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Yikes. What makes you think this results in fewer carcinogens on your pan's surface than teflon?
by fluidcruft 11y ago
Yikes. What makes you think this results in fewer carcinogens on your pan's surface than teflon?
- simoncion 11y agoThe cleaning step. Steps one through three are what is called "seasoning" the pan. It's a process that often makes a bunch of smoke. Ideally, you only ever have to do that once. Cooking on cast iron doesn't produce a smoky mess.
- fluidcruft 11y agoIf "seasoning" the pan achieves anything at all, doesn't it necessarily have to result in some sort of coating of the pan's surface?
- simoncion 11y agoYes. Seasoning leaves a baked-on coating of oil/fat. That doesn't mean that the coating is carcinogenic. IIRC (and I might not RC, I'm no food chemist) the coating is polymerized oil/fat and completely harmless.
- fluidcruft 11y agoAt smoking point, carcinogens are created both in the gas and what's left behind.
- simoncion 11y agoHow sure are you that the non-stick coating left on the pan is more carcinogenic than browned hash browns?
- hussong 11y agoWhat makes you think the pan's surface is more carcinogenic than the steak crust?
- fluidcruft 11y agoI don't, but I'm not sure that's relevant to the hypothesis that cast iron pans are less toxic than teflon pans.
- hussong 11y agoIt's been a while, I'll follow up anyway... I don't use cast iron pans because I believe they're less toxic, but because they make a damn fine crusty steak or fried potatoes. And I use teflon pans to stir-fry or steam veggies and chicken, or to make fried eggs, just because they're more convenient. To be honest, I don't really care all that much about potential toxiticity in cooking equipment. That wasn't really my hypothesis to begin with, I was just sharing my love for cast iron pans :-)