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Teflon has been known to be toxic for years. I'm not sure why "default trust" is a good position when dealing with companies like DuPont and Monsanto that have

Teflon has been known to be toxic for years. I'm not sure why "default trust" is a good position when dealing with companies like DuPont and Monsanto that have been caught lying to the public before. "Default suspicion" seems like the more cautious and logical approach here. It's been more than a decade since I cooked with Teflon. I use glass, stainless steel, cast iron, or ceramic/enamel (love that old original Corningware from eBay!). Much like eating real food, it's not hard to switch and the result tastes better.

trebor 11y ago
Another good alternative cookware is Le Creuset. They make nice enameled cast-iron products, and they work well. I think Costco carries them as a white-label now and then.
api 11y ago
I get irritated at the "but science!" crowd on these issues... Not because they are always wrong but because they don't get the social undercurrents at work here. People preemptively reject GMOs for a fairly rational reason: they come from industries and an establishment with a hard documented history of lying and covering up problems. If a confirmed pathological liar comes to you with a new product and tells you it's safe... I asked someone I knew who was very anti-GMO once if shs would consider them if they were being designed and tested by open non-profit agencies with a dedication to the public interest. She said yes. For quite a few people, perhaps most, it's not some superstitious fear of the technology per se but a very rational distrust of the people who are wielding it.
scott_karana 11y ago
> and the result tastes better I don't doubt all your other points, but why did you include this one? Are you claiming that teflon-coated surfaces somehow add a taste, or demonstrably change the texture of the food cooked on it?
- codexjourneys 11y ago
  I've tried both and like the result from stainless steel and Corningware better. Granted, I was using older-style pans made a decade or so ago. YMMV, though the Teflon is not healthy for high-heat cooking. I avoid it, why bother?
ars 11y ago
> Teflon has been known to be toxic for years. No it hasn't. Teflon is not toxic at all. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt as assume you are just confusing it with precursors to teflon instead of teflon itself.
- codexjourneys 11y ago
  Yes, precursors are toxic. But it's also easy to overheat a Teflon pan when preparing to fry something up, and it's not healthy: "Use low or medium heat with Teflon skillets and pans. When Teflon-coated cookware is overheated, the cookware releases fumes that may cause flu-like symptoms in humans." http://homeguides.sfgate.com/dangers-scratched-teflon-cookware-85350.html http://homeguides.sfgate.com/dangers-scratched-teflon-cookwa... I prefer other types of cookware, for myself.
  - ars 11y ago
    The problem with that advise is that oil releases MORE toxic fumes at a lower temperature than teflon. Teflon is safer than the oil you are cooking with. If you heated it hot enough to make fumes from the teflon you would have a cloud of smoke from the oil. They know this because did a test and found that oil is more toxic to birds than teflon. So go ahead and cook with teflon on high, it's safer than using a lot of burning oil.
    - codexjourneys 11y ago
      Feel free to use Teflon if you like it. I don't like it and don't trust DuPont in general. I'll cook with high-smoke-point oils using cookware I prefer, and take my chances.
    - kaitai 11y ago
      You keep claiming that heated oil is a greater killer than heated Teflon. Do you have any sources where people can examine the evidence, or any evidence that you can present directly? I just can't find any evidence at all for your claims, even though you've posted the same thing about 12 times.

trebor 11y ago

Another good alternative cookware is Le Creuset. They make nice enameled cast-iron products, and they work well. I think Costco carries them as a white-label now and then.

api 11y ago

I get irritated at the "but science!" crowd on these issues... Not because they are always wrong but because they don't get the social undercurrents at work here. People preemptively reject GMOs for a fairly rational reason: they come from industries and an establishment with a hard documented history of lying and covering up problems. If a confirmed pathological liar comes to you with a new product and tells you it's safe... I asked someone I knew who was very anti-GMO once if shs would consider them if they were being designed and tested by open non-profit agencies with a dedication to the public interest. She said yes. For quite a few people, perhaps most, it's not some superstitious fear of the technology per se but a very rational distrust of the people who are wielding it.

scott_karana 11y ago

> and the result tastes better I don't doubt all your other points, but why did you include this one? Are you claiming that teflon-coated surfaces somehow add a taste, or demonstrably change the texture of the food cooked on it?

codexjourneys 11y ago
I've tried both and like the result from stainless steel and Corningware better. Granted, I was using older-style pans made a decade or so ago. YMMV, though the Teflon is not healthy for high-heat cooking. I avoid it, why bother?

ars 11y ago

> Teflon has been known to be toxic for years. No it hasn't. Teflon is not toxic at all. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt as assume you are just confusing it with precursors to teflon instead of teflon itself.

codexjourneys 11y ago
Yes, precursors are toxic. But it's also easy to overheat a Teflon pan when preparing to fry something up, and it's not healthy: "Use low or medium heat with Teflon skillets and pans. When Teflon-coated cookware is overheated, the cookware releases fumes that may cause flu-like symptoms in humans." http://homeguides.sfgate.com/dangers-scratched-teflon-cookware-85350.html http://homeguides.sfgate.com/dangers-scratched-teflon-cookwa... I prefer other types of cookware, for myself.
- ars 11y ago
  The problem with that advise is that oil releases MORE toxic fumes at a lower temperature than teflon. Teflon is safer than the oil you are cooking with. If you heated it hot enough to make fumes from the teflon you would have a cloud of smoke from the oil. They know this because did a test and found that oil is more toxic to birds than teflon. So go ahead and cook with teflon on high, it's safer than using a lot of burning oil.
  - codexjourneys 11y ago
    Feel free to use Teflon if you like it. I don't like it and don't trust DuPont in general. I'll cook with high-smoke-point oils using cookware I prefer, and take my chances.
  - kaitai 11y ago
    You keep claiming that heated oil is a greater killer than heated Teflon. Do you have any sources where people can examine the evidence, or any evidence that you can present directly? I just can't find any evidence at all for your claims, even though you've posted the same thing about 12 times.