By now you probably know that most non-stick pots and pans are not a good idea. PTFEs are found in these products and they degrade at temperatures above 500 degrees. This means that when we use these pots and pans at high temps they off gas, releasing harmful chemicals into the air and into our food. These pans are also manufactured with PFOAs which are supposedly not unhealthy for us but they ARE unhealthy for the environment. In fact the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants to eliminate all PFOAs in products by 2015.
Well, I don’t know about you but I don’t spend a bunch of money on organic, healthy foods just to contaminate them by cooking them in traditional non-stick pots and pans. I don’t really cook all that much anymore but I have avoided the convenience of non-stick cookware for years because of these issues. It was stainless steel all the way for me.
BUT a lot has changed though with the release of some new greener and cleaner cookware lines including a line by GreenPan. All feature hard anodized aluminum exteriors for heat conduction and durability and Thermolon nonstick interiors for excellent food release without fatty oils. The non-stick surface that works just as well as Teflon but without the safety issues. The food flakes right off after cooking, making clean up time a snap. And thanks to its high heat resistance, this set goes easily from the stovetop to the oven to the table for cooking and serving versatility. These pans have no PTFEs and are not manufactured using PFOAs.
I got to test their line recently so I whipped up some free range, local, scrambled eggs. I did not use any oil or grease I just threw them in the pan and turned up the heat. Nothing stuck to the pan at all except where the stainless steel handle joints are. But that flaked off pretty easy. Sunny side up eggs slid right out of the small skillet with ease.
The GreenPan line is also a very nice looking set of pots and pans. Very sophisticated and classy. So if you are looking for “safe” non-stick pots and pans check these out.
Available at Amazon.
Great post! You make a great point which is why would we spend all the money to eat healthy and go organic to have it ruined when we cook them. You got some great content on your site. Please keep them coming!
THANK YOU! I’ve been stainless steel for a long time too. It’s not difficult, not really. Except for eggs. And with five backyard chickens each laying an egg a day…
Well, thank you. I will hunt this thing down!
Fun! I’m thinking… organic vegan pancakes :)
Oh WOW! FANTASTIC thank you!!!
I agree w/ Sarah regarding eggs in my stainless steel!!! That’s the only time my stainless steel drives me crazy :-)
I bought one at Target. It chipped on the outside rim in the first wk. I had thrown away the receipt so I just kept it. Had it for a couple of months now and no other problems. It isnt quite the same as cooking in Teflon but alot easier than stainless. I cook lots of eggs for breakfast. Start cooking at lower temps to prevent sticking.
take the pot back to Target, they will give you a new one.
I have been using stainless for a while now and have been thinking about getting a cast iron skillet for eggs, if I can get it seasoned right. These look great, but my only concern would be the aluminum? Do you think this would be a problem since it is coated? What if the coating scratches off and alumnium is underneath? I know we are so cautious to stay away from it by using natural deodorant, but I would be concerned about it near my food. Just a thought, but they do look great!
If it gets scratched I would toss it myself. That is true of regular non-stick cookware as well. Also make sure to use wooden utensils so they don’t get scratched.
Re: Sarah Shelton’s comment… cast iron is great. I got a preseasoned one from Amazon in two different sizes (quite the deal with free shipping on the heavy beasts)… One is a grill pan and one is a regular skillet. Perfect for eggs (still not as nice as easy as teflon) and really great for recipes that might require a dutch oven (lots of frittatas over here)
These sound great! Thanks so much for the review. They are going to be put on my “wish list” :o)
Very Interesting. It is nice to know about alternatives to our iron and stainless skillets. Thank you for the review. We will look into these but are worried about the aluminum factor since we have Alzheimer’s that runs in the family.
Interesting product. Thanks for the tip – I’ll look into that for our line of products and my own home. Keep up the good green works!
http://www.ecolabelfundraising.com
Great post! I also use stainless steel but it was so hard to make eggs without them sticking. So I got a set of GreenPans for Christmas and I love them!!!
Funny how we all had issues with eggs!
Also cast iron is a good option but too much work for me, LOL.
Go cast iron all the way. I haven’t tried these pans, and it’s great to have a good green non-stick alternative (thanks!), but I make eggs in my cast iron with no sticking issues. You do have to use a bit more butter, but they cook beautifully and it’s super easy to clean. And I’ve heard the residual iron is good for the diet too!
I have also heard about all of the dangers of aluminum. So what is my best option, my sister hascast iron but they weigh a ton and that makes me nervous because my daughter loves to help in the kitchen and they could really hurt someone if dropped. Well my husband daughter and I are moving out of inlaws for first time so we need to buy everything for our kitchen. So any advice and help on all my best optiions would be great. Thanks
April, I have used stainless steel for years, They are not non-stick but that is not an issue when safety is a factor. Personally I would use these aluminum green pans becasue the food never touches the aluminum…that is just the outer shell. Cast iron is another option but some find it very hard to cook with and you have to lots of grease, butters. oils, etc. I don’ do cast iron cause I don’t like it. We have stainless steel, an enamel crock pot, and a couple GREEN non-stick pans.
These sure look beautiful…I still think cast iron is the best safest bet. the aluminum also concerns me- there is an alternative to cast iron- It doesn’t require seasoning/breaking in- it’s Ceramic Nano-Glaze…I would be more willing to spring for these. (I’m in the market for replacing all my cookware!)- however the word nano also concerns me….help ladies!
you can click my name to read my post about the nano glaze cookware.
They say what’s NOT in it, but they don’t say what’s in it. Who knows what toxic chemicals it might be putting in your food? You can’t just go by what a company says – there’s a lot of “greenwashing” going on these days.
The pans are made in China which has a horrible safety record when it comes to toxic chemicals, I would stay away from this stuff until we know more about them.
I have to agree with the last poster. I am not saying they are bad…but what ARE they? “…without the safety concerns” is a nice line but how do we know?
I am throwing out my non -stick pans and have re-seasoned some old unwanted cast iron pans that I aquired recently. The old smooth cast iron pans are superior to the newer ones. nyway, has anyone tried the new OrGREENiC pans? They are offering a small fry pan for $19.99 plush S & H. It is coated with ceramic,