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Too Hot to Handle?

Take precautions to resolve sticky issues about nonstick cookware

The Allentown Morning Call

February 22, 2006

By Joanna Poncavage

True confessions: I recently burned a pot of rice into a brick-like object. I'd like to say I was researching the health-and-safety issues associated with nonstick cookware recently in the news; but the truth is, I simply got distracted in the basement for an hour and forgot I had something on the stove.

Thanks to the pot's nonstick coating, the rice slid right into the garbage. But it appeared that some of the nonstick coating was flaking off, and my kitchen was filled with an irritating, burned smell. The next day, my throat was scratchy and I had a little cough. Was it a minor, temporary irritation, or something more serious, I wondered?

Last week, science advisers to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommended that a chemical used to make nonstick cookware be considered a likely carcinogen. Like cooks everywhere, I found myself looking into a nonstick pan and wondering if it was safe to use.

Like many of life's serious questions, the nonstick cookware question has a three-part answer:

Yes, nonstick cookware appears to be safe if used as directed.

No, it is not without health and environmental consequences, at least in the manufacturing stage.

And maybe another kind of cookware might be worth a second look.

In an unscientific opinion poll on mcall.com, nine people reported already tossing nonstick cookware, while 28 respondents said they are waiting for more information.

The culprit chemical

The chemical used to make nonstick cookware is perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. It's also associated with many other products, including stain- and soil-resistant coatings for carpets and clothing, and grease-resistant films for food packaging and microwave popcorn bags.

The EPA is concerned because PFOA has shown up both in the environment and in human blood. In laboratory rats, it has been shown to cause tumors and other adverse effects. In manufacturing plants that make or use it, workers have shown some negative health trends. Also, PFOA is long-lasting. It doesn't break down and go away.

In January, the EPA turned up the heat under eight companies producing or using PFOA, calling for a 95 percent reduction of PFOA in products and plant emissions by 2010, and total elimination of PFOA by 2015. DuPont Co., which uses PFOA to make Teflon, was the first to sign EPA's voluntary agreement, but disputes the carcinogen classification.

First introduced about 50 years ago, nonstick cookware quickly became popular because it is light-weight, incredibly easy to clean, and cooking in it requires less fat or oil. Some may remember those diets that relied on eggs and meats cooked in a nonstick pan without any oil or butter? According to the Cookware Manufacturers Association, 70 percent of cookware sold today is nonstick. Teflon is the brand name for the high-performance plastic coating that has become synonymous with nonstick cookware, but not all nonstick coatings are Teflon.

Dupont insists that Teflon contains no detectable levels of PFOA. "PFOA is a processing aid, it is not an ingredient and it is not detected in the final product," says DuPont spokesman Dan Turner. The company recently ran full-page newspaper ads to reassure the public. Even eating little bits of nonstick coating that flake off does not have ill effects on people, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research organization concerned with exposing threats to health and the environment, based in Washington, D.C., also concedes that pots and pans don't present a major problem. "If you get up to higher levels of heat, you can break things down and get PFOA, but that is not a big exposure," says Tim Kropp, EWG toxicologist.

The EPA says it will continue to develop a final risk assessment on PFOA using its science advisers' report, as well as new and ongoing research gathered from industry, academics, and the public.

Meanwhile, back on the stove

It's widely known -- and perhaps it's time for a refresher course -- that overheating nonstick pots and pans may release fumes and produce symptoms called polymer fume fever. Humans get temporary flu-like symptoms, but birds have sensitive respiratory systems and can die. In fact, birds are sensitive to odors in general -- they don't have to come from nonstick pots. Birds should be kept away from kitchens and cleaning products.

Dupont says fumes and significant decomposition don't start until pans reach about 660 degrees and has long recommended the following for Teflon cookware:

Use it on low or medium heat and do not exceed 500 degrees, well above the temperatures for boiling, frying or baking. At 500 degrees, the coating may begin to discolor and lose its nonstick quality.

Do not use it for broiling, which reaches temperatures between 500 and 550 degrees.

Do not leave empty cookware on a hot stove or in a hot oven.

Read instructions before use

The recent spotlight on nonstick cookware naturally caught the attention of Cook's Illustrated, the magazine that calls itself America's Test Kitchen because it puts thousands of recipes, ingredients and tools to rigorous scrutiny every year.

"We thought it was a good time to investigate the temperature issue," says Jack Bishop, its executive editor. "We are not health experts. We were not going to look at whether Teflon was safe. We wanted to know if you follow recipes, are you likely to get the pan into the danger zone."

Cooks Illustrated testers compared two nonstick pans, a "cheapo" and a good-quality All-Clad, preparing three recipes in each: skillet roasted potatoes, chicken stir-fry and a frittata (a thick omelette).

Using an infrared thermometer gun to measure temperatures, the testers quickly found that it was very easy for both pans to get hotter than 500 degrees. "We had expected the All-Clad would be much better, but if you put a heavy pan on enough heat, there will be a problem," says Bishop. On high heat, it took three minutes for the cheap pan, and five minutes for the All-Clad, to pass 500 degrees. A gas stove was more likely to overheat the pan than an electric stove.

