

    http://www.chemistryexplained.com/elements/C-K/Fluorine.html

    http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/generalinformationaboutcarcinogens/known-and-probable-human-carcinogens

    • Hi Rebecca,

      It’s great to have a differing opinion on here. I’m guessing you’ve never had cancer? If If you have had cancer, I’m betting you would have been just as scared and willing to do whatever you had to do to heal from it as I was. THAT is why I got rid of my teflon pans. I didn’t NEED any official studies, although there were several (which you can read in my post.) There was enough controversy and no matter how you slice it, it’s not a natural cooking surface. Where I found the most peace in healing was by going back to basics which just happened to not include teflon pans. (:

      As for your mentioning of cancer being hereditary, 5-10% of cancers are considered “hereditary.” The others are all environmentally aggravated.

      Thank you for your references. I’m sure they will be helpful for the few people coming to this post to defend their teflon choices.

      http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/geneticsandcancer/heredity-and-cancer

    • No cancer is hereditary. People can inherit genes which predispose them to cancer – their bodies are less able to deal with the things that cause cancer. It is all cause and effect. PFOA is known to be carcinogenic. If the non stick can be scratched, then there will be some in the food. It’s just one of many carcinogens that a person can be exposed to, and it would be foolish not to reduce exposure to as many harmful chemicals as possible, whether a person has cancer or not.

  12. More liberal tripe that will backfire opn everyone. Ceramic cookware sucks compared to teflon as it only lasts about three months. Once again, liberals like you jump to conclude that the big bad corporations are out to get you. Note that my father is the most caring man on the planet and retired from Dupont. They are real people like you and I.

    • Hi Goofyfoot- I’m sorry that you took my post as a personal attack on your family. If you read it carefully- I am not telling people not to buy Teflon. I AM just stating the facts backed up by actual studies. As a person with cancer, I chose to get rid of my non-stick cookware. Cooking with a chemical coating with a sketchy history was just too risky FOR ME. I am sure your father is a lovely person and very caring. I wish your family and your dad the best in his retirement.

  13. I was corrected by the hubby. He bought the cast iron skillets at an Army Surplus store for CHEAP!! So there’s another option. They sell all sorts of camping gear and outdoor stuff I never thought they would.

  14. if you want your fried eggs to not stick to your stainless steel pans, warm them to room temperature first. Use your oil or whatever when you cook them, but no sticking! They have to be warm all the way through, however. AND your pans need to be clean…I must admit I’m not sure about scrambled but fried eggs work great. I also agree with the poster above re cast iron. Wonderful stuff! I have a pan that my husband’s great grandmother used in the late 1890’s and it still works like a charm…

  15. CAST IRON!!!!! If the cost is keeping you from purchasing, try estate sales, garage sales, and antique stores! My husband bought a whole set of cast iron skillets at an estate sale YEARS ago (albeit they were untreated yet) and stupid me threw out the small ones for cooking eggs thinking I’d never use them when I had non-stick one’s to use. I still have four of them and made the plunge to buy the dutch oven at the store. GREAT pots!! And a definite plus for the extra iron that’s always needed!

  16. Awe thanks so much for this post. Seriously I need new pans and have felt so torn by differing information. Although some say non stock cookware is fine, I just don’t feel good about it in my house. Off to shop today for some stainless steel or cast iron cookware. Thanks so much!!!!!!!

  17. I have to say I LOVE All-Clad pans and they are not hard to clean at all. After I cook the eggs I just put a little dishsoap and water in the pan and by the time I finish eating breakfast I have no trouble cleaning the pan.

    Another thing I did a long time ago was throw out all plastic tupperware containers (I don’t even use the BPA-free plastic ones because I still think that is suspect) so I have tons of glass pyrex containers in every possible size, I even pack them in my daughter’s lunchbox. They keep food cooler and are easy to clean too.

    They freeze well too.

