Is there safe non-stick cookware?

[sahmmie]

I saw something while surfing the web one day about a safe non-stick line of cookware but I can't find it now.

[velochic]

My seasoned cast iron cookware is about as non-stick as any chemical non-stick. I swear by it.

[aprons_and_acorns]

I was going to say the same thing!

[MammaG]

Ditto.

[CorasMama]

ayup. I love my cast iron. Sure, it's heavy, but I don't have to worry about what dangerous gasses are coming off of it (except for the smoke when dh cooks bacon, of course!) Remember, teflon was considered safe for a long time!

[staceychev]

My colleague uses Scanpans, but I don't know how safe they are.

[mamadelbosque]

Another vote for cast iron here Love it. Couldn't cook w/o it. I have TONS: 14" pizza pan, 12" skillet, 12" dutch oven, 2 10" skillets, 10" dutch oven, 8" skillet, 6" skillet, 2 11-hole muffin pans, 2 6-hole puffin pans, reversible griddle, and a lil 'sauce' pot that I use to melt butter in

[mattemma04]

How have you all seasoned your iron pans? I have 3,but the seasoning called for hydrogenated oil like crisco,and I did not want to use that.

I saw on Dr.Oz the other day there was a recommendation for Hard-anodized aluminum cookware after showing the chemical smoke cloud coming from a heated non-stick pan. I know regular aluminum pans are no good.

[CorasMama]

I just use an oil with a really high smoke point, and then cook fatty meats in it for a while.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by mattemma04

How have you all seasoned your iron pans? I have 3,but the seasoning called for hydrogenated oil like crisco,and I did not want to use that.

I inherited mine from my mother and grandmother. I believe they just used plain old lard. I've not had to reseason them, but if I did, I would just use non-hydrogenated leaf lard or tallow.

[ollyoxenfree]

I've seen the "safe" non-stick pans in kitchenware shops. I can't recall the brand - something about "green" or "eco", I think. I read a review of this type of cookware (not sure if it was the same brand) in Cook's Illustrated and they gave it pretty low grades for the actual performance. It wasn't recommended at all.

[rhiOrion]

I've been contemplating the Earth Pan Sandflow pans. Consumer reports likes them. They're not particularly expensive. They aren't teflon.

I know the cast iron lovers won't be swayed, but I am not a particularly big cast iron lover, so I think those might fit the bill.

[mamadelbosque]

I bought Lodge's pre-seasoned stuff, so it wasn't like I had to season it to begin with. The trick to CI, IME is to just *always* start with oil - olive oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, etc. Just start with oil. I even add a little olive oil to my pan when I'm cooking meats in them. And if your pan is in desperate need of seasoning... fry something in it!! Seriously! I don't think I've ever purposefully 'seasoned' any of my pans - just cook with oil, and only wash with hot water, then set on the stove or in the oven to dry. Good luck!!

[napless]

Another vote for cast iron!

[sahmmie]

Hmmm... I don't know why I never thought of cast iron. I've never owned one! Maybe I'll get one and see if I can cook anything in it without destroying it.

Thanks everyone.

[sahmmie]

Originally Posted by rhiOrion

I've been contemplating the Earth Pan Sandflow pans. Consumer reports likes them. They're not particularly expensive. They aren't teflon.

I know the cast iron lovers won't be swayed, but I am not a particularly big cast iron lover, so I think those might fit the bill.

Thanks. I'll check them out. I wonder if these are the ones recommended by Dr. Whittaker. Do you know?

[cristeen]

I read the same article in CI the pp did. Not only did they not recommend any of the pans for performance or durability (they all sucked for both), they discussed the chemicals used and pointed out that only 1 of the chemicals had been removed from the "cocktail" and that the other (big) one is still not healthy.

I'm with the rest of the pp on the cast iron - it took a while to adapt, but I LOVE it now.

[rhiOrion]

Originally Posted by sahmmie

Thanks. I'll check them out. I wonder if these are the ones recommended by Dr. Whittaker. Do you know?

Hmmm, I've never heard of Dr. Whittaker... but google tells me that maybe it's "Starfrit" pans that you're thinking of? They look nice, have good reviews on amazon, and are pretty affordable. My issue is that they appear to have plastic handles...and I want something that can go from the stove to the oven.

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by mattemma04

How have you all seasoned your iron pans? I have 3,but the seasoning called for hydrogenated oil like crisco,and I did not want to use that.

lard. it's a natural solid fat. I don't like oil as a seasoning on my cast iron.

[ledzepplon]

I like cast iron, but I admit I have a "Green Pan" from Crate and Barrel that I LOVE for eggs. It works splendidly, and has no PTFE.