I don't know much about the nonstick, but when buying stoneware, make sure it comes from somewhere where they are careful about lead content. Don't look for knock-offs in other words.

Besides Pampered Chef, there's the original Romertopf brand stoneware, which are supposed to be soaked before each use. It's slightly different from using PC stoneware, but also good.

 

http://www.romertopfonline.com/files...opf+Claybakers

They still exist!

I have the smallest one, barely fits a chicken inside, but cooks it very nicely!

 

Check at a local cooking store that specializes in specialty items to find stoneware. I am in the US, but at our local cooking emporium, they have cooking stones which are not pampered chef. There should not be lead in stoneware because it is not glazed. Lead is usually only a risk in low-fire glazes which tend have very vibrant colors, but you are more likely to come across it when you are buying ceramics in foriegn countries.

 

Just another POV... the prices may be inflated with Pampered Chef, but the company was founded by an entrepreneuial woman, and you're usually buying from a woman who benefits, so I wouldn't consider that a wast of money, when it could be going to larger companies. Especially since their stuff is so high quality.

 

You know, I have a pizza stone that was one of the last things I ever bought at Walmart. It isn't glazed or painted, but I am nervous now that it might contain lead. I don't trust Walmart at all.

That's a good point about Pampereed Chef, and so far the alternatives are no cheaper! The Romertopf stuff is nice, but they don't have a lot of what I'm looking for. I already have roasters that are ceramic, glass, enamel on steel. What I realy need are loaf pans, cake pans, cookie sheets, muffin pans. I'll check out some of the specialty stores around though, thanks!

As far as non-stick, my mom said that she heard for frying pans new is better than old because it's less likely to be chipping into your food, but that could be the compant just making sure we all replace our pans frequently, and I don't know if it's the same for baker's secret.

 

As much as I dislike walmart, your pizza stone should be fine as long as it is unglazed... Lead is used in Low-fire glazes not clay bodies. Although your concern for lead is important, I think there is no real risk with the unglazed stoneware. The most suspect ceramic pieces for lead have brightly colored glazes and underglazes creating decoration on the surface of the piece, and are often made artisans from outside the US. Other glazes to avoid for food would be crackle finishes, which can get food lodges in the small cracks, and cobalt blues.
You could see if there is a local potter in your area that could make the stoneware for you too. They would be very knowledgable and attentive to your conerns about lead and able to make the shapes you desire.

 

Instead of stoneware I just bought a bunch of pyrex and anchor hocking glass pans like loaf pans and 13X9 dishes to bake in. The shiny one that aren't nonstick are usually aluminum if they aren't stainless steel. Aluminum isn't much better but I do have some cake pans, I figure those are better than teflon and since I don't bake layer cakes often it's ok.

 

Yes, cake pans are impossible to find in anything but the bad stuff. I went ahead and got non-stick for those but it is the only non-stick thing in our house. I don't ever bake cookies - can you do those on a pizza stone? Someone out here needs to come up with enviro friendly bakeware for those of us who love cakes!

 

I used my pizza stone for cookies the other day, and have before. The placement is awkward, but I got 15 cookies on it. The glass is a good idea, but I bake cakes as part of my home business, so I need something less rounded than I imagine pyrex to be. I am remebering now that I have a glass 13x9 I never use, actually!

And there's a person who has been to some of our pagan meetings who does pottery in her garage and has three kilns. I had already been thinking of getting in touch with her as I sculpt air-drying clay, but it always breaks. Thatnks for all these ideas! Maybe I'll just put all the teflon in the yard sale!

 

An alternative to a pizzastone that I've seen suggested on TV is to get plain unglazed terra cotta tiles from someplace like Home Depot or Lowe's...

Put them together on the oven rack and viola! stone oven effect.

 

Bump!

So, no ideas about whether new or older pans are safer? I'm not sure which ones to put in the yard sale!