  18. Great post Cortney!
    We did the same thing at our house.

    The teflon coating is also easily damaged, breaks down over time, and particles will end up in your food.

    We now use stainless steel and ceramic coated cast iron cookware. The cast iron pots and pans are super heavy, which takes some getting used to, but an added benefit is they give you huge muscles.

    I have two different cast iron skillets, one has a glazed finish inside, the other is rough.
    The glazed one works well for cooking eggs as long as I use a generous amount of coconut oil.
    🙂

  19. I can sympathize with how hard it is to get rid of what you think is a perfectly good non-stick pan. My wife and I recently threw out our whole collection, including some pricey Pampered chef non-stick pots and pans we got for our wedding. It was hard to do but I agree with you that after you spend so much time eliminating the toxins from your body, it’s completely worth it. We now use only stainless steel too with the hopes to save up for some good cast iron some day.

  20. As a retailer who sells both non-stick cookware as well as stainless, ceramic and anodized pieces, there is a great deal of headway for alternative cooking surfaces. The major issues with non-stick cookware is that the surface is sprayed onto a stainless or aluminum pay and over time and usage, it will begin to flake off; Teflon has been proven to be dangerous because of this and because of the chemicals that make up the surface.

    While stainless cookware seems like the safest alternative, ceramic and anodized pieces are just as safe and allow for the ease of “non-stick” cooking. Anodization is a chemical bond that occurs when the pan is dipped and then a current is run through the liquid creating a bond on the pan. Because the “nonstick” surface is part of the pan, it will not flake off. Another option is ceramic titanium cookware, like ScanPan. It is made in scandinavia and is usually a triply (stainless, aluminum, stainless) base with this ceramic titanium interior surface. The awesome thing about these pans is that they are made from the second more durable natural surface in the world so you can use any type of cooking utensil (wood, metal, silicone, etc), any type of cooking surface (ceramic, glass, electric, conduction, gas) and you can put into the oven to broil or finish a dish at very high temperatures (usually 800 degress farenheit vs. 400 with normal non stick). Of course with these options, they cost more, but you are buying an investment rather then a piece you will just use for a few years and then toss.

    For those that LOVE true nonstick cookware, Calphalon has a new line on the market called Unison. It provides two surfaces on select pans in the set for searing or sliding. It is 100% PFOA free. They use PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) material with proprietary reinforcements for wear resistance, as well as additional components to enhance heat transfer. Calphalon cookware’s nonstick coatings have been approved for food contact surfaces by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). AND IT IS DISHWASHER SAFE!!!

    The most important things with ANY cookware are:
    Exposure to extreme temperatures–you really should never cook above a medium to medium high heat

    Boiling your pan dry–this seems like a DUH!

    Metal Utensil use–it scrapes the pan and creates little tears and then the heat from cooking is what causes the surface to bubble and peel…while it is not overly appetizing to think about, at least if this starts to flake it will not kill you if you ingest it!

    Aerosol Sprays–they are the worst! they cause a chemical reaction and RUIN cookware. Get an oil sprayer…i have 3! One for oil oil, one for canola, and one i use out on the grill! They pump with air instead of chemicals and are 100% safe for you, your cookware and the environment 🙂

    Abrasive Cleaning–never use heavy duty scouring pads or cleaners. Sponges and dishwashing liquid is all you should need for non stick surfaces. On stainless or ceramic titanium cookware, if you have really tough food, there is a product called Bar Keeper’s friend that is available as a liquid or a powder. It works wonders! Especially if your mom burns spaghetti sauce in the bottom of your pan and it will not come out…you just create a paste with the powder and let it sit for a while (or hours in my case!) and then you can clean it out.

    I am passionate about making sure people have the right information when they are buying cookware because it is an investment and in most cases will last forever. Sorry, if i blabbed, just wanted to let you and your readers know they have options!!

    Hope you are fabulous! Give your precious baby and husband a hug!

    Love,
    Suzie