calphalon - is it safer than teflon?- moved from Not About Food board
I am all in a tizzy about the health hazards of teflon. I thought that calphalon was inherently safer in that even their non-stick stuff didn't use the same kinds of chemicals. Is this correct? I guess the safest thing is cast iron or enamel. What's the word?
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Short answer - YES Calphalon coatings DO NOT use Teflon(tm) It is their own proprietary no-stick formulation which does not include the patented, trademarked Teflon molecules. No other pan coatings are known to cause problems; get down from your tizzy...
Even Teflon (tm) is only really a problem if the pan temperature exceeds 400-500F for more than a couple minutes.
›1 Reply-
re: KiltedCook
paulj
Mar 8, 2009 04:39 PM
The original DuPont PTFE patent(s) expired a long time ago. 2230654 was issued in 1941. Their trademark is still in force, and I'm sure they have added patents for various details about the manufacture and use of the chemical. But other people can make a product which is chemically similar without calling it Teflon.
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paulj
Mar 8, 2009 02:14 PM
There is usually an ongoing Teflon (R), PTFE, PFOA, or nonstick pan thread in the Cookware section. You can also look up the corresponding articles on Wiki. You won't get the ultimate answers there, but you will get a broader idea of what the issues are.
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paulj
Mar 8, 2009 01:07 PM
Until you what is wrong is wrong with teflon, and why you should avoid it, stay away from anything that bills itself as 'non-stick', even it is claims to use the most advance synthetic polymer. Otherwise you would be like a child who thinks it's ok to cross an avenue because his mother only said 'don't cross the street'.
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you can buy non-nonstick Calphalon pans if you want.......I use a Calphalon nonstick saute pan for cooking eggs, and other things that tend to stick. No problems if you keep the pan temp below about 400, so that means no broiler and no stir-frying. The chemicals are only released when you overheat the pan. I dont know about the chemical make-up of Calphalons nonstick surface. It very well could be different, but you can still ruin the pan if you overheat it.
