Healthy Cooking with the Best PTFE Free Fry Pans

Most of us are interested in better health and finding smart and simple ways to achieve it. When it comes to the kitchen however, we can’t always do a complete makeover or enact drastic changes to the family’s diet. What we can do, is to phase out the old and integrate the new one item at a time. This may include a long look at our favorite non-stick fry pans. What gives them that smooth, slippery surface of which we are so fond?

PTFE or polytetrafluoroethylene, marketed as Teflon, contains low-friction, waterproof plastics known as fluoropolymers. They’re relatively stable, in the finished product, and their non-reactive properties provide a non-stick surface. However, PFOA, perfluorooctanoic acid, a chemical used in the production of Teflon, is not so stable. It contains toxins monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), well known to stay in the human body for extended periods, and to cause tumors in laboratory animals. Although its health hazards are still under investigation, it’s good to be aware of potential dangers.

When non-stick pans, coated with these materials, reach temperatures above 500 degrees, they begin to release chemicals that can cause polymer-fume fever. The symptoms are flu-like such as headache, chills, and fever. Although these reactions pass, their silent, long-term effects are still under study, as is their effect on the global environment. If these pans are scratched or chipped the toxic emissions are greater still. However, non-stick surfaces are a great benefit to our time and cut down on the use of added fats while cooking. That’s why it’s worth a look, and possible trade up, to some of the best PTFE free fry pans.