The contents of the pan also made a difference. Testers found no excess heat in pans cooking frittatas or skillet potatoes because the pans tended to be covered with food the whole time. During cooking of the chicken stir fry, however, both pans got higher than 600 degrees in the bare spots, although only for a second or so as ingredients were moved around the pan.

Bishop says the tests showed that the real danger with nonstick cookware is to heat a pan when empty. He recommends, in addition to any instructions that come with the cookware, the following:

Put food in the pan before turning on the heat.

Put butter or oil in the pan before heating. It will start to smoke before the pan gets too hot.

Use a pan size just big enough to hold what's being cooked so the surface is covered.

Don't walk away from the stove. Even medium heat might be enough to heat an unattended pan into the danger zone.

Time-tested alternatives

Thanks to its kitchen expertise and credentials, Cook's also can recommend some alternatives to nonstick cookware. "We like pre-seasoned cast-iron from Lodge," says Bishop.

Cast-iron is old-fashioned, heavy and black, but it works. "Over time," reports Cook's, "cast-iron pans develop nonstick properties as the oils and fats used in cooking polymerize (the molecules change shape and link up) and essentially fuse with the surface of the pan. The older and more seasoned the pan, the more nonstick it will become."

Cast-iron needs to be seasoned (oiled and baked) before use, cleaned only with mild soap, and oiled lightly after each cleaning. Lodge, the Tennessee company that has been making cast-iron cookware for nearly 200 years, also sells pre-seasoned cast-iron that eliminates the oiling and baking step.

"There are alternatives" to nonstick cookware, agrees Nancy O'Keefe, owner of La Belle Cuisine in Allentown, retailer of top-shelf kitchen gear.

To customers turned off to nonstick, she recommends Swiss Diamond pots and pans. Made in Switzerland, they are cast aluminum coated with a diamond-embedded composite. Lighter than cast-iron, they can be used on any type of cooking surface. "It's a very hard substance and it won't chip or peel or crack. You don't need high temperatures," says O'Keefe. "We have really changed a lot of people's minds about nonstick with that product."

The Swiss Diamond cookware is not inexpensive. A 10-inch fry pan costs about $84, in the same range as a 101/4-inch skillet for about $90 from Le Creuset, which is enamel-coated cast-iron. Le Crueset is not nonstick, but it's O'Keefe's favorite for low-heat cooking in colorful pots and pans.

But there's probably no need to trade in your Teflon today. Even the issue-sensitive aren't going that far. "Don't panic about killing yourself or your pets, cook on medium to low heat, and replace pans with enamel ware or cast iron when you can," says Paul McRandle, senior research editor for The Green Guide, a environmetnal publication for consumers focusing on health issues.

COOKWARE OPTIONS

Least to most expensive; brands may offer more than one type

NONSTICK ALUMINUM

Pros: Excellent for fast cooking with very little oil; easy to clean.

Cons: Dishwashing shortens life of nonstick coating; can be scratched; environmental concerns in manufacturing process.

Examples: T-Fal, Regal

CAST IRON

Pros: Inexpensive; long-lasting; almost indestructible.

Cons: Heavy; may require pre-seasoning; requires hand-washing, frequent oiling and thorough drying.

Example: Lodge

STAINLESS STEEL

Pros: Highly durable; shiny; dishwasher-safe

Cons: Not as heat-conductive as some other materials; polish may fade; oil required to keep food from sticking.

Examples: All-Clad, KitchenAid, Farberware

PORCELAIN ENAMEL ON CAST IRON

Pros: Excellent for slow cooking; comes in nice colors; dishwasher safe.

Cons: Heavy; not recommended for glass cook tops; oil required to keep food from sticking.

Example: Le Creuset

ANODIZED ALUMINUM WITH NONSTICK INTERIOR

Pros: Lightweight; moderately priced.

Cons: May heat less evenly than thicker cookware.

Example: Anolon, Circulon

ANODIZED ALUMINUM

Pros: Extremely hard; doesn't scratch; heats quickly and evenly; attractive dark gray; non-reactive with food.

Cons: Expensive; less widely available; oil required to keep food from sticking.

Example: Calphalon

Source: Cookware Manufacturers Association

Chemicals

PTFE: Polytetrafluoroethylene, a fluoropolymer resin and a high-performance plastic. Teflon is DuPont's brand of PTFE, which is used by licensed manufacturers to make various brands of nonstick cookware. Other companies make their own versions of PTFE.

PFOA: Perfluorooctanoic acid, a synthetic chemical used to manufacture fluoropolymers, including Teflon.

Contentions

EPA: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has called for total elimination of PFOA in emissions and products by 2015. Scientific advisers to the EPA have recommended that PFOA be considered a likely carcinogen.

FDA: Based on present knowledge, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it has no evidence that the amount of PFOA present in substances that come in contact with food poses a health concern. Consumers can continue to use Teflon and similar coated cookware, says the FDA, which continues to follow scientific research in this area. The FDA also says that eating little flakes of Teflon and other non-stick coatings that chip does not pose a health risk, based on present knowledge.

EWG: The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research group, says very high temperatures can cause nonstick coatings to release PFOA, but says PFOA also is associated with treated clothing, stain-resistant carpets and grease-resistant food containers or microwave popcorn bags.