It’s been a while since I wanted to write a post that spoke of pots in particular Teflon, I was just looking for the correct information about it.I will therefore bring you a good part of this instructive article, in the hope of being able to convince those of you who still use Teflon cookware to immediately give up.
“Do you adore the pots inherited from your grandmother? The pan that guarantees you perfect crepes with every shot, the thick-bottomed cocotte in which they cook dishes that have given you the reputation of cordon bleu?
These are not reasons not to ask questions. The materials that make up our kitchen batteries are not all the same.
Don’t keep dragging your old cookware
When Dupont de Nemours patented the Teflon brand in 1945, the era of non-stick cookware began in the kitchen. The molecule developed by the American company is called Polytetrafluoriethylene (PTFE) and to produce it you need perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
The non-stick properties of PTFE allow you to cook an egg on the stake without fat.
Teflon has invaded our kitchens since the 1960s. But doubts about its harmlessness arise very quickly. The Environmental working group (EWG) is the first NGO to follow up the case. Following his pressure, Dupont will eventually admit, after hiding the facts for 20 years, that their employees who worked on the non-stick pans had health problems. Again thanks to EWG, Dupont will pay out over $ 100 million in fines, compensation and interest for polluting the waterways near its factories.
After all, what do we reproach these molecules? According to EWG one of these dry-heated pans can kill canaries … Dupont says that his Teflon gives off toxic particles only if heated above 240 ° and consistently only after 340 °. The company continues to hammer that these temperatures will never be reached under normal cooking conditions. Really? Studies done in 2003 by EWG show that a dry-heated non-stick pan reaches 380 ° in 3-4 minutes! Its emanations can in this case kill a small bird in the room.
As for PFOA, it is accused of accumulating in the environment and in the human organism. In his study done in 2005, “Toxiques en héritage” (inherited toxic substances) Greenpeace made analyzes on the maternal blood (of 42 women) and on the umbilical cord (of 27 unborn babies). The NGO had found PFOA in all maternal sanque samples except one and half of the samples of umbilical blood.
Some studies show that it would cause cancer in mice. And in man? The French agency for health and food safety (AFSSA) estimates in its document of 13 March 2009 that the presence of PFOA in our kitchens represents “a minimum risk” for human health given the relatively weak daily exposure to these non-stick coatings. But beyond the Atlantic, things are viewed differently. For the American Environment Protection Agency (EPA), PFOA is considered to be a probable carcinogen. In fact, it has negotiated, with 8 of the major American manufacturers of non-stick cookware, the elimination of PFOA by 2015.
What if we did the same? This is what the environment and health network (French) plans to do. He made PFOA his new workhorse, after bisphenol A of food plastic and phthalates. The network cites a recent Danish study on the subject, which shows that PFOA is an endocrine disruptor that decreases sperm concentrations in humans, making them run risks of infertility. So, do we throw these non-stick pans or not? “
Aluminum gives me doubts
Contradictory studies have been going on for decades, doubt persists: excess aluminum in the body is suspected to have an influence on the development of Alzheimer’s disease. It should therefore be used with caution in the kitchen, and above all not put in contact with acidic foods that attack aluminum absorbing it. So let’s forget about the baked fish with lemon and tomato made in aluminum foil.
The enamel yes, but …
This substance close to glass covers some metal pots to make them smoother. No problem as long as these pans are pampered. The enamel does not like impacts, excessive heating, lines …. if it cracks, the pot is good to be thrown away, as it will release the lead salts used to color the enamel. In order not to make a mistake in purchases, you need to take pots bearing the safety mark.
Copper, but not copper green
It is impeccable to make jams and without health dangers … provided you rub your casseroles (with lemon for example). The greenish oxide that settles over time is an authentic poison.
Silicone? to be seen…
This soft substance that allows you to cook fat-free sweets is still too new for the health consequences of its use to be truly known. In theory, silicone molds must withstand temperatures of up to 280 °, but according to DGCRE, many do not resist beyond 240 °, freeing harmful molecules in food. Choose only molds that can withstand high temperatures and use them at moderate temperatures.
Non-toxic stainless steel
This alloy of iron, chromium and nickel does not present any health risk, it spreads heat well, especially if the substrates are thick, and it attacks very little. It’s only a flaw? The exploitation of chromium and nickel mines which are very relevant for the environment. All the more reason to keep your stainless steel pots as long as possible.
Return to the land
A safe millennial value in the kitchen and which is back in vogue. It does not have to be purchased blindly, make sure that the earthenware pots are not covered with paint or lead enamel, better that they have safety marks.
And why not pyrex?
It is glass that resists high temperatures, inexpensive, without health risks, especially if it is not colored.
Go on with the cast iron
Cooking lovers love this iron and carbon alloy. They know that to prevent food from sticking, it is necessary to caress the cast iron cocottes after each use with a little vegetable oil, you cannot wash it excessively, to leave it with a layer of fat that will be absorbed by the metal pores. Only precaution of use: do not use cast iron to store food because it oxidizes. “