Non-non-stick: Eat My Dust, Teflon.

Why Teflon is Going to Promptly Eat My Dust

For years, my Dad has been nagging John and I to get rid of our generations-old Teflon pans. We inherited them from our parents and friends, and we have this mismatch rag tag set of non-stick, sort of flaking, last-forever pans that we love to scrape and burn and throw in the sink. We've only been owners of this set for 3.5 years, but they've probably got 10+ years of life experience behind them (I swear our large pot came from my childhood, and John swears it came from his), which is a long time for any cookware set. The problem? They're highly toxic.

John and I have always known that Teflon is not the best option for our family when it comes to healthy living. We have a high whole fat diet, so the "cook low fat" appeal of Teflon doesn't apply to us, and the fact that toxic, cancer-causing chemicals are part of the pan's makeup don't make us very happy either. But alternatives are expensive and confusing, and our money is best used for other purposes, right?

That's what I thought - until last week, I set to boil a small pot of water to heat up some food in for The Caterpillar. While I was preparing her food, she woke up from a nap, so I laid down with her to nurse. And we both fell asleep. For 45 minutes.

I woke up abruptly to the stench of burning rubber and chemicals. It was like a car accident took place in my kitchen. (But everyone was OK, and they all walked away safely, no injuries, thank goodness*.)

The water had burned off and the pot itself was cooking on high. Burning. Oy vey.

Months of organic eating, exercize, fresh air... all out the window, as we quietly slept and breathed in our toxic doom. Even NON-health-nuts suggest to keep your pot filled up with something (water, food, anything!), and set to Medium at the max. I broke all the rules.

And that's when I made the decision: we're switching to a non-non-stick alternative. (Yes, it will also be a good idea to not leave things unattended in the kitchen, and to replace cookware that's going south.)

If my small beloved Teflon pot, burning on high, made my house smell like a nuclear sludge dump, it's probably time to say goodbye.

It'll be phased out by 2015 - but it's in our products today.

But I wasn't quite sure where to begin. Now, this isn't a health blog. If you're looking for one of those, I know a girl. But this is a family blog, and part of my family's decision to pursue healthy living is influenced by what we eat. Like... 99%.

So here are the 4 reasons we've decided to ditch the Teflon starting this week:

1. We spend a fair portion of our grocery bill and our cooking time on preparing healthy, organic meals. Why not compliment the healthy food with a healthier style of preparation? Click here to read about the danger of Teflon (But don't say I didn't warn you.)
2. I am always watching out for flakes, scratches and nicks in our Teflon pans. I'll be honest, I trudged forward despite them (gross, I know), but I'd rather have the peace of mind in knowing that my cookware is safe through and through (it won't be a health risk with a small scratch). Thinking with (LAM people are you with me?) "Last Cost Sensitivity", I'll spend less in the long run on good quality products which don't need replacing so often.
3. I'm not committed to non-stick. I need to get a little muscle action going in my arms, and I've heard that "scrubbing" is a good way to go about that. (Scrubbing. What a foreign idea.) Also, fat is not bad, people. Using a little extra butter to take the old-school route to non-stick is okay. 
4. Cooking with cast iron is a good way to increase iron in your blood. Bonus for vegetarians.

Right now, I'm exploring the options between Cast Iron & Ceramic.

Do you have any suggestions for non-non-stick cookware? For us, aluminum, stainless steel and copper won't be options. Keep an eye out for the research I find - and if you have any to send along, feel free!

As with everything, Dr. Mercola has a product.

*Just so we're all clear, there was no car accident in my kitchen.