 

my main wish for the holidays is one of those stone wear muffin or mini bread loaf pans from P.C.!

We make our own bread and muffins (all gluten free etc.) and I would be in heaven with those pans!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by melissa17s Other glazes to avoid for food would be crackle finishes, which can get food lodges in the small cracks, and cobalt blues.

I have a set of Fiestaware in dark blue.

Should I be concerned about lead?

 

Oh... I did not mean to scare you, tsfairy... I sure fiestaware is fine. I should clarify, most blue glazes are fine, but those that actually contain the compound cobalt in them are not food safe. I don't think it is as much of an issue with commerical ceramics for food. There are many shades of blue that do not contain cobalt, luckily.

 

I sorry, but I need to correct myself on the previous post I made... Instead of warning against Cobalt, I should have been saying CADMIUM. I went to watch a video for work on OESHA stuff tonight, and it realized I had confused the two

... I am sorry if I scared anyone about their blue plates. This has made me realize I need to brush up on my ceramics facts, again...

:

 

just read an article in sierra magazine about pots-n-pans. check it out here -- http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200409/hearth.asp . cast iron is great. teflon is bad. red enamelware could have cadmium. aluminum is okay.

i have no teflon. stainless cookie sheet & aluminum cake pan. love my cast iron skillets and loaf pans. stainless saucepans, etc.

hth

 

I swear that I think I've seen the stonewear at Superstore.

I love my cast iron frying pans too. I told dh last xmas that i wanted new baking sheets since I go through mine in 6 months. I told him I want good ones, the aluminum ones that last many years. I told him I do not want anything that is non-stick. So he bought me all non-stick because it was on sale. Not even 6months later I destroyed them. So I went to superstore and bought the superstore brand that is not non-stick. They're cheap though and won't last longer than another year if that.

 

I've been using our cast iron frying pan lately, that was packed up with camping gear and I love it! I thought everything would stick on, but it sticks on less than our wearever pans because they are so worn! Gonna go read that article. Still not sure which is lesser of two evils: new or old non-stick. Wonder where I can get other cast iron stuff... loaf pans? Neat!

 

Le Creuset is enamelled cast iron.

The best of both worlds!

I've gotten back into using my one LC pot for making rice and loving it. Wish I had a larger one now too, but it's too expensive.

 

Lurking, but hope it's okay to jump in!

How about the less expensive cast iron skillets? I just bought some MSE skillets at KMart and am wondering if they are safe?

 

Quote:

I just bought some MSE skillets at KMart and am wondering if they are safe?

Why wouldn't they be? Are they teflon or other nonstick coated? That'd be what would make me deem them less than ideal in safety.

From what I understand, teflon and such is safe at low temperatures. The problem is that they are promoted as nonstick for frying. Frying creates high temperatures, and thus the safety issue.

Price doesn't not equate to safety, or vice versa. Low price does not equate to nonsafety, and vice versa.

 

They're just the regular old cast iron skillets. I had to season them in the oven for an hour with oil before using them for the first time so I assume that they aren't coated.

 

I read the sierra club link, but I still can't convince myself aluminium is safe. DH has alzheimer's in his family, so I guess maybe I'm nervous, dunno. I love my cast iron so much, that I think I'll keep out aluminium anyway.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pam_and_Abigail I read the sierra club link, but I still can't convince myself aluminium is safe.

I had not heard this... I, too, am not convinced.
Pam_and_Abigail, did resolve which pans to use? I guess if I had to make the choice, I would go with the ones that do not leave particules one the surface. It has been my experience that when I used to use coated pans for baking bread, the non-stick coating would stick to the surface of my bread in little flakes. Same thing happened with our "non"stick wok, which we also quit using. I did see online plain stainless steel pans without coating... they may be another alternative for you.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pam_and_Abigail Wonder where I can get other cast iron stuff... loaf pans?

Amazon has a huge selection of cast iron cookware, most of it by Lodge.