Cooking with a non-stick pot or pan usually means easy clean up although the use and care are important as they age. Perhaps you own a favourite non-stick pot or pan that now has well-worn scratches resembling an Etruscan artefact. At this point there may be tiny flecks of the coating chipping off getting into your food. Note to self, it is not a good idea to tell your guests that the flakes are black pepper or an exotic spice.
One of the first questions I’m asked regarding the safety of non-stick Teflon cookware is: “should I only use stainless steel or copper cookware?”
On the official Teflon website the issues of safety are addressed with the following, “In rare instances, a person may accidentally ingest a flake of non-stick coating from an aged pan. The coating flake is non-toxic and would pass through the body without being absorbed. Based on the inert characteristics of the coating, data indicate that there are no health effects from the incidental ingestion of pieces of non-stick coating.” Whew! Okay so we’re all safe, that’s good. However, the whole idea of inert flakes passing through our digestive systems is just not an appetizing thought.
Quality non-stick cookware is considered safe when used appropriately and is perfect for specific cooking techniques. Be selective; choose to use your non-stick cookware for foods that easily stick such as recipes with eggs and not simply boiling water. When using a non-stick pan cook on low or medium heat, do not overheat your non-stick pans. Here’s a rule of thumb for non-stick cookware, when you see smoke it’s way too hot. There are several reasons for the deterioration of a non-stick pan’s coating to occur among them are; aging, excessive high heat, using utensils that scratch or the storage of a pan one on top of the other. Also everything wears out so when you begin to see scratches, toss the pan and joyfully buy a replacement.
Stainless steel or copper are great for its longevity and can handle higher heat, which is perfect for browning or searing. Actually the newer designs, particularly the triple ply copper conduct heat evenly and efficiently at lower temperatures. Copper is a terrific choice for cookware because it is two times more conductive than aluminium and ten times more conductive than stainless steel.
When using either stainless steel or copper the trick is patience. One example is searing fish with the skin side down first. Our first reaction is that it’s going to stick and ruin the finished dish. Make certain that the pan is coated with oil sufficiently and then, using moderate heat allow the fish to actually sear. Don’t panic and start to try and put your spatula under it for fear of sticking. Give it some time and the cooking process takes care of the rest. Once properly seared the fish will come up from the pan intact so that it can be turned over for the remaining brief time in the pan. Just because you can stand the heat in the kitchen doesn’t mean that your pan can. Happy cooking!
source: ezinearticles.com
Image: chokphoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
