In the past year I decided I wasn't so keen on Teflon, for a few reasons. My pans were getting old and the Teflon was peeling off, making it not-so-non-stick and getting flakes in our food. My understanding (sorry, I don't have sources to cite here) is that Teflon is really not good to ingest. Even new pans shed some Teflon (you can't cook for your pet bird even in a new Teflon pan- it will poison the bird).
Also, the crust I can get on my food with a Teflon pan is just not the same. They aren't designed to cook on high temperatures (and as I've started turning into my mom, I've found I like Cooking on High, her specialty). So, I'm really enjoying the nice cripsy results of my pan. And, once I get a bunch of browned bits (uh, Cooks Illustrated points out that it's called "fond") stuck on the bottom of the pan, I can just use a little stock, water, wine or whatever to deglaze the pan and make a quick tasty sauce. By the time I deglaze, clean up is no biggie, and a little Barkeeper's Friend finishes up any stubborn areas.
I loved this pan so much that I found myself cooking in serial - making one item in it, putting it aside to stay warm, then making the next item in my one good pan. So, I asked for and received (yay!) a second size of the same pan for Christmas. One pan great - two pans fabulous!
We gave up teflon this past year too. I've got a Pampered Chef 10" saute pan that I love! And love that I got it at a discount too. :)
ReplyDeleteWe still have our Teflon sets (more due to non motivation to buy new pots and pans than anything else). Bryan bought a set after he graduated from UT in December of '97 and lived the bachelor life for the next couple of years. We received a set when we got married in July of 2001.
ReplyDeleteThe set Bryan bought has flaked away over time, but the one we received for the wedding seems to have held up pretty well. Could be difference in brands or how we've taken care of them - who knows.
Oh, my favorite cooking tool? The microwave. My second favorite? Starbucks
Have a great weekend!
rainylakechick - Do you fry eggs in yours? I keep a little teflon skillet around for that because it hasn't worked out for me in the stainless pan. Any tips?
ReplyDeleteaustinrosebuds - yeah, I was putting it off but my mom visited and was rather put off by the flaking Teflon! Between years of owning a bird, and her recent health stuff, I had to accommodate her and go get a new skillet. Poor me, eh, since I love the thing!