Really concerned about Teflon

[Jong81]

Hey all,

I'm very nervous about this teflon thing. How can I tell whether or not a pan I'm cooking with is or is not? My Mom has some old pans here that I heard sometimes do not say what they're made out of. One that I use to cook eggs in the morning (Jake loves the whites - I know it's so wrong!) just says made in Italy - that's it. Jake is no where near the kitchen, which is on the first floor and the door to my room stays shut always. Do I have reason to worry? Will there ALWAYS be a notice when a pan is teflon? Do I need to beg my mother to get rid of every possible teflon pan she has?

Thanks!

Jonathan

[TooLover]

Anything non-stick is made with teflon, or something similar!
I have a few teflon pieces left here, but use them rarely!

[Rue]

There's a fair amount of controversy regarding Teflon products. Anything that looks 'coated' with a black or dark silver product is likely Teflon coated.

If you plan to use a pan and are unsure of what it is made of - I'd suggest you put the bird away, open the kitchen window for ventilation and do NOT let the pan remotely OVERHEAT - that's were the main danger of Teflon poisoning lies.

I still use a Teflon fry pan - have been since they first came out. However, I don't use any other Teflon products.

Other than Teflon coated - pots/pans/roasters can be stainless steel (good), cast iron (arguably the best for all of us), aluminum (associated with claims of contributing to Alzheimers, but I use my big turkey roaster regardless) or enamel (which I think is quite safe, again provided it doesn't burn), glass or ceramic. Glass or ceramic should also be bird-safe...

Self-cleaning ovens are a huge concern as well, and one that many people don't consider at all.

[Skyebirdsmom]

Here you go, keep it, print it, keep it, pass it on to anyone you know who uses the crap. Give it to your mom...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...-2004Jul8.html
Teflon and any non stick is deadly to you and pets...no matter what DuPont says or anyone else for that matter.
Linda & Skye~

[Skyebirdsmom]

YES BEG HER TO RID HERSELF ALONG WITH ANY PETS THAT THE STUFF IS DANGEROUS!!!
Do whatever you have to, buy her new stainless steel cookware if you have to. You can get Martha Steward good stainless steel cookware for about $65 for a set of 8 pans I believe. But like I said, do whatever you have to.
Linda & Skye~

[Skyebirdsmom]

Originally Posted by Jong81

Hey all,

I'm very nervous about this teflon thing. How can I tell whether or not a pan I'm cooking with is or is not? My Mom has some old pans here that I heard sometimes do not say what they're made out of. One that I use to cook eggs in the morning (Jake loves the whites - I know it's so wrong!) just says made in Italy - that's it. Jake is no where near the kitchen, which is on the first floor and the door to my room stays shut always. Do I have reason to worry? Will there ALWAYS be a notice when a pan is teflon? Do I need to beg my mother to get rid of every possible teflon pan she has?

Thanks!

Jonathan

Here is one more article on the dangers of non stick including Teflon:
http://tuberose.com/Teflon.html
Linda & Skye~

[Skyebirdsmom]

When in doubt...DON'T use it, period! Better to be safe than sorry.
Linda & Skye~

[felisdomesticus]

we have 1 stir-fry pan and a medium-sized Teflon pot. I try to use them as rarely as I can--and if I do, the exhaust fan is on, the kitchen door is open, and I'm eagle-eyeing it to make sure nothing overheats.

I'd feel better if they were out of the house. I'm working on it.

[The Outlaw]

Here is the last time I'm gonna post this reminder. When you have teflon cooking pots and pans in your home, new or old, you are in danger of losing your birds. Even with windows open, fans running, etc. Sooner or later, some emergency IS going to have you running away from your stove to rescue a child, dog, bird, postman, WHATEVER and your pan is going to over heat.

This happened about 3 years ago. A woman who used to post on Macaw Talk had 4 macaws, mostly larger. Her inlaws came to visit over the Christmas holidays.

Her mother in law and she were very close. As a surprise, her MIL got up early on Christmas morning and decided to do a surprise breakfast for the family. She wanted to make her visit as stress free on her DIL as possible. She looked around and discovered a Teflon fry pan in the back of a kitchen cabinet.

She started frying bacon and was about to start eggs when she heard a ruckus in the livingroom. Her DIL had gotten up and noticed her house was too quiet. Not one bird sound. When she checked the cages she discovered to her horror that all 4 birds were dead.

She was clueless. When she entered the kitchen her heart stopped. She had FORGOTTEN she even owned that fry pan. It was what killed the 4 macaws.

Her MIL was just plain devasted and you can imagine what that did to their relationship. After all, we love them like they are our children.

This was a classic accident. One that NEVER should have happened and COULDN'T have happened if that pan had been discarded. You have to decide: are you smarter than Teflon?

[felisdomesticus]

Scarlett has won the hearts of The Monster (my mother), my dad, my sister and cousins, aunts, uncles, and my grandmother. They all thought I was nuts for adopting a bird that carries diseases and could die from a cool breeze. (their preconceived notions). Her funny antics made them all think twice about their opinions of her. Monster did some independent research and was very proud of herself last week when she told me not to use Teflon as it could hurt Scarlett.

We have no overnight visitors here as there's only one bed in the house and everyone knows how obsessive I am about her and Teflon, air fresheners, cheap candles, cleaning products, etc.

We will eliminate Teflon sooner rather than later. It's just not worth it.