Tuesday, May 4, 2010

"Green" Pots and Pans

Everybody seems to be concerned with environmental issues. Some people are concerned for global warming, others believe in recycling, while others, like me, worry about pesticides and chemicals in our food. I try to eat as much organic food as I can.



However, through my research I found that most of the harmful chemicals we eat come from the cookware that we use. Most of us use a traditional non-stick pans in our cooking. Traditional non-stick is Teflon® based plastic material that is layered over the metal of our pans. We all have used it and over time we see the pan start to chip and flakes end up in our food. We all know that you need to use plastic or wooden utensils to cook with non-stick cookware. When my pans started to flake and chip I thought it was because I got lazy and started using metal utensils. This partially true but the real cause was because I was using the wrong heat setting for traditional non-stick.


Traditional non-stick cookware is made by coating the pan or pot with PTFE (PolyTetraFluoroEthylene); a waxy, synthetic substance. PTFE has well documented disadvantages in household use. Above 500 degrees, this PTFE coating starts to breakdown. The released fumes can potentially harm the respiratory tract and cause nausea and headaches. So when you overheat your non-stick pan not only to you damage the pan but possibly your health. Additionally, PTFE coatings are manufactured with the aid of PFOA (PerfluoraOctanoic Acid) which is classified as a persistent pollutant of the environment. Besides that, PFOA is a chemical that the human body has tough time expelling and is known as a likely human carcinogen, according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).


After learning about this information, I wanted to find a substitute for traditional non-stick. I did quite a bit of research on the web and found a substitute. This new non-stick is made without PTFE and doesn’t use PFOAs. The non-stick is a ceramic based non-stick that also is able to withstand temperatures up to 850 degrees. What this means is I could then put these new types of non-stick pans into the oven. This was my type of non-stick. This type of non-stick is called Thermolon®. It is used in the production of the ‘Original Green Pan’.


The first pan I bought was a 14 inch paella pan from the Home Shopping Network (HSN). It was from the Chef Todd English collection. Chef English is an award winning chef and was voted as one the 50 sexiest men in America by People magazine. I watched the demonstration of the pan and then I chose the paella pan because it would serve very well as my test bed of this new cookware. When the pan arrived, I was surprised to see that the non-stick surface is a blue-gray color and that the weight of the pans was very light. I made a chicken, chorizo and shrimp paella with my new pan. It crisped the rice the way that I like and cooked the rest of the ingredients perfectly. Clean up was breeze. I was able to wipe the pan clean with just a sponge and water. Nothing stuck, no soaking and then the pan is dishwasher safe. I fell in love with this cookware on the spot.


I have ordered different sets from HSN and all have worked as described. In fact, I gave my expensive Calphalon® hard anodized non-stick cookware to my daughter for a wedding present. I use nothing but Green Pan for my cooking and baking.


Recently, there is another company that has started producing ceramic based non-stick. I receive quite a bit of spam from them wanting me to try their cookware. The company is OrGreenic®. I have read their information and have watched their infomercial and the pans seem to be very similar to the Green Pan. The difference that I saw was that the non-stick material is green in color instead of blue-gray. I also noted that there was no mention of Thermolon® technology. After searching their website I also noticed that there was no ability to order sets of pans. You could only order individual pots and pans, plus I didn’t see any type of bake ware. I may order their introductory 8 inch fry pan to test with and right about the results at a later time.


Currently, the only place to purchase Green Pan in the United States is from HSN and it is from the Chef Todd English collection. I have been to the Thermolon® website and they have many different lines of cookware. I went to there ‘where to buy’ tab and looked under the United States. What I found was a mailto link. I have sent an email to the address provided asking where I could purchase their cookware from a retailer or wholesaler. I am still waiting for a reply.


I am very happy with my current Green Pans and I recommend them highly to anyone. These pans are wonderful to use, simple to maintain and clean up is a breeze. But the greatest benefit is that I know that unwanted chemicals are not getting into my food and I am doing my small part for living green.


If you are interested in more information or purchasing ceramic non-stick visit the following websites:






Home Shopping Network (Chef Todd English Collection)


OrGreenic


Thermolon

1 comment:

  1. I've used green pans for a couple of years, mine are also from HSN, and I love them. Nonstick, easy clean-up, and not toxic like my previous non-stick cookware.

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