Hubby has been on a diet lately. Well, he’s always on some kind of diet, and the rules of each diet seem to change as often as the weather in Chicago. After Frankie was born, he went on a no-carb diet. And since the basis on our diet was rice and pasta, I wasn’t quite sure what we were going to eat. And since I had a newborn perpetually attached to my boob, I figured that he could take over the cooking for a while.
We mainly eat some sort of dinner consisting of a meat and sautéed veggies, whatever we have lying around. I often add either pasta or brown rice to the mix, to help out with the I-can-eat-everything-in-the-house hunger that goes along with breastfeeding a 22 lb baby. And I have to say that, since the basis of our diet is now veggies and not starch, hubby has lost about 40 lbs and I have successfully lost most of my baby fat. (Not in the belly, sadly, which still looks like a deflated marshmellow and gives me a muffin top, but I am technically back to my normal weight).
Part of the diet that drives me nuts, however, is his daily morning regime of scrambled eggs. I can’t complain too much, because almost every morning I get delicious scrambled eggs with cheese, tomatoes, and green peppers, but hubby isn’t exactly the quickest to clean up after cooking. <sigh> Long story short, after months of cooking eggs every morning and letting the egg remnants sit there and then scrap off the remnants day after day after day…let’s just say that the pan didn’t stand a chance.
(I love you sweetie! Even if I just told the world that you drive me crazy with eggs).
Image from here.
The pots and pans set that I have was given to me by my folks several years ago, and it’s a nice Calphalon non-stick set. I know, I know, there’s a lot of potential problems with Teflon and non-stick coating giving you cancer and such. And I want to replace the set, one of these days when I’m not on WIC and trying to squeeze pennies out of thin air. I figured that as long as the pots weren’t scratched, were fine, right?
Well, the egg pan had to go. I took one look at it the other day and determined it had to go in the dump. As much as I hate adding to the landfill, that pan was probably going to give us all tumors. Of course, once I explained all this to hubby, he sort of freaked out and for a couple of days would randomly express concern that he was now cancer-ridden. Which made me think that perhaps I need to tone it down a bit when I complain about environmental issues. 🙂
At Target the other day, we found the perfect solution: The Original Green Pan supposedly eco-friendly frying pan. At $35 a pop, this was no cheap replacement, but I reasoned that hubby’s fears would be abated more easily with such a purchase. Like other eco-friendly non-stick ware, this one is made from Thermolon, not Teflon, which means that all the nasty chemicals and petroleum are gone.
Image and lots of my info from here.
Most traditional non-stick cookware uses a synthetic product called PTFE, or PolyTetraFluoroEthylene. However, at high temperatures, PTFE lets off fumes that can be toxic; birds have been known to die from it! Another product in non-stick cookware is PFOA (PerFluoroOctanoic Acid), which the EPA has identified as a known human carcinogen. Why these items are in products we use to COOK OUR FOOD WITH is beyond me. Supposedly, Thermolon’s technology is much safer and greener, while still allowing food to slip right off. I often wonder if such claims will be disputed in later years, but today, I think it’s reasonable to assume that it’s safer and better for the environment.
These pans are supposed to last longer and hold up better than all the others. Ha! We will put it to the test in this house. More eggs, anyone?
Ooh, thanks, I will have to check those out. Our frying pans have seen better days. And we are using them daily for eggs now 🙂 Like you, I’d like to replace the whole set, but haven’t…. I’ve thought about a cast iron skillet but don’t know if it would work well on our flat top electric range. Most people seem to use them on gas.
Thanks Emily! I too looked into cast iron, but as a non-chef, it intimidates me too much. LOL Hubby’s diet is almost a paleo diet like you guys are on, so we’re in the same boat. 🙂
I love food and sharing recipes. I really enjoy reading your blog very much. Thanks for sharing this post.
A Delicious Potato Soup Recipe
Hi Mary – I applaud the idea of creating a safer home, and because there’s so much misinformation out there about Teflon, I’m not surprised that you are concerned. I’m a representative of DuPont though, and hope you’ll let me share some information with you and your readers, so that everyone can make truly informed decisions.
In regards to PFOA and cancer – The weight of evidence gathered from a number of significant health studies continues to indicate to us that there is no health risk to the general public from exposure to PFOA. Additionally, no authoritative body has designated PFOA as a human carcinogen. The U.S. EPA stated that it is premature to conclude that PFOA causes cancer. For more information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/oppt/pfoa/pubs/pfoarisk.html. http://www.teflon.com/Teflon/teflonissafe and http://www.pfoa.dupont.com can provide you with additional information.