Pots & Pans

Cast Iron, Enameled Cast Iron, Glass, and Stainless Steel are all the safest cookware options.

Teflon and Silverstone coating is quite convenient for eggs and other sticky food and is safe as long as you:

• Don't use it at high temperatures - only medium to medium low.  When heated dry, particles become airborne and imbed in your lungs.  The fumes are lethal to birds.
• Don't heat it empty - always have something in it before heating, like oil
• Don't scratch it - if you scratch it discard it because those chemicals will get into your foods.

If you don't follow these rules carefully and always, the coating is a toxic chemical that can get into your body.  If you heat a nonstick pan dry, without anything in it, toxic fumes are emitted which causes birds to die.  We can breathe in those carcinogens too.  Overall, I think it's a shame that more of these are created than any other pots and it's just easier to avoid them altogether.  Sure, they are convenient and if you want one for your eggs, indulge, but be careful not to scratch or heat dry or use on high heat. 

Links on Teflon:

• Can Non-Stick Make You Sick?  ABC News, November, 2003

I personally use cast iron, enameled cast iron, porcelain or ceramic, and glass.

I don't like anodized aluminum.  Aluminum is a great conductor of heat and is cheap so many restaurants use it, but it is a poison and leaches into our foods.  Anodized Aluminum does effectively seal the chemicals but harsh chemicals are used to create the anodized aluminum.  In addition, it can scratch easily and then you get the aluminum and the black stuff (chemicals) into your foods.  And it is definitely not dishwasher friendly.

Dr Weil says: I use stainless steel pans with copper bottoms for better heat conduction. I also have some enameled cast iron pans, but find them to be much heavier and prone to chipping. Stainless steel is inert, easy to clean, but a poor heat conductor, hence the need for another metal on the bottom. I have an All-Clad Teflon coated skillet that is very convenient, but I am now reluctant to use it unless I'm doing a low-temperature sauté (i.e., with some liquid in the pan).

The Green Guide says: Glass, stainless steel, and cast iron are all tried and true for safety. In fact, cast iron can add needed iron to your diet.

Marilu Henner says: that nickel can leach out of scratched stainless.

Environmental Working Group says: When heated, cookware coated with Teflon and other non-stick surfaces emits fumes that can kill birds and potentially sicken people. You can avoid exposures to the fumes from Teflon and other non-stick cookware by phasing out your home use of these products. If you can afford to replace your non-stick cookware now, do so.

Statistics reported by the Cookware Manufacturers Association indicate that 90 percent of all the aluminum cookware sold in the United States in 2001 was coated with non-stick chemicals like Teflon (Cooks Illustrated, September 2002). Chemicals and tiny, toxic Teflon particles released from heated Teflon kill household pet birds. At least four of these chemicals never break down in the environment, and some are widely found in human blood. Consumers concerned about the effects of Teflon on human health and the environment should consider these alternatives: Stainless Steel Stainless steel is a terrific  alternative to a non-stick cooking surface. Most chefs agree that stainless steel browns foods better than non-stick surfaces. In their 2001 review of sauté pans, Cooks Illustrated, an independent publication, chose a stainless steel pan over otherwise identical non-stick models. They also recommended stainless steel pan roasters over non-stick.

Cast Iron - Cast iron remains a great alternative to non-stick cooking surfaces.  Lodge, America's oldest family-owned cookware manufacturer, refers to their cookware as "natural non-stick." Cast iron can be pre-heated to temperatures that will brown meat and will withstand oven temperatures well above what is considered safe for non-stick pans. Cast iron is extremely durable and can now be purchased pre-seasoned, ready-to-use.