Discovered my 'nonstick' pans were actually toxic after 450 degree smoke test

Bought a fancy ceramic set 2 years ago. Proud of myself. Always used medium heat. Last week I got a new stove thermometer. Cranked a pan to see what happened. It hit 500F in like 3 minutes. Teflon starts degrading around 400F. Checked the label. Tossed all of them. Anyone else realize their cookware is slowly poisoning them?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer_park261mo ago

Tossed my old nonstick pans after I started noticing flakes in my food and got worried. Switched to cast iron and stainless steel last year, best decision I've made in the kitchen. Takes a bit of getting used to with the heat management and cleaning but totally worth it for peace of mind. I actually read that ceramic can still have some issues if it gets scratched or overheated too, so I just avoid nonstick coatings altogether now. What kind of pans are you looking at to replace them?

wyatt_mitchell261mo ago

I mean, noticing flakes in your food AND still being worried about it is basically a horror movie trailer for your kitchen, right? Like, at that point you're just seasoning your eggs with tiny bits of mystery plastic. I get the whole ceramic thing too, I tried one and it got a scratch from a wooden spatula and I was like, welp, guess this is a decoration now. Honestly, sometimes I think nonstick pans are just a scam to make us feel fancy until they start shedding their skin like a reptile. But hey, at least your cast iron pan won't ghost you after a year.

the_elliot1mo ago

Oh man, I think there's actually a bigger problem with ceramic pans. Most of them have a silicone coating that can break down at high heat too, even without scratches. I got one from a brand that was supposed to be "healthy" and the coating started looking weird after I used it on medium-high a few times. So it's not just the scratches, it's the heat that does them in too. Stainless steel and cast iron are definitely the way to go, just gotta learn the right heat levels for each thing you cook.