Cooking has become a cherished pastime of mine over the last several years. It began in college when I found I could no longer stomach the meals the cafeteria was providing me. I knew I wanted to know what was in my food, so I moved off campus into my own apartment and began calling my mother incessantly for recipes, and then calling her back after mulling over what it meant to julienne an onion. And to be honest, as time has gone by my questions have only increased in number — though, to be fair, this is most likely because I am becoming increasingly familiar with the intricacies of the subject. But one thing I’ve noticed in the past year is my ever-mounting desire to understand what I should and shouldn’t have in my kitchen for efficiency as well as health purposes (yes, I have replaced all plastic food storage containers with glass ones).
I’m the clean type. I don’t like dirty dishes soaking in soap to slowly soften residue for removal hours later. I prefer things to get clean immediately, hence my affection for non-stick cookware. But, as many of us know, there’s a not-so-secret staple in it that is a major danger to our health: Teflon. This synthetic polymer is found in metal pans to ease the process of cooking and cleaning. But at what risk? From health dangers to environmental hazards, the cons of cooking with it outweigh the pros. Even manufacturers warn their consumers of cooking at too high of a heat when using Teflon due to the emission of toxic particles and gases from the coating breaking apart. Take a look at the below chart to get an in-depth look at exactly what happens when you cook with Teflon at certain temperatures